Yankees signaling faith in Austin Wells despite catcher's 2025 spiral

With the dust firmly settled on the July 31 trade deadline, the New York Yankees plethora of moves signaled a clear desire to upgrade the bullpen and the bench, even though the early returns show the efficacy of those moves hasn't been what they hoped for, Beyond the obvious, however, is a hidden subtext that speaks volumes about how the organization feels about one of it's struggling young stars.

Catcher Austin Wells has long been the apple of the Yankees' eye. The organization actually drafted the 26-year-old backstop twice, once in 2018 in the 35th round when Wells was coming out of high school, and then again two years later in the first round after Wells' time at the University of Arizona. To say they are highly invested in his success would be an understatement.

Yankees' trade deadline moves demonstrate absolute faith in the struggling Austin Wells

A common criticism of the Yankees in recent years has been their tendency to anoint top prospects without any real guardrails or competition in place. One has to look no further than Anthony Volpe, who, recent power surge aside, was handed the keys to shortstop in 2023 and has never been challenged for his role despite stagnation and consistent struggles.

The commitment to Volpe completely stunted the development of fellow former top prospect Oswald Peraza, leading to his value turning completely to dust while Volpe did nothing to objectively prove he deserved the unquestioned support he's received.

The Yankees haven't done the same with Wells. The 2024 timeshare with Jose Trevino was an intelligent way to bring along a young player, especially as Trevino's strength (defense) worked in contrast to where Wells was the weakest. It only made sense after 2024 that Wells deserved more runway.

That meant the Yankees would deal Agustin Ramirez, Wells' top competitor at the time for the catcher-of-the-future role, while doubling down on his future in the offseason, trading away Trevino and Carlos Narvaez, who is now putting together a surprisingly solid rookie season for the rival Boston Red Sox.

Then Wells struggled out of the gate, and it's compounded over the course of the season. His walk rate, once his best attribute, has nearly been cut in half from the promising showing in 2024. He's never shown the contact skills at this level that made him a feared hitter in the minors. Above all, while there have been some displays of power, it hasn't been nearly enough to mask the other deficiencies.

That brings us to the trade deadline, when the Yankees decided to ... clear out any remaining catching depth they had in their once-flush system. One could argue it was a truly nonsensical decision given Wells' consistent struggles, and one that has been rewarded with a putrid .341 OPS through his first 10 games in August (a two-homer night on Wednesday salvaged what was turning into a nightmare).

Rafael Flores and Jesus Rodriguez, two catchers on the verge of the majors, are gone. So too is the coveted Edgleen Perez, who could have ascended in a couple of years to challenge for the role. The catching depth chart is now so thin that the Yankees had to go out and sign 36-year-old Rob Brantley off the street.

The only remaining threat to Wells' status as the present and future behind the plate is Ben Rice, who has proven to be one of the Yankees' most important bats. Unlike Wells and Volpe, Rice hadn't been handed the keys to anything, and instead had to earn his playing time by producing every chance he's gotten.

Rice, though, is splitting reps at catcher and first base. Not only is Paul Goldschmidt a bit hobbled, but the veteran is in a walk year and the twilight of his career, making Rice his likely successor at first.

The Yankees have systematically removed any and all threats to Wells' status as the once-and-future catcher in the Bronx. Their actions speak volumes about their confidence in him to reach his full potential. They've put all of their eggs in the Austin Wells basket, and so far they've yet to be rewarded for their unwavering confidence.