The New York Yankees have a need for a catcher and could look to land one of the top-hitting catchers available.
Austin Wells is the starting Yankees catcher, but he’s struggled this season and is currently injured, showing a need to upgrade at the position. Although the MLB Trade Deadline is still a month-and-a-half away, MLB insider Jon Heyman linked the Yankees to trading for Hunter Goodman from the Colorado Rockies.
“I think this is a long shot, but I’ll throw it out there. Yankees look like they may need a catcher, at least a backup catcher. Right now, the Yankees catchers are hitting, get this, .173 as a group. They could look at catcher Hunter Goodman, who looks like an All-Star again,” Heyman said on MLB Network.
Goodman would be a major upgrade at catcher for the Yankees and add some more offense to the lineup. With the Rockies this season, he’s hitting .255 with 20 home runs and 37 RBIs, while last season, he hit .278 with 31 home runs and 91 RBIs, showing he can be an effective hitter.
Goodman, however, isn’t scheduled to be a free agent until 2030, so the cost to acquire him likely would be high. But if the Rockies are open to moving him, the Yankees make a lot of sense to acquire him.
Yankees Get Positive Update on Wells
Although Wells is currently on the injured list and has struggled this season, he is getting closer to a return.
After being placed on the 10-day IL on June 6, Yankees manager Aaron Boone revealed Wells is set to begin a rehab assignment, MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch revealed.
“Austin Wells will play in Minor League rehab games this week, Aaron Boone said,” Hoch wrote on X.
Wells has struggled this season, as he’s hitting just .166 with 4 home runs and 7 RBIs, which is why the Yankees might have to make a move to acquire a catcher.
Wells does have three more years of team control, so although the Yankees could look to acquire a catcher, it could be to pair with Wells.
Catcher a Need for Yankees
The Yankees are one of the top teams in baseball, but still have some needs ahead of the August 3 trade deadline.
Although the bullpen is a big issue, catcher is also a need, according to The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty.
“All three evaluators suspected the Yankees would use the time before the deadline to search for a right-handed hitting catcher — likely to pair with starter Austin Wells. That’s despite the difficulty of trying to add in midseason a catcher who would have to learn a whole new pitching staff,” Kuty wrote.
“Wells has been good defensively but is having a terrible offensive season. Wells and backup JC Escarra have especially struggled against lefty pitchers, posting a combined 64 wRC+, which ranks 25th in the game. The Yankees like what Ali Sanchez and Payton Henry bring defensively, but neither has lit up Triple A offensively.”
Whether or not the Yankees will actually trade for a catcher is uncertain, but it is a need.
Yankees Connected to Trading for 31-Home Run Catcher to Replace Austin Wells