The New York Yankees are on the verge of potentially losing several impending free agents.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Trent Grisham are two of the top names floating, but much of the conversation involves who the Yankees could lose — not who they could acquire.
They undoubtedly need a boost behind the plate, and one AL Central catcher could slide in rather seamlessly.
Yankees Should Capitalize on Opportunity To Acquire Ryan Jeffers
The simple explanation for chasing 29-year-old Ryan Jeffers of the Minnesota Twins is the steady decline of New York’s Austin Wells.
Wells, 27, wrapped up his 2026 campaign slashing .186/.292/.332 with a .624 OPS and 14 homers through 122 games. He posted seven doubles and 32 RBIs.
This was by far his least productive season in his four years playing Major League Baseball.
Jeffers, however, just wrapped up one of his stronger campaigns.
He slashed .256/.353/.461 with a .814 OPS and 14 homers through 92 games. He recorded 19 doubles, two triples and 56 RBIs.
Just last week, Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report revealed his take on the Jeffers-Yankees opportunity.
“Everyone expected the Yankees to trade for Jeffers, right up until the Twins got hot in late July and decided to be buyers instead of sellers,” he wrote. “But better late than never, right?”
He added, “Jeffers has had a .782 OPS over the past four seasons, one of the 10 or so most valuable catchers in the sport during that time. Whether he supplants Austin Wells as the primary catcher or it’s more of a 50/50 split, he could be a major addition to New York’s lineup.”
Not to mention, Wells has a poor history against southpaws; Jeffers is significantly better.
Simply put, New York needs a replacement at catcher. Wells isn’t showing positive consistency, and Jeffers, despite being limited to 92 games in 2026, has been successful.
Now, much of this depends on what the Twins decide to do with Jeffers.
As predicted by Joel Sherman of the New York Post, “I think there’s a very, very good chance the Twins put the qualifying offer on Jeffers, which is $23.15 million. If they do, there’s draft pick compensation if he decides to turn down the qualifying offer and leave. And I just don’t see the Yankees investing that kind of money and draft pick compensation for it. So, I think they have to think about probably a much better co-pilot than they had this year for Austin Wells.”
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It’s unclear if New York will decide to make a splash with Minnesota, but one thing is apparent — they need to find a way to improve behind the plate.
Yankees Approach Hot Stove Season
This is the point in the year where teams start considering monumental moves and transactions.
Whether catcher is an area the Yankees choose to address — although they should — is up in the air.
New York’s hideous ending to their postseason run left the ballclub in a funk. Of course, injuries had much to do with their woes, but they need to bolster their roster before their 2027 campaign.
As mentioned, the Yankees have a handful of impending free agents on their hands, which means they are likely to end up with noticeable gaps on their roster.
Will they act fast enough, and strategically enough, to come out of hot stove season unscathed?
MLB Free Agency: Yankees Have Perfect Opportunity To Land $6.7 Million Catcher