Here’s the latest Yankees news and buzz ahead of the Aug. 3 MLB trade deadline…
July 23, 5:10 p.m.
The Yankees are in the market for a catcher, but they will have competition.
Will Sammon and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic report that the White Sox are looking for a backstop after losing Kyle Teel to injury. Chicago will join a thin catching market already inhabited by the Yankees, Rays and Dodgers.
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However, while the Yankees have been linked to Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers and a tad to Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman, another option could present itself.
Sammon and Rosenthal point to the Reds’ Tyler Stephenson as a potential alternative for the Bombers.
“The Cincinnati Reds’ Tyler Stephenson, one available catcher, might become an alternative for the Yankees, and other teams are pursuing the Minnesota Twins’ Ryan Jeffers,” the report states.
Stephenson is the same age as Jeffers, 29, and is also in the final year of his contract. While Jeffers is a better offensive option, Stephenson has been solid for Cincinnati. The catcher is slashing .244/.320/.393 with an OPS of .713 to go along with eight home runs and 27 RBI.
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July 17, 7:12 p.m.
The Yankees are in need of a catcher at the trade deadline and while Ryan Jeffers of the Minnesota Twins seems like an obvious target, the Bombers have checked in with the Rockies about their backstop.
According to ESPN’s Jorge Castillo, the Yankees have called about catcher Hunter Goodman, although it was not recently.
Goodman would provide that right-handed production from the catcher’s spot that the Yankees have been missing all season. Goodman, 26, is batting .254 with 27 home runs and an .863 OPS in 90 games with the Rockies.
As Castillo points out, it will likely take a lot for the Yankees to acquire Goodman, who has club control for another three years.
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