Yankees Rumors: MLB insider thinks worst possible team could block Ryan Jeffers trade

It's becoming clearer by the minute that the New York Yankees' top trade deadline target should be Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers. Sidelined with a fractured hamate bone since May 18, the 29-year-old was slashing an impressive .295/.408/.541 at the time his absence began. While that's a tough injury to regain your form from, he's already begun a rehab assignment and has looked fantastic, batting .455 with a homer through three Triple-A games thus far.

The Yankees won't be alone in their quest for his services. There's a dearth of quality offensive catchers in the league, and ones that are competent both at and behind the plate, as Jeffers is, are incredibly rare. That scarcity has a tremendous number of contenders looking into his services, especially considering the remaining options are uninspiring (doubly so if Hunter Goodman and Adley Rutschman aren't available).

One of those contenders competing to land Jeffers, apparently, is the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays have been surging while New York flounders, but they have a pretty large hole behind the plate. As Ken Rosenthal noted in his Monday column, Jeffers seems like someone Minnesota is likely to deal as they thread the needle, and Tampa could create an "AL East bidding war" as they attempt to fill an ongoing gap behind the plate. As detailed by Steve Adams on MLB Trade Rumors, Tampa has repeatedly tried to address the position with low-cost options, but has gotten a combined line of just .213/.270/.342 since the start of the 2022 season. This season, their combo of Nick Fortes and Hunter Feduccia has produced a 77 wRC+.

The Rays have been rumored in connection with a lot of big names, such as Tarik Skubal, at this year's deadline. Since the revelations that they had a deal in place to acquire Shohei Ohtani at the 2023 trade deadline, it seems as if many believe it's plausible that they'll make an uncommon splash for another big-name rental. Jeffers fits that bill.

The Yankees can't allow the Rays or anyone else to outbid them for Ryan Jeffers

There are teams that need an upgrade at catcher, and then there are teams that need an upgrade at catcher. For the Yankees, securing an improvement is a dire necessity.

There was some hope that Austin Wells could rebound after going on the IL to deal with the cervical headaches that had been plaguing him. It made sense, in theory. After all, it's hard to hit when you're in pain, and it's hard to focus, to say nothing of the potential vision issues a severe headache may cause.

However, Wells is just 3-for-34 since returning to action on June 21, plunging him into even greater depths of despair than before. His 35 wRC+ through 204 plate appearances this year is the lowest mark in the majors (min. 200 plate appearances). His new caddy, Ali Sanchez, is doing his best, but as a journeyman who has spent the majority of his career in the minors, his .222/.276/.296 line is about the most you can expect from a player of his ilk.

The situation is dire, and should Jeffers wind up in Tampa, it will be even worse as that likely puts the Rays over the top in the division chase.

To make matters worse, MLB insider Bob Nightengale went on the Foul Territory Podcast and reported that, barring a collapse, the Twins are planning to stand pat at the trade deadline.

Minnesota has financial concerns, but at 44-47 as of the morning of July 7, they sit just 1.5 games back of the Texas Rangers for the final AL Wild Card spot, and just 4 games back of the NL Central-leading Chicago White Sox.

If they aren't buying, though, that means they're not taking serious steps towards making a run in 2026, and with Jeffers hitting free agency at season's end and their chances of being able to afford to re-sign him being slim, it makes sense for them to move on. Likely, this is a ploy to extract more value from hungry contenders.

The Yankees have to take that bait and ensure they aren't outbid for Jeffers, then. Not only can they not allow him to land in the Rays' lap, but they need him more than anyone, and by a wide margin at that.

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