The Yankees know exactly what they need as the trade deadline creeps closer: more offense from the catcher spot, and possibly help in the infield if the right name shakes loose. The problem is that some of the most attractive names they’ve had in mind are suddenly looking a lot harder to pry away.
That leaves Brian Cashman and the Yankees in a tougher spot than they expected. The club still needs to upgrade one of the American League’s biggest offensive weak points, but the market is tightening around three players who had been mentioned often in trade chatter: Minnesota’s Ryan Jeffers, Colorado’s Hunter Goodman and Washington’s C.J. Abrams.
The clearest need is behind the plate. Austin Wells, J.C. Escarra and Ali Sanchez have combined to give New York the lowest offensive production from the catcher position in the majors by OPS and wRC+, which is why the Yankees have been openly linked to a right-handed hitting catcher for weeks.
Jeffers and Goodman looked like natural fits. Both were seen as realistic possibilities for New York. Now, both appear much tougher to land.
According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the Rockies plan to hold onto Goodman even with interest building around the league. Minnesota’s stance on Jeffers is similarly firm: the Twins do not want to move him unless they slip out of the AL Central race, and they remain in striking distance.
That’s a major complication for a Yankees team looking for help right now.
Goodman, in particular, comes with a steep price tag even if Colorado were willing to talk. ESPN’s Jorge Castillo reported that the Yankees had contacted the Rockies about Goodman before, but those talks have not been revisited recently. Castillo also pointed to the real reason the asking price would be so high:
“Landing [Hunter] Goodman could prove costly for another reason: He has three years of team control remaining beyond this season and would surely cost a team a substantial haul.”
He also noted:
“The Yankees prefer to acquire players at the deadline who aren’t just short-term additions. They have called on Goodman, though not recently, a source told ESPN.”
Goodman has given Colorado plenty of reason to be patient. The National League All-Star is hitting .254 with 27 home runs and an .863 OPS, numbers that would look awfully good in New York’s catching mix. But his three remaining years of club control only make the Rockies more comfortable holding firm.
Abrams has also popped up in deadline speculation, with rival teams watching to see whether Washington decides to buy or sell before Aug. 3.
But the Nationals shortstop didn’t exactly sound like a player expecting to be moved. After being asked about the trade talk involving the Yankees, Abrams made it clear his focus is on Washington and its second-half push.
That makes a blockbuster even less likely.
None of this shuts the door completely. The deadline has a way of changing fast, and the Yankees are still expected to be active. But the picture is getting clearer by the day: Jeffers is hard to get because Minnesota is still in the race, Goodman is expensive because Colorado controls him for three more seasons, and Abrams doesn’t sound like someone headed anywhere.
So the Yankees may have to adjust. The need is still there.
The urgency is still there. The targets, for now, are slipping farther out of reach.
In Other News...
Yankees Suddenly Face Three Roster Calls They Cant Put Off
The Yankees left their split doubleheader against the Dodgers with the same uneasy feeling they brought in, because the roster questions around them are getting harder to ignore. Even after taking the nightcap, the bigger picture still points toward a club trying to stabilize itself while weighing whether some of its current pieces fit the way the front office hoped when the season began.
One of those calls is in the bullpen, where Camilo Doval has slid so far down the hierarchy that a move may be coming sooner rather than later, especially with his options situation adding pressure. The position-player side has its own debate, too, with Jasson Domnguez and Jazz Chisholm Jr. both at the center of suggested adjustments as the Yankees look for a cleaner mix and a little more certainty in the lineup. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Just Pushed The Yankees Toward A Brutal Trade Deadline Choice
With Aaron Judge still out and Giancarlo Stanton dealing with injuries, the Yankees are staring at a trade deadline that may demand more than a routine tweak. Brian Cashman has a roster that can still compete, but it looks incomplete enough that the front office may have to weigh moving everyday contributors and pitching depth to shore up the club before the deadline passes.
The rotation picture is part of what makes the decision so tricky. With several starters on the way back from the injured list, the Yankees could soon find themselves with more arms than spots, creating a path to deal from a position of depth while trying to cover the holes left by the lineup's injuries. The challenge is finding the right balance between preserving what the Yankees already have and making enough of a splash to keep pace in a crowded race. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Just Ran Into A Bigger Problem Than One Bad Series
The Yankees split with the Dodgers did more than expose a rough offensive weekend. It reinforced how much the lineup still leans on Aaron Judge, and how thin the margin gets when he is not there to carry the middle of the order. New York managed only five runs across the series, and manager Aaron Boone said the club needs more consistent offense, a reminder that one hot stretch from the bats can hide a lot of underlying issues.
Cody Bellinger is one of the players expected to help steady things, but there is also a broader roster conversation hanging over the club as the trade deadline approaches. If the Yankees are going to keep pace, Brian Cashman may need to look beyond internal fixes and consider upgrades at catcher, along with other moves that could reshape the infield mix. The series in Los Angeles did not just cost them a chance at a cleaner result, it sharpened the question of whether this roster has enough reliable offense as currently built. [Read more 🡒]