With the August 3 trade deadline closing in on Monday, the Yankees’ catching situation is starting to feel like one of the bigger questions in the Bronx. If New York does make a move, the dream target is Ryan Jeffers of the Minnesota Twins, a bat-first catcher who is hitting .294 with nine home runs and 35 RBI in 47 games and grades well defensively too, ranking in the 60th percentile in framing at 1, per Baseball Savant.
The problem is that Jeffers may not be easy to pry loose. Multiple teams are chasing catching help, and Minnesota is still in the middle of the American League wild card race.
That leaves the Yankees looking at other possibilities, and Ivan Herrera of the St. Louis Cardinals has emerged as a name to watch.
On Tuesday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported that the Cardinals “could also be open to moving one of their catchers,” Pedro Pagés or Herrera. Then on Wednesday, ESPN’s Jorge Castillo reported that Herrera “has drawn interest at least from the Yankees and Red Sox.”
That news didn’t exactly light up Yankees fans online, and it’s easy to see why. Herrera’s glove has been the main concern.
He has caught only 40 games this season while serving as designated hitter in 66, and Baseball Savant has him in the 40th percentile in framing at -1. That’s a sharp contrast to Austin Wells, who sits in the 90th percentile at 4.
Still, the Yankees’ issue behind the plate has been bigger than just one player’s defense. The offense from Wells, Ali Sánchez and J.C. Escarra has been too uneven, and that’s where Herrera starts to make some sense.
The 26-year-old is hitting .242/.362/.377 with 12 home runs, 44 RBI and a .739 OPS for St. Louis this season. He has handled left-handed pitching better than righties, batting .248 with five home runs and 14 RBI against lefties, compared with .239 with seven home runs and 30 RBI against right-handers.
Those numbers won’t blow anyone away, but they look a lot better next to Wells’ splits, which are .190 vs. RHP and .103 vs. LHP.
Herrera’s power profile has also backed up a bit from last season. His hard-hit rate is down to 39.4% from 48.2%, and his home run rate has dipped to 2.5% from 4.2%. He’s also putting the ball on the ground more often, with a 49.0% ground ball rate, the third-highest of his career, and that has helped lead to a National League-high 15 double plays.
Even with those flaws, Herrera still has a few things working in his favor. His pull rate is 25.8%, a career best, which could matter at Yankee Stadium. He also comes with two more years of arbitration control, making him a more manageable fit for New York.
If the price stays reasonable, a Wells-Herrera tandem could be a workable answer for the stretch run. And because the Cardinals appear to have catching depth in the minors, the Yankees might not have to empty the cupboard to get him - perhaps not even a massive package like Spencer Jones or Jasson Domínguez.
That kind of deal could also leave New York room to pursue another move, possibly allowing the club to part with Elmer Rodriguez, Carlos Lagrange and Dax Kilby in a separate trade for Mason Miller.
Either way, the Yankees are clearly hunting for help, and the next few days in the Bronx should be busy.
In Other News...
Yankees May Finally Have A Real Answer To Their Catching Problem
The Yankees search for catching help has been one of the quieter but more persistent threads of their offseason, and it may now have a real name attached to it. MLB.coms Mark Feinsand reported that Miami could be open to moving a catcher because of a logjam at the position, with New York among several clubs keeping tabs on the market as it looks for a longer-term answer behind the plate.
What makes the situation more interesting is that the fit could extend beyond a simple rental. Hicks is under team control for years to come and would give the Yankees a chance to stabilize a spot that has been in flux, while any deal would likely force them to weigh the cost of parting with pitching prospects such as Ben Hess or Henry Lalane. For a club trying to improve without emptying the system, that is the kind of decision that can shape the rest of the winter. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Just Made A Catcher Move That Could Cost Someone Soon
The Yankees had a nice moment behind the plate when backup catcher Ali Snchez celebrated his first major league home run, a small but memorable jolt for a roster that has been piecing together depth wherever it can. Even so, the catcher situation in the Bronx still looks unsettled, and the front office has continued to scan for help as it weighs how to balance immediate needs with the realities of roster management.
Christian Bethancourt has already been added on a minor-league deal and sent to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, giving the Yankees a veteran fallback if they need another option in a hurry. The bigger question is what happens next, because the club is still looking at other catching possibilities and any move to bring one in could force a tough decision on the current roster. [Read more 🡒]
A-Rods Latest Relationship Twist Has Yankees Fans Doing A Double Take
Alex Rodriguez has been turning heads again off the field, this time with a relationship that has quietly become more visible around New York. Meghan Hayden, a former Division I athlete and New York-based fitness coach with a background in exercise physiology, has been seen publicly with Rodriguez, adding another layer of curiosity for Yankees fans who have followed his post-playing life as closely as his playing days.
The latest wrinkle came around Rodriguezs 51st birthday, when Hayden shared an Instagram post that put the spotlight on the pair in a way that was hard to miss. With the two already appearing together in public and settling into a summer routine that has drawn plenty of attention, the interest now is less about whether there is something there and more about how openly they choose to move from here. [Read more 🡒]