The Yankees added another catcher on Tuesday, and the move says plenty about where they are headed behind the plate.
Christian Bethancourt, the former Braves and Padres top prospect - traded for Casey Kelly! two-time Futures Game participant! - was signed to a minor-league deal and sent to Triple-A. Bethancourt has been around long enough to qualify as insurance, and the Yankees appear to be treating him exactly that way as they brace for a possible roster shuffle at catcher.
That shuffle would likely involve Ali Sánchez, whose first MLB home run this week gave the Yankees a feel-good moment that may not last long. Sánchez doesn’t have minor-league options, so if the club makes a trade for catching help, he would almost certainly be designated for assignment and probably claimed.
He has been steady in the backup role, and the issue has been Austin Wells’ bat, not Sánchez’s work. But if the Yankees decide they like the way Wells has handled the staff and want to keep that arrangement intact, Sánchez is the one who could be squeezed out.
Bethancourt gives the Yankees a safety net at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre while they sort through the bigger picture. He’s not a flashy addition, but he has enough track record to matter.
Two seasons ago with the Cubs, he put up 0.8 bWAR in 24 games and hit .281. You could do worse.
Slightly. You could do slightly worse.
And the signing fits the broader catcher chase that has been simmering for weeks. Names have been tossed around, boosted, and knocked down by everything from injuries to club control.
Joel Sherman doesn’t believe Hunter Goodman is available, and he doesn’t think the Yankees want to push Wells out of the picture entirely anyway. That would also seem to take Marlins catcher Liam Hicks off the table, since his strength is not defense and he’d be more of a Wells caddy with some DH and first-base work.
The Yankees already have those types, and they’re currently free of charge.
Cardinals slugger Ivan Herrera is in the mix only in the loosest sense, since he’s more bat than catcher. That leaves Tyler Stephenson of the Reds, a Ryan Jeffers overpay to convince the Twins to pursue a hybrid model, or some other surprise option.
For now, Bethancourt looks like the placeholder move that keeps the machine running while the Yankees keep shopping. It’s a sign they’re still working the catcher market, and still waiting for the one they actually want.
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