WEDNESDAY COULD BE THE BEGINNING OF THE END FOR SANCHEZ

The Yankees current drama with the catching situation is driving me crazy. I'm tired of talking or even thinking about Gary Sanchez. He's been awful for the last three seasons now and now the Yankees are diving deeper into the starting catcher problem and it's terrible timing. 

I understand the drama with Sanchez. It's hard to walk away from a young catcher that is cheap. The Yankees want to believe in him again. They want him to redeem himself and still be a core part of this team, but it's just not working and it can no longer be ignored. The Yankees also don't want to think about cutting Sanchez loose and him rebounding with another team, which could happen. Meanwhile, the bigger issues on my mind right now is getting DJ LeMahieu signed back and figuring out the starting rotation. The Yankees have three major issues to deal with after a season with large revenue losses.

So all of these ties to Yadier Molina make it more complicated. I do think the Yankees have genuine interest in signing Molina. I don't think the Yankees are just looking to drive up the price for other teams but I also think the Yankees are going to tender Sanchez a contract by Wednesday's deadline. So if the Yankees are trying to sign Molina, what's going to happen with Sanchez?

I don't know, exactly. What I do know is the Yankees are not signing Molina if they are keeping Sanchez because there's no point. Molina won't be cheap and the Yankees are looking to shed payroll. They aren't going to carry two catchers who could cost upwards of $18 million before even factoring in Kyle Higashioka, and the Yankees aren't going to get rid of him. Higashioka took Sanchez's job at the end of the season and he's proven to be the more consistent and a cheaper option.

The only real option I see here is if they really are serious about Molina is that Sanchez gets then is traded. Since we all know Sanchez has very little trade value, the Yankees would have to be willing to trade him with no real expectations on what they back in return for him even if it is for a bucket of balls and a pack of Big League chew.

The timing just sucks and it leaves a lot to figure out later. I'm ready to move on from Sanchez, honestly. I'm tired of worrying about him and what happens with him behind the plate. I'm just ready for the resolution on this either way I don't care. We let this problem get out of hand for too long.

It's time to cut the cord, wish Sanchez well wherever he plays in 2021 (even if it is with us) and get down to business. The Yankees put themselves in this position and now it is time to make a decision and move forward. This team has other needs outside of just a catcher and we can't afford to waste more time and miss out on other opportunities.

Wednesday can't come fast enough for me....that's when we start getting some answers.

  --Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

     BYB Managing Editor

    Twitter: @nyprincessj