New York Yankees: Biggest Needs This Offseason

Backup Catcher

Gary Sanchez’s defensive struggles were well publicized this season. He had so much difficulty catching the baseball that some thought he’d be better suited as the New York Yankees designated hitter.

While I’m certainly not ready to give up on Sanchez as a catcher, I think giving him more time at designated hitter would benefit both Sanchez and the team. The issue with giving Sanchez less time behind the plate is the effect it would have on the offense.

Austin Romine is a solid backup catcher. He handles the pitching staff well, they all like throwing to him, and he’s not a complete liability with the bat. However, if Sanchez’s backup is going to play, say, 60-70 games, it would be nice if he could hit better than .220.

Backup catcher is not a huge need for the Yankees this offseason. I expect Sanchez to spend the offseason improving his defense and if New York went into the 2018 season with Romine as the backup, there wouldn’t be a big issue.

However, looking for a backup catcher who is better offensively wouldn’t be a bad idea.