An early Yankees power ranking of 6 potential right-handed catcher trade targets

For many, getting an upgrade to the New York Yankees' catching situation is a dire need as we get closer and closer to trade season. Fans are fed up with Austin Wells' poor performance at the plate, and silver linings while hoping for better days ahead will no longer cut it. At the same time, some right-handed balance is needed, and no, we can't count on J.C. Escarra's foray into switch-hitting to give it to us.

The Yankees' faith in Wells and Escarra is no longer warranted, and we can't expect Ben Rice to come to the rescue. It's been a while since we've heard anything about the possibility of him stepping behind the plate, but when Aaron Boone spoke on it back in April, it didn't sound like that was anything more than an emergency option.

Fortunately, the list of trade targets is long. For some, Baltimore's Adley Rutschman is the dream, but we're not going to count the switch-hitting former first overall pick in the rankings here. For one, an intra-division trade would be extremely pricey. And for another, we're not sold that Brian Cashman would part with the required assets for a guy who is having an offensive bounce-back after two subpar seasons.

If Rutschman is off the table, the options then break down into three distinct tiers, with some targets looking more appealing than others within those groupings.

Yankees' top-tier catcher trade target is Twins veteran Ryan Jeffers

On the surface, Minnesota Twins backstop Ryan Jeffers checks all of the boxes New York should be looking for. He's one of the only options who is a clear-cut starting-caliber catcher, hits with power, and will almost certainly be available at the deadline as a veteran on an expiring contract playing for a rebuilding team.

However, there are some warning signs. His 165 wRC+ prior to going on the IL with a broken hamate bone is far and away a career-high. The closest Jeffers has come to this sort of offensive outburst was a 136 wRC+, which he put up over 96 games back in 2023. Still, if he hits like his career average of 112 down the stretch, it will be a massive upgrade.

The question is, can he do that? Hamate bone injuries can sap power for weeks, even once a player is fully recovered. That means the player the Yankees would hypothetically be acquiring might be very different than the one who piqued their interest in the first place.

Lastly, defense isn't Jeffers' calling card. Like Wells, pitch framing is his greatest attribute. He struggles in the run game, and while he's been better this season, he was very poor as a pitch blocker last year, posting a -4 run value.

Yankees' second-tier option sees them revisiting a familiar trade partner for Hunter Goodman

The Yankees and the Colorado Rockies have had a strong working relationship in recent years. Since last July, the two clubs have taken things to the next level, completing three separate trades. Though the returns for Ryan McMahon, Jake Bird, and Angel Chivilli would have any sane person questioning the validity of the relationship.

Still, Hunter Goodman is worth a look if he does become available. There's no guarantee that the Rockies will look to trade him, though. The 26-year-old hit 31 dingers last season and is under team control through 2029, so the only impetus Colorado would have to move him would be if they got a massive haul and wanted to move on from him before he hits arbitration next season.

Assuming they do entertain offers, the first thing to consider with Goodman is the same factor that comes into play when evaluating other Rockies hitters. It's been well-documented that the altitude in Denver allows balls to fly further there than anywhere else in the league, but there's another impact that Coors Field has on the hitters who call the stadium home.

The other driving force behind the disparity in home-road splits for Rockies hitters has been the fact that they get pitched to very differently at home versus on the road. Breaking pitches are affected by the altitude in much the same way that fly balls are, so Colorado hitters tend to see more fastballs at home versus on the road. That helps explain why guys with legitimate power can still struggle to adapt once they leave those hitter-friendly confines.

Goodman's home-road splits are interesting. So far this year, he's been significantly better on the road with a .912 OPS versus a .679 mark in Denver. However, for his career, things are flipped with the young catcher posting an .825 OPS at home and a .771 mark on the road. Still, that's not quite the drastic difference we're used to seeing, and could foreshadow him being just fine in a different environment.

Instead, the main concern with Goodman is the strikeouts. He's K'd at a 34% clip this year, and while that's a good deal higher than his 28.7% career average, it's safe to say that strikeouts are a flaw in his game. Combined with the price that it would take the Rockies to consider parting with him, his appeal begins taking a pretty big hit.

Yankees' third-tier options are the most likely, as they consist of platoon catchers and veteran backups

Here's where Brian Cashman likely shops: in the bargain bin, looking for a right-handed bat to complement Wells rather than supplant him. This might disappoint fans, but Wells has actually been okay against righties this season with a 94 wRC+. His -3 wRC+ against southpaws, however, proves that he should be firmly planted on the bench whenever a lefty takes the hill.

Former Yankee Kyle Higashioka could fit the bill here as a right-handed bat with some pop. For his career, he's posted a 93 wRC+ against lefties, which could pair with Wells for an average, if unspectacular, duo. Ditto for his Texas Rangers teammate Danny Jansen. The 31-year-old has had a poor year so far, but for his career he hits to the tune of a 95 wRC+ against southpaws, while owning a 99 wRC+ against same-handed pitching. Should he get his act together, he might be the better option, knowing he could take over full-time duties should Wells get hurt.

Former Mets backstop Travis d'Arnaud is another potential option. He's in the midst of his second-straight frustrating season with the Angels, but it's hard to hold that against him. Anaheim is some sort of bizarro-world where up is down, left is right, and Oswald Peraza is good at baseball. The veteran has a career 116 wRC+ against lefties that will certainly play. The downside is that he was recently transferred to the 60-day IL as he recovers from plantar fasciitis. He should return by early July, but that won't give us much time to make sure that there aren't any lingering effects.

Finally, the deep-cut option is San Francisco Giants catcher Eric Haase. A journeyman who hasn't gotten much run, Haase does have some pop in his bat and owns a career 97 wRC+ with a .445 SLG against lefties. He'd be a cheap flier, though one that may or may not have the juice to make a real impact.

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