The New York Yankees season came to a sudden end on Wednesday evening.
After defeating the Boston Red Sox in the AL Wild Card round, the Yankees were swiftly eliminated at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays, who completed the sweep of New York in pretty dominant fashion.
The Yankees being eliminated means the offseason is now, and the immediate needs are pretty obvious: relievers (if the likes of Paul Blackburn, David Bednar, and Tim Hill walk in free agency) and a catcher to replace Austin Wells.
Well, it didn’t take long for the Yankees to be linked to Milwaukee Brewers‘ star catcher William Contreras in a potential trade.
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Yankees Urged to Trade for William Contreras
William Contreras is currently still playing in the MLB playoffs with the Milwaukee Brewers, who advanced to the NLCS on Wednesday night after defeating the San Diego Padres.
In a recent rumors piece for Bleacher Report.com, writer Kerry Miller names Contreras as an offseason trade target for the Yankees:
“Between Freddy Peralta this past winter, Devin Williams the previous year and Corbin Burnes the offseason before that, we have plenty of evidence that the Brewers are not afraid to trade away a star player ahead of his final season of team control. Nor should they be afraid, as they inexplicably just keep getting better every time they do it. Well, William Contreras has a $14.5M club option for 2027. The Brewers could definitely benefit from another starting pitcher or two in a rotation that can get questionable quickly beyond Jacob Misiorowski and Logan Henderson.”
New York has plenty of trade capital to get a deal done, and this is an idea that the Yankees should REALLY consider.
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Why a William Contreras-Yankees Trade Makes Sense
William Contreras is one of the best catchers in MLB, and he proved himself once again offensively in 2026.
Over 147 regular-season games played, Contreras batted .270 with 18 home runs, 94 RBI, and a bWAR of 2.9.
Perhaps the biggest need for the Yankees heading into the offseason is a right-handed hitting catcher, and if New York can’t ink Ryan Jeffers to a free-agent contract, Contreras stands out as a top trade option and is a name Brian Cashman could consider.
However, also worth noting that acquiring an All-Star player like Contreras will certainly come at a steep cost.
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