Ryan Jeffers may still be the catcher the Yankees want, but the path to landing him is looking less and less certain.
Jeff Passan recently described a Jeffers-to-New York move as “preordained,” but that idea has started to wobble. The Twins are now said to be aiming to contend as they enter action on July 30 just 1.5 games behind the Cleveland Guardians for the final American League Wild Card spot.
That puts Minnesota in buyer mode, even if there’s still one wrinkle: Jeffers is a free-agent-to-be, and the odds of keeping him beyond this season are slim. A deal is still possible if the Twins are overwhelmed by an offer, though not everyone sees that as likely.
Twins say they are looking to improve the team after walkoff win gets them to .500, 1/2 game back in the AL wild card race. So they’re buyers. Which means Joe Ryan and Ryan Jeffers aren’t going anywhere.
- Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 29, 2026
If Jeffers is effectively off the board, the Yankees’ catching options get thin in a hurry. Shea Langeliers may be out for the year with a torn meniscus.
Hunter Goodman would cost too much. Adley Rutschman, despite the name recognition, apparently doesn’t match the reputation.
That’s where Liam Hicks enters the picture.
Mark Feinsand reported that the Miami Marlins are willing to listen to offers for the occasional catcher, and while Hicks doesn’t hit every Yankees checkbox, he could still be a useful answer behind the plate. The biggest knock is obvious: he’s a left-handed hitter, not the right-handed bat New York has been linked to. But that requirement was tied to the idea of pairing someone with Austin Wells, and Wells has been so bad that the platoon logic doesn’t really hold up anymore.
Hicks also isn’t a full-time catcher. This season, he has appeared in 37 games there, plus 39 at DH and another 25 at first base. Last year, he caught 62 of his 119 games.
Defensively, he’s workable. He had trouble controlling the running game last season, but he ranked in the 56th percentile in blocking and framing.
This year, he’s done better at stopping runners, even though his framing and blocking have slipped some. In other words, he may be good enough to stay behind the plate.
The bat is what makes him interesting. Hicks strikes out only 9.8% of the time, which ranks in the 98th percentile.
He also walks at a 9.3% clip, and his 10.8% whiff rate is in the 98th percentile as well. He squares up baseballs at a 97th percentile rate.
He doesn’t exactly crush the ball, though. His 85.2 mph average exit velocity ranks in the fifth percentile, and his 30.4% hard-hit rate sits in the 11th percentile.
Even so, the production has been real. Hicks is hitting .282/.359/.439 with 14 home runs.
In Yankee Stadium, that homer total would climb to 16. He’s a bit like a Luis Arraez-type hitter, only with more pop and more walks, though a lower batting average.
He isn’t a perfect fit, but he does bring the kind of contact skills the Yankees need while keeping strikeouts down. And with Wells struggling the way he has, that alone makes Hicks worth a serious look.
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