Rarely at MLB’s trade deadline does a single, obvious player-team match take hold. Any player with substantial value who’s on the market tends to garner interest from across the league, making their landing place a mystery until the 11th hour. But when you cross-reference a thin market at catcher with a small number of teams feeling the need to substantially upgrade at the position mid-season, you can see why sportswriters around the league are shipping Ryan Jeffers to the Yankees.
The Yankees’ catchers
have been a black hole at this plate this season. Austin Wells is hitting .155 and his backup coming into the year, J.C. Escarra, has been no better, playing his way back down to Triple-A. As a group, their 44 wRC+ is the worst among any team’s backstops and they’re on pace for an astonishingly low 41 RBI. Even if one of the pair of incumbents can show some signs of life, both are left-handed, making a right-handed platoon partner a clear area of need.
Enter Jeffers. At an offensively stunted position, the 29-year-old has quietly developed into one of the most consistent catchers in the game. He’s slashed .258/.346/.445 since 2023, averaging 22 homers and 78 RBI per 162 games. Among primary catchers over that span, his 122 wRC+ ranks behind only Willson Contreras, Iván Herrera, and Cal Raleigh.
He’s less of a difference-maker behind the plate. He was around the bottom of the league in blocking and throwing out runners last year and below average in framing, an area the Yankees and their catching coordinator, Tanner Swanson, have made a focal point in recent years. While he’s grading out a bit better this year, it’s unclear if that’s a small-sample blip or a product of sustainable improvement.
Jeffers was in the midst of a career year this season, posting a .949 OPS before landing on the IL with a fractured left hamate bone in mid-May. He returned to play in two games before the All-Star break and the early returns were encouraging.
The seven-year veteran is set to hit free agency after the season, making him a true rental. In a normal season, with the Twins hitting the break below .500, he would be a no-brainer to get moved.
Of course, in this year’s AL, things are not that simple. Minnesota is tied with Seattle for the third Wild Card spot and sits just three games behind the White Sox in the AL Central. They’ll be joining a cavalcade of teams faced with the same difficult decision: capitalize on a seller’s market to load up for the future or cash in some chips to fight for a playoff spot now.
There’s also the middle path. As Twins beat writer Matthew Leach suggests, GM Jeremy Zoll may opt to trade some players on expiring contracts while adding big-league talent to help them compete this year. Veteran backstop Victor Caratini filled in capably in Jeffers’ absence, slashing .282/.365/.496 since he went down. His presence on the roster would allow the Twins to move their starter without completely punting at catcher.
Should the Twins elect to move Jeffers, expect the Yankees to be at the front of the line. While his defensive profile does not line up with the team’s preferences at the position, beggars can’t be choosers. His bat from the right side paired with the left-handed Wells, who must be considered a glove-first (if not glove-only) catcher until he proves differently, would be a clear upgrade from Wells backed up by either Escarra or journeyman Ali Sánchez. If the Twins hold onto Jeffers, the pickings could get very slim among right-handed catchers very fast.
