The Yankees keep showing up in the Ryan Jeffers conversation, and now the noise around that fit has gotten louder.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that rival teams expect the Minnesota Twins to move Jeffers by the deadline, with New York viewed as the “leading candidate” to get him. That’s a notable shift, because there had been some uncertainty about whether Jeffers would actually be dealt. Now, the expectation is leaning the other way.
“Rival teams now believe that the Minnesota Twins will trade catcher Ryan Jeffers, with the Yankees the leading candidate to sign him,” Nightengale writes.
Jeffers, 29, would be a rental for the Yankees, but he brings real production to the table. He’s hitting .283 with a .922 OPS, nine home runs in 152 at-bats and 2.1 bWAR this season.
That kind of line would stand out anywhere, and it looks even better when stacked against what the Yankees have gotten from the catcher spot this year. Jeffers would give them an immediate offensive boost, while Austin Wells would slide into a backup role.
With about a week left before the August 3 deadline, the Jeffers link has become one of the clearest ones for New York. The Yankees and Jeffers have been tied together repeatedly this summer, and now they’re being cast as the team in front.
There’s also a wider market angle here. Shea Langeliers might miss the entire season, and Hunter Goodman might not be traded, which makes Jeffers look like the best catcher available. Right now, the Yankees are the team most strongly connected to him.
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