With multiple teams seeking catching help, which backstops could be on the move?

Pitching tends to dominate the Trade Deadline every summer, but every so often, another position becomes a prominent story on the market.

So while we will continue to monitor the likes of Tarik Skubal, Mason Miller and Joe Ryan, the catching market has become a fascinating sidebar in the week leading up to the Deadline.

“There are about a half-dozen teams looking for catching help,” one NL executive said. “There just aren’t a half-dozen catchers out there to trade for.”

Those teams, according to sources, include the Yankees, Red Sox, Rays, White Sox, Rangers and Dodgers, though their urgency to add catching help varies.

Some of the catchers whose names had been routinely mentioned as trade candidates are unlikely to move:

• Shea Langeliers could have brought back a huge return had the Athletics chosen to move him, but a torn meniscus brought his season to a premature conclusion.

• Hunter Goodman has three years of club control remaining, so while the Rockies will listen to offers, it will take a huge return for president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta to consider moving the All-Star.

• Adley Rutschman has one year of club control remaining, but trading the catcher while firmly in the AL Wild Card race “means the Orioles concede,” according to a rival executive.

So which catchers could actually be traded before Monday?

The name mentioned most often in this conversation is Ryan Jeffers, which makes sense given his strong bat and expiring contract. But barring a disastrous week, the Twins are looking to be buyers, so moving a bat like Jeffers wouldn’t be a part of that plan. The Yankees continue to be a logical destination for Jeffers if he’s traded, but Minnesota is likely to take its buy/sell decision down to the wire -- with “buy” currently trending as the more likely option.

Liam Hicks is an intriguing trade candidate, and according to sources, the Marlins are open to moving the 27-year-old in the right deal. Hicks entered Tuesday with 14 home runs, 60 RBIs and a .796 OPS in 95 games, walking nearly as many times (36) as he has struck out (38). Hicks has been a DH in more games than he’s been behind the plate (39 vs. 37) while also seeing time at first base, but his bat is his best asset. The 2024 Rule 5 Draft pick has four more years of club control, but Joe Mack has emerged as the Marlins’ everyday catcher and Agustín Ramirez is at Triple-A, giving Miami an area of depth from which to deal.

Tyler Stephenson could be one of the better catching options on the trade market, especially the way he’s been hitting over the past seven weeks. In his past 30 games dating back to June 7, the 29-year-old has four home runs, 11 RBIs and a .910 OPS, raising his season-long OPS by 120 points. Stephenson isn’t a strong defender -- his 11 Blocks Above Average lead the league, but he ranks in the bottom 5 percent of the league in Fielding Run Value. With free agency looming this fall, Stephenson could be a solution for a team like the Yankees seeking a right-handed bat behind the plate.

The Langeliers injury thrust Jonah Heim into a starting role for the Athletics, but given their 44-62 record as of Tuesday, they could still trade Heim, who will be a free agent after the season. The switch-hitting Heim has 10 home runs, 33 RBIs and a .700 OPS in 59 games with the Braves and Athletics this season, and his prior postseason experience -- he was the Rangers’ catcher during their 2023 World Series run -- is a plus.

If any club is in position to deal a catcher, it’s the Cardinals, who have three on their Major League roster along with two highly touted prospects. Pedro Pagés is a more defensive-minded backstop, while Iván Herrera profiles more as a bat-first catcher. Both players are arbitration-eligible for the first time after the season, and with Rainel Rodriguez (Cardinals' No. 1 prospect, MLB Pipeline No. 12 overall) at Double-A and Leo Bernal (Cardinals' No. 5) at Triple-A, it’s likely that one or both could make a push to make the Opening Day roster next year, giving the Cardinals options if teams come calling this week.

The Mets, who are open to moving nearly anybody on their roster, could also factor into the catching market. That would include both Francisco Alvarez and Luis Torrens, though it would likely take a strong return to pry either catcher away from New York. Alvarez profiles as a bat-first option, while Torres’ calling card is his defense behind the plate. Alvarez is arbitration-eligible for the next two years, while Torrens signed an extension that takes him through 2028, earning $4.75 million in each of the next two seasons.

“The options aren’t overwhelming by any means,” an AL executive said of the catching market. “The question will be whether the teams that are looking for [a catcher] think they’re getting an upgrade or just making a change for change sake. That can be tough behind the plate, because your new guy has to learn an entire pitching staff on the fly.”