The Yankees had a clear need behind the plate before the Aug. 3 trade deadline. They just didn’t chase the most obvious fix.
With Austin Wells scuffling at the break - a .155 average and five home runs in July - and little offense coming from his backups, catcher looked like a position that had to be addressed. New York also didn’t have a red-hot catching prospect waiting at Triple-A, and a club with World Series goals was hardly likely to hand the job to an untested option in the middle of the season.
That made Tyler Stephenson an easy name to circle. The Reds catcher had been productive across the last several seasons, posting a .261/.337/.424 line with a 104 OPS+ from 2021-25, and he was scorching in July with a .339/.414/.532 slash line.
But the Yankees never even got into the conversation.
“A number of teams needed catching, but the Reds did not receive what they viewed as a sufficient offer for Tyler Stephenson, who ranks as one of the game’s worst framers,” Ken Rosenthal and C. Trent Rosecrans reported Thursday, Sept. 24 in The Athletic. “The New York Yankees declined to even show interest in Stephenson, fearing his framing would negatively impact their pitching, sources said.”
That decision left Stephenson in Cincinnati and Wells in New York, and the Yankees have at least gotten steadier production from their starter since then. Wells is hitting .230/.328/.425 with six home runs since the deadline, a line that sits a shade above his 2024-25 output.
The sticking point for New York was framing, the skill of stealing borderline pitches for strikes. It has long been a major part of catching, though the automated ball-strike challenge system approved by MLB a year ago for use in 2026 could change how much it matters. For now, though, the Yankees still valued it enough to walk away from Stephenson.
Statcast has credited Stephenson with costing the Reds an estimated nine runs this season through framing. That was enough for the Yankees to pass.
And given where they stand now, it’s hard to argue with the outcome. Even with Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton sidelined for most of the season, New York is 91-67 through Wednesday and has already clinched the top American League wild-card berth.
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