The New York Yankees have watched catcher Austin Wells spiral at the plate throughout his 2026 campaign.
While he’s been productive on defense, his offensive ability dropped early on.
During the second half of the season, he showed improvements, but red flags are still raised.
To combat this, the Atlanta Braves could have what the Yankees need.
Yankees Could Trade McMahon for Braves’ Catcher
Stephen Parello of FanSided recently proposed a risky yet interesting New York-Atlanta trade involving 31-year-old infielder Ryan McMahon.
If the Yankees were to ship him out, he suggested a return package consisting of catcher Sean Murphy and low-level prospects.
“As we know, McMahon has one year and $16 million left on his deal, while Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy is owed $30 million over the next two seasons,” he wrote. “That imbalance should net the Yankees a lottery ticket prospect or two.”
He added, “It’s a gamble, but with New York expected to keep Austin Wells as the starter, Murphy could be the highest-upside right-handed-hitting complement the club can find.”
As Parello pointed out, Murphy comes with an injury-riddled history, and he’s in his age-32 season.
During his latest campaign, he slashed .182/.256/.300 with a .556 OPS and three homers through 33 games.
In 2025, he appeared in 94 games and slashed .199/.300/.409 with a .709 OPS and 16 home runs.
Along the way, he registered 13 doubles and 45 RBIs.
He certainly doesn’t come with a glowing stat sheet, but if he’s packaged with a couple of prospects, perhaps New York would bite.
Nonetheless, it’s a risky proposal.
Yankees Approach Long, Grueling Hot Stove Season
As soon as the postseason ends, hot stove season, well, heats up.
McMahon is floating in numerous trade rumors right now — this is only one of many.
On Oct. 14, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic wrote, “Known mostly for his glove, McMahon turned in his worst defensive season by far, posting minus-3 Defensive Runs Saved. He was still capable of making brilliant plays, but he struggled too often with routine plays, and he didn’t appear to go side-to-side as well as he did in the past.
He’s also been terrible offensively since joining the Yankees at the 2025 trade deadline, posting a 78 wRC+, the 39th-ranked mark among MLB third basemen with at least 350 plate appearances during that span.”
This was far from an impressive season for McMahon, which is in large part why he’s stuck in trade talk.
It’s time for New York to ship him out — the Braves could be a suitor.
New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves Trade Pitch Could Solve Catcher Dilemma