The Yankees have spent much of this season being linked to a catcher at the trade deadline, and that conversation still isn’t going away. But Austin Wells has picked an awfully inconvenient moment to catch fire.
Over his last 15 games, Wells has posted an .805 OPS. Narrow that to the last seven, and he’s up to 1.097. He’s also launched three homers in the last two weeks after managing just four for the entire season before that stretch.
That surge stands in sharp contrast to the full-season line next to his name: a .165 average and a .544 OPS.
Even so, there’s a reason the Yankees may not be ready to write him off. Wells’ current numbers look nothing like what he had shown earlier in his MLB career, which leaves room to believe some positive regression was coming. He’s still only 27, and it would be strange if this were simply the point where his bat fell off for good.
That’s where things get tricky for New York. The idea all along was that the Yankees would target a righty-hitting catcher, ideally someone who could fit alongside Wells. The expectation seemed to be that the newcomer would handle most of the starts.
But if Wells keeps swinging like this, the calculation changes. The Yankees may have to think harder about whether they want to pay up for one big move or settle for a cheaper solution.
For now, the answer won’t come until the Yankees make a deal or the deadline passes on Aug. 3. Until then, Wells has made an already messy situation a lot more interesting.
And at the very least, the Yankees won’t mind that he’s finally starting to hit. It just gives them more to weigh this week.
In Other News...
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The Yankees are already juggling injuries to key players, and the need is obvious enough that the list of possible fixes has been easy to identify: a right-handed-hitting outfielder, a catcher and bullpen help. Aaron Boone has acknowledged the front office is working to improve the team, but he stopped short of promising anything, which leaves the next few days feeling like a test of both patience and urgency in the Bronx. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Blow Sweep Chance As Another Lineup Concern Emerges
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Will Warren was knocked around in his start, and the game unraveled further when Ryan Yarbrough was tagged for five runs in the sixth inning. The bigger-picture concern, though, came before the first pitch, when Spencer Jones was brought up from Triple-A to fill a roster opening and give the Yankees another look as they try to navigate a lineup that suddenly needs answers. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Trade Idea Solves A Bullpen Need Without The Usual Price
A bullpen upgrade always gets the Yankees thinking, and this latest trade idea offers a cleaner fit than the usual deadline fantasy. The framework from The Athletics Chris Kirschner and former MLB general manager Jim Bowden has New York adding a left-handed reliever from San Diego while sending a pair of pitching prospects back the other way, a move built around immediate relief help without forcing the Yankees to empty the top of the farm system.
The appeal is obvious from the Yankees side because the target would slide into a high-leverage role and deepen a relief mix that already leans on David Bednar, Brent Headrick and Fernando Cruz in different late-inning spots. Bowdens case for the Padres is just as practical, since they are staring at a rotation reset and could use the incoming arms as controllable starting depth, which is the kind of return that can make a speculative deal feel a little more real than most July chatter. [Read more 🡒]