Is Gary Sanchez the Yankee version of Michael Meyers?

"You can't kill the boogeyman," Jamie Lee Curtis slobbered at the end of Halloween, the 1978 movie that birthed the slasher genre. 

Were Jamie a modern Yankee fan, she'd say, "You can't trade the boogeyman."

She'd be referring to Gary Sanchez.

For the last three winters of our discontent, the Death Barge has talked about trading Sanchez, the prime target for fan rage and wrath. But Brian Cashman never pulls the trigger. He checks the market for catchers, quantifies what other GMs will give up, and weighs this against the horrifying fear that Sanchez - once free of the stress-filled doghouse Cashman has built - would have a breakout, MVP year. And so Cashman does nothing.

Say what you wish about Cash, he is not stupid. He knows a potentially career-killing trade when he sees it.

But but BUT... Sanchez must go, right? I mean, if Gary is our catcher on April 1, Yank fans will unleash a Rudy Giuliani capitol insurrection, right?  

When the Yankees lost to Boston in the wild card - the most important game of the year - Kyle Higashioka started at catcher. (Officially, this is because Gerrit Cole pitched, and Higgy is his personal caddy.) Sanchez pinch hit for him in the seventh, with the Yankees down 6-1. He swung at the first pitch, a Gary-like thing to do. He lashed a liner to center, where the over-shift was positioned.   

We assumed that was it - Gary's last dance in pinstripes. Surely, Cashman won't bring him back, right? 

Well, I wonder. The closer we get to November, the uglier the catcher market looks. And the more that Yank fans target Sanchez with their tomatoes, the less Cashman can seek in return. Last winter, Sanchez's .146 average made him virtually untradeable. He's not as rancid as he was in 2020, but he's no Mookie Betts. As for free agents, grab your cowboy hat, because it's Slim Pickens. Here are the top free agent catchers. (Keep in mind, red salaries mean the clubs still have options.)

Buster Posey isn't going anywhere. Ditch the team options, and you've got a geriatrics center. What's more, the lefty bat that the Yankees so desperately need is not to be found. And though Higgy had his moments in 2021, his game deteriorated when he played every day. 

The Yankees have several catchers in the low minors. One might be ready by, say, next September. Or maybe never. 

Halloween came out in 1978, the year the Yankees beat the Dodgers 4-2 in the World Series. Our catcher was Thurman, who still isn't in the Hall. (Isn't it time for Yankee fans to start breaking things over this?)  We had Jorge Posada in the 1990s, and - well - not much since. (Remember Jesus Montero?) Gary was supposed to be our next great catcher... 

Well, it's Halloween, time to be horrified. And here's the most horrifying thing I can write: Maybe, just maybe... you can't trade the boogeyman.