The Yankees Need a Catcher Bad. These Two Names Keep Coming Up.

The New York Yankees have a catching problem, and it’s not getting any quieter. Their catchers are hitting .173 this season. That’s not a typo. Austin Wells is out with lingering concussion symptoms, and the rest of the group hasn’t done much to make anyone feel better about the position.

So yeah, the trade deadline is coming, and the Yankees are going to be shopping. The dream scenario would be Baltimore’s Adley Rutschman, but that’s not happening. The Orioles aren’t trading him, and everyone knows it.

Ryan Jeffers Makes Sense if He’s Healthy

Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman have been talking about this for a while now, and the name that keeps surfacing is Minnesota’s Ryan Jeffers. The 29-year-old is currently on the shelf with a hand injury, but he’s a free agent after this season. That makes him a logical rental if the Twins decide to sell.

Heyman put it plainly: if Jeffers comes back healthy, this is the move that makes sense. The Yankees need someone who can actually hit, and Jeffers has shown he can do that when he’s right. The Twins aren’t exactly in a position to hold onto a rental if they’re not contending, so this one feels real.

But There Are Other Options

Heyman also floated a couple of other names. Hunter Goodman in Colorado is one. The guy has 20 home runs this year, and the Rockies are always a wild card when it comes to moving players. Heyman said the Yankees will probably at least make a call there, but he admitted it’s a long shot.

The more realistic fallback? Christian Vazquez in Houston. He’s not flashy, but he’s experienced and the Astros might be willing to move him even if they’re not fully selling. Heyman even pointed out that Houston could trade their backup catcher without it meaning they’re giving up on the season.

The Bottom Line for Now

Wells being out makes this more urgent than it already was. The Yankees have been getting next to nothing from the position, and you can’t win in October with a black hole in the lineup. Whether they land Jeffers, pivot to Vazquez, or make another surprise move, expect them to do something.

Whether that something is enough is another question entirely.