The best trade options to fill Yankees' catching need

It’s no secret that catcher is one of the Yankees’ biggest needs prior to this year’s Trade Deadline.

The White Sox are the only team with worse hitting backstops than the Yankees this season, and Austin Wells owns the second-lowest OPS (.524) among hitters with at least 200 plate appearances, so adding more firepower behind the plate is clearly a priority.

Here are the Yankees’ best options to upgrade at the position.

THE MOST LIKELY TARGET

Ryan Jeffers, Twins
The Yanks have been frequently linked to Jeffers over the past few weeks, and it’s easy to see why. He has a .933 OPS over 44 games this season, would fill New York’s desire to add a righty bat and is a pending free agent on a sub-.500 team, albeit one that was only 2 1/2 games out of a playoff spot entering Friday.

THE DREAM OPTIONS

Shea Langeliers, Athletics
MLB Network insider Jon Heyman recently reported that the A’s are “open to anything” and would perhaps even consider trading Langeliers after extension talks with the catcher “went nowhere.” However, another report from The Athletic downplayed the chances of Langeliers being dealt, noting that the A’s want to have a contending roster in place by the time they move to Las Vegas in 2028. Langeliers is under team control through -- you guessed it -- 2028.

If the Yankees can get something done with the A’s, though, it would be a real game-changer. Langeliers is one of baseball’s best hitting catchers, having produced 54 homers with an .848 OPS over the past two years. Only one primary catcher has posted a higher OPS than Langeliers in that time -- the next man on this list.

Hunter Goodman, Rockies
After homering 31 times last year, Goodman has already matched that total in 2026 and owns the highest slugging percentage among NL qualifiers at .563 as well as an .890 OPS -- up from .843 in ’25. The Yankees reportedly talked to the Rockies about Goodman in the past, but he might require an even larger return than Langeliers to get Colorado to budge.

According to the Athletic, the Rockies have been telling other teams that they spent the first half of this season trying to identify players they think will be part of their next 90-win team, and Goodman clearly applies. The 26-year-old is controllable through 2029. As a result, they are unlikely to consider moving him unless they think it would help them reach 90 wins faster than they could with Goodman alone.

DON’T RULE IT OUT

Francisco Alvarez, Mets
Trades between the Yankees and their crosstown rivals are uncommon, but they do happen on occasion, and we know the Mets aren’t averse to moving Alvarez. The Venezuela native is under club control through 2029, but he reportedly isn’t among the players the Mets have identified as untouchable in trade talks. Alvarez, who ranked as MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 overall prospect prior to his debut in 2022, hasn’t lived up to expectations thus far, but he’s been solid enough (58 HR, 107 wRC+ in 372 career games) and still has plenty of upside at 24 years old.

PROBABLY NOT HAPPENING

Adley Rutschman, Orioles
ESPN reports that while the Orioles aren’t in a rush to trade Rutschman, they are “certainly listening,” knowing that they have fellow backstop Samuel Basallo signed to a long-term deal while Rutschman will be eligible for free agency after 2027. Still, this seems like a long shot. Even if Baltimore is committed to moving the 28-year-old, it's unlikely that it would trade him to a division rival, barring a massive overpay. The O’s also aren’t surefire sellers at this point, and Rutschman is currently on the IL with left wrist inflammation anyway. So we can probably cross this one off.

THE FALLBACK OPTIONS

Tyler Stephenson, Reds
The Reds have informed teams that they are “open for business” and primarily looking to trade players on expiring deals. Stephenson fits the bill. And as a right-handed hitter with a lifetime 104 wRC+ -- not to mention a .463 expected SLG (80th percentile) in 2026 -- he could fit what the Yankees are looking for.

Victor Caratini, Twins
If the Yankees aren’t able to pry Jeffers away from the Twins, they could consider Minnesota’s backup. The 32-year-old switch-hitter, who signed a two-year, $14 million deal with the Twins in January, has been close to league average (101 wRC+) over the past four seasons. That would be a huge step up over what they've gotten from their catchers in 2026.