The Yankees didn’t get the right-handed catcher they were chasing at the trade deadline, and for now their answer behind the plate is a mix of Austin Wells, Ali Sanchez and, newly, Mitch Garver.
That’s the current setup, anyway. Wells remains the starter, Sanchez is the backup, and Garver was recently added on a minor league deal after being released by the Seattle Mariners. That trio is expected to handle postseason catching duties this fall.
But the catching conversation in New York is far from over.
One name that kept surfacing around the deadline was Hunter Goodman of the Colorado Rockies, a two-time All-Star whose bat has made him one of the most intriguing catchers in the game. The Rockies held onto him, but the fit with the Yankees still makes sense on paper.
Goodman is putting together a huge season at the plate, with 34 home runs and a .864 OPS. He also comes with three years of control after 2026, which is exactly why Colorado would need a serious return to even consider moving him.
As Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter put it: "The Rockies' perennial need for pitching means they have to at least entertain the idea of moving Hunter Goodman if the payoff is improving a staff that again ranks dead-last in the majors with a 5.48 ERA," Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter wrote.
That pitching need is where the Yankees enter the picture. New York has the kind of pitching depth that could make it a logical trade partner if Colorado ever decides to listen on Goodman.
The catch, of course, is price. The Rockies are not going to give away a catcher with this kind of production and this much team control.
If the Yankees don’t land Goodman this winter, they still look set to keep digging for the right-handed-hitting catcher they’ve clearly been after.
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Yankees Bullpen Search Could Lead To A Risky Late Waiver Add
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One name drawing attention is a right-hander who has had a rough run this season but still carries traits that teams tend to chase late in the year. His recent numbers have been shaky, yet the pitch data suggests there is still some bat-missing ability in there, which is the sort of profile that can tempt a contender looking for a low-cost fix. For the Yankees, the question is whether that upside is enough to justify a claim when the margin for error keeps shrinking. [Read more 🡒]