The Yankees are still hunting for help behind the plate as the trade deadline creeps closer, but one of the names they’ve been tied to for months may be slipping out of reach.
Ryan Jeffers of the Minnesota Twins has come up again and again as a possible fit for New York, and the appeal is obvious. The Yankees want a right-handed bat with some pop while Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are out, and Jeffers has the kind of lefty-mashing profile that fits that need.
But the latest word out of Minnesota points in the other direction. After the Twins’ win on Tuesday moved them back to .500, general manager Jeremy Zoll made it sound like the club is leaning toward keeping Jeffers rather than dealing him.
“In terms of individual speculation, I don’t think it’s particularly productive to work through all that,” Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll told reporters, including MLB.com's Matthew Leach yesterday
. “But what I’ll say is on Ryan specifically, he’s had an awesome year," Zoll added. "We’re really excited about where he’s at, and looking forward to doing everything we can to keep the group together and put us in the best spot to keep pushing ahead.”
That’s not exactly the kind of language a contender wants to hear when it’s shopping for catching help. For the Yankees, it removes one of the more frequently discussed options from the board.
There are still other names in play before next week’s deadline. Hunter Goodman of the Colorado Rockies, Tyler Stephenson of the Cincinnati Reds, and Liam Hicks of the Miami Marlins have all been mentioned as possible trade targets.
Of that group, Stephenson may be the most realistic path for New York. The price for Goodman is expected to be high, and Hicks bats left-handed, which doesn’t match the Yankees’ need nearly as well.
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