Sanchez’s future in N.Y. in question, but Yanks will offer him contract for 2021

It was not a surprise, but the New York Yankees informed Gary Sanchez they plan to offer him a contract for the 2021 season on Wednesday. The embattled catcher had been thrown into the conversation about being cut loose by the Bombers after an awful 2020 season in which he lost his starting catching job and was benched during the playoffs.

But he still has a chance with the Yankees right now.

The Yankees can certainly continue looking for a trade partner to package Sanchez, perhaps for young, controllable starting pitching, after they agree to offer him a contract. In his second year of arbitration, the catcher would be expected to get at least a little raise on the $5 million he was to make in 2020, but arbitration contracts do not become guaranteed until after spring training, so there is little risk. It gives the Yankees time to try and trade him, but considering where he finished the 2020 season, they may be stuck.

This problem isn’t Sanchez’s alone.

The Yankees have privately said Sanchez’s receiving has been an issue for years. They restructured their coaching staff after the 2019 season and brought in Twins catching guru Tanner Swanson with the edict to make Sanchez into a better receiver. Switching Sanchez to a one-kneedown stance, the catcher never looked comfortable, said as much in spring training, and in the end, there was little improvement.

The Yankees always believed in Sanchez’s power potential, but they made it virtually impossible for him to remain in the lineup without catching. The Yankees locked Giancarlo Stanton, who they traded for in the winter of 2017, at the DH role because his history of injuries will likely prevent him from playing in the outfield again.

The problem, however, is that Sanchez’s bat was dreadful in 2020 and there was no desire to put him in the DH spot.

Maybe with the coronavirus pandemic shutting down baseball for four months in the middle of spring training and then restarting in July with an abbreviated 60-game season without fans, there are a lot of ways to write off the fact Sanchez slashed .147/.253/.365 with 64 strikeouts in 156 at-bats this season — the abbreviated season, the stop-and-start shortened spring training and that the Yankees had Sanchez completely change his catching style this season could all factor into his struggles in 2020.

ELSEWHERE

●White Sox: Chicago declined to offer 2021 contracts to right fielder Nomar Mazara and pitcher Carlos Rodon, sending the pair into free agency. The White Sox also announced they had reached a one-year deal with reliever Jace Fry

worth $862,500. The 27-year-old Fry went 0-1 with a 3.66 ERA in 18 appearances in 2020. Rodon was selected by Chicago with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 amateur draft. He broke into the majors the following year, but has been hampered by a series of injuries. Mazara, a 25-year-old slugger, hit just .228 with one homer in 42 games this year.

●Twins: Minnesota agreed to a $2.2 million, one-year contract with reliever Tyler Duffey. Duffey, who turns 30 on Dec. 27, had a career-best 1.88 ERA in 24 innings this year with 13 hits allowed and 31 strikeouts.

●Cubs: Kyle Schwarber and Albert Almora Jr.

became free agents when Chicago declined to offer contracts to two key players from their historic 2016 World Series championship.