CLEVELAND, OH – The Indians are expected to look at any and all options at both second and third base this offseason. White Sox infielder Yolmer Sánchez could be on their radar after Chicago placed him on outright waivers according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
Any big league club in the waiver process could claim him for the 2020 season. He has one year left of arbitration before becoming a free agent and is projected to make around $6 million in 2020.
Sánchez posted a .252/.318/.321 slash line for the White Sox last season. He also won an American League Gold Glove at second base. He had a .987 fielding percentage and finished with just nine errors in 149 games. Sánchez spent most of the 2018 at third base, posting a .968 fielding percentage in 141 games.
Sánchez could end up in the White Sox minor league system if he goes unclaimed. There’s a reason Chicago is willing to move on from him – he’s struggled at the plate during his big league career.
Despite his hitting issues, he could be the perfect bridge at third base for the Tribe. Indians’ top prospect Nolan Jones may join the big leagues at some point in 2020, but he hasn’t played in Triple-A yet, which makes him an unlikely candidate to start the season in the majors.
Sánchez would represent an affordable option for next season. His ability to play both second and third at a high level gives him an edge over some of the veterans that could be had on the free agent market.
Two-time All-Star José Ramírez told the Indians he’s willing to move to second base full time if it benefits the team. That gives them the flexibility of adding a proven player like Sánchez, who could be the perfect stopgap solution at third base to give Jones time to develop. The Indians could also leave Ramírez at third and let Sánchez play second base.
An already good Indians' infield would be even better defensively with Sánchez on the roster.
The Tribe will certainly have a discussion about the 27-year-old. Ultimately, they may decide to wait and see how the market plays out with other infielders, but Sánchez checks a lot of the boxes that they’re looking for this offseason.




