The New York Yankees have had poor production from their catchers this season.
Starter Austin Wells, in 47 games, has a .533 OPS, and backup J.C. Escarra has a .488 OPS in 28 games.
Wells is currently in a rehab assignment, so the Yankees may be forced to find an external option.
The Athletic’s Jim Bowden, in his mailbag, gave some intriguing trade candidates for the Yankees, including Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno.
This would be a solid option for a Yankees team that needs right-handed hitting in the wake of Aaron Judge’s injury.
What Would Moreno Bring to the New York Yankees?
The Toronto Blue Jays signed Moreno out of Venezuela in 2016. He played 25 games with Toronto before they traded him to the Diamondbacks with outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr., in exchange for outfielder Daulton Varsho, after the 2022 season.
Bowden thinks that Moreno is one of the many options at catcher for New York.
“I think more realistic options include Ryan Jeffers of the Twins (once he gets healthy), Agustín Ramírez of the Marlins, Joey Bart of the Pirates, Carson Kelly of the Cubs, Gabriel Moreno of the Diamondbacks and Keibert Ruiz of the Nationals,” Bowden wrote.
While Moreno is the best of those names, he won’t come cheap. Moreno provides solid hitting, with Gold Glove defense.
In his first season with Arizona, he won the Gold Glove and was a finalist in his next two seasons. He is consistently among the best at throwing out base-stealers.
Moreno is a high-contact hitter for a catcher (.279 average) with average power for a catcher. However, Moreno’s main problem throughout his career has been injuries.
In his first three seasons with Arizona, Moreno has played just 291 games out of a possible 486. This includes the 2023 season, in which he played 111 games en route to a National League pennant.
He had a memorable postseason that year, hitting four home runs in 17 games.
Because of injuries, his playing time has been limited in 2026.
So, Is This Realistic?
Do the Yankees want an injury-prone catcher, or do the benefits outweigh the risks?
Moreno is a talented catcher when healthy, but are the Diamondbacks even willing to give him up at this point?
He won’t be a free agent until after the 2028 season, meaning that it would take a king’s ransom to move the highly-regarded catcher. With the Diamondbacks not having much of a backup plan in place at catcher, it’s not likely that Moreno is moved.
While they are third in the NL West, Arizona is two games above .500 and a half-game out of the NL Wild Card.
Despite a tough stretch, the postseason is realistic for Arizona, so they may not be sellers at the deadline, especially with Moreno.
Therefore, this might not be a realistic addition for Brian Cashman and the Yankees at the deadline. Jeffers, Ramirez, Bart and Ruiz are all more likely options than Moreno and Kelly.
If the Yankees are indeed looking for a catcher at the deadline, those four names likely fit the bill.
Yankees Named as Trade Fit for .787 OPS Gold Glove Catcher