On Wednesday, the White Sox reportedly reached out to the Yankees to gauge the availability of top catching prospect Gary Sanchez. Chicago is currently seeking catching help after Alex Avila was placed on the disabled list with a hamstring injury following Tuesday’s game.
According to George King of the New York Post, the Yankees’ asking price for a return on Sanchez was “far too high.” Sanchez is currently hitting .281 with nine homers and 37 RBI in 55 games with the Railriders, and has reclaimed his spot as one of the Yankees’ top prospects after a strong 2015 which culminated in an MVP award at the Arizona Fall League’s “Fall-Stars Game.” Prior to this season, Sanchez was ranked as the no. 2 prospect in the organization by Baseball America. MLB.com placed him at no. 3.
Brian Cashman said recently on Buster Olney’s podcast that he’s “open to anything” regarding the team. The fact that he didn’t tell the White Sox that Sanchez is unavailable speaks to this approach. While he may prefer to keep his top catching prospect, if there’s an offer he can’t refuse that would make the team better going forward, he’d likely pull the trigger.
Sanchez has drawn interest from the White Sox and other clubs before, so you can expect his name to come up in other rumors. The Yankees currently stand at 41-43, and are still deciding if they will be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline.
