The Yankees’ catcher search keeps circling back to the same uncomfortable truth: Austin Wells isn’t giving them enough at the plate to make the position feel settled. If New York is serious about chasing a World Series this fall, Brian Cashman has to keep digging for a real upgrade behind the plate.
For weeks, Adley Rutschman has been the dream name for Yankees fans. A switch-hitting, multi-time All-Star with 69 home runs and 270 RBIs in 560 games would fit neatly into Aaron Boone’s lineup, even if prying him loose from Baltimore always looked like a long shot. That door appears to be closing fast.
On Saturday, Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias made his stance clear to MASN’s Roch Kubatko, and it was about as direct as it gets.
“(Rutschman has) been the cornerstone, basically, since I’ve been here, so he’s an enormous part of it,” Elias said. “I wish our commitment was greater than it is.
We want him here forever. That’s not something that’s crossed the desk or the agenda.
Our focus, first of all, we want to get it back, but we want to win with him here.”
That leaves the Yankees looking elsewhere as the Aug. 3 deadline approaches. Even if they were willing to pile up the prospects, Elias’s comments make it hard to see Baltimore moving Rutschman.
Ryan Jeffers is another name that comes up often, but he comes with baggage of his own. The Twins backstop, 29, has been out for more than a month with a fractured left hamate bone, and although he should be back soon, the injury and his upcoming free agency could make him a tougher fit for New York.
That’s why Hunter Goodman stands out.
The Rockies catcher isn’t going to be a free agent until 2030, and Colorado’s 18-games-under-.500 record as of Monday afternoon could open the door if the club decides to sell. Goodman would be one of the biggest chips on the table in that scenario, especially if the Rockies are looking for a major prospect return and are willing to deal him to the AL.
Goodman’s bat has picked up at the perfect time. After a quiet May, he broke out in June, posting a .674 slugging percentage and a .991 OPS, both his best marks of the season by month.
In 24 games and 92 at-bats, he launched 12 home runs, drove in 24 runs and drew 10 walks. Before that, he had 13 homers and 23 RBIs in 54 games across March, April and May.
The defense is the part that gives pause. Goodman leads the majors with seven errors at catcher, and his minus-2 catcher runs saved, per Baseball Savant, isn’t exactly comforting.
Still, there are signs of improvement. He has only two errors in his last 14 games, and none in his last seven, which is his third-longest stretch of the season.
He also posted plus-2 catcher runs saved last season.
For the Yankees, the appeal is obvious. Goodman is 26, already a Silver Slugger, and has put up 56 home runs, 138 RBIs and a 5.9 WAR in 222 games since the start of 2025. With three years of team control left, he’s the kind of player worth paying up for, even if that means parting with prospects and young talent such as Carlos Lagrange, Jasson Domínguez and Chase Hampton.
With Rutschman likely staying put in Baltimore, the focus shifts to names like Goodman and Jeffers. And if the Yankees want to stop treating catcher like a problem they can work around, they may have to get aggressive and make Colorado an offer it can’t ignore.
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