The New York Yankees need a catcher upgrade, and Hunter Goodman, Shea Langeliers or Ryan Jeffers are by far the best options.
But Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has a potential fallback option if the prices are too high for those three players.
Tyler Stephenson, the Cincinnati Reds‘ 29-year-old starting catcher, was named a fallback trade option for the Yankees if they did not want to pony up for Goodman, Jeffers or Langeliers.
Stephenson is slashing .244/.320/.393 with eight home runs and 21 runs scored this season, and like Jeffers is a pending free agent after the season. Despite his down season, Stephenson has been a plus-hitting catcher, by virtue of his 100-or-better OPS+, in five of his seven big-league seasons.
The MLB trade deadline is 6 p.m. ET on Aug. 3.
The Yankees Could Target Tyler Stephenson to Upgrade Their Catcher Spot
GettyST LOUIS, MISSOURI – JUNE 7: Tyler Stephenson #37 of the Cincinnati Reds is congratulated by teammates after a home run against the St. Louis Cardinals during the third inning at Busch Stadium on June 7, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Jeff Le/Getty Images)
Jeffers could have been with the Yankees already if he hadn’t broken a bone in his hand. But even though the Minnesota Twins catcher is back from the injured list, he has struggled, going 6 for 26 with two homers and two doubles in seven games.
Plus, the Twins are on the cusp of the AL playoff race. They sit 2.5 games behind the Boston Red Sox and are only 4.5 games out of first place in the AL Central.
But the Yankees offense is struggling mightily, and their catcher role has been a black hole all year. They need an upgrade as soon as possible, and Stephenson, who like Jeffers is a rental, could be a fit.
“Stephenson has recovered from a difficult first two months, popping a .928 OPS in his last 27 games entering [Friday],” Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic wrote Friday. “Even if Stephenson is not quite Jeffers offensively, he still would be an upgrade for the Yankeesâ current catching corps, which ranks next-to-last in the majors in wRC+, ahead of only the White Sox.”
Hunter Goodman is Still the Best Fit for a Yankees Catcher Trade
GettyDENVER, COLORADO – JULY 21: Hunter Goodman #15 of the Colorado Rockies hits an eighth inning solo home run against the Washington Nationals at Coors Field on July 21, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
Stephenson is a nice offensive player and would cost less, but he is last in MLB in catcher framing runs (minus-10).
The Yankees value pitch framing almost as much as offense, especially in the ABS era. It’s a main reason why they haven’t moved on from Austin Wells, despite his OPS+ of 48, because Wells is plus-4 in Statcast-quantified pitch framing stats.
That’s why Goodman, the Colorado Rockieshttps://heavy.com/sports/mlb/colorado-rockies catcher, remains the best fit. Despite his struggles at framing (minus-2 runs this year), he is tied for second in the majors in framing runs at the top of the zone (plus-3) and tied for third at inside framing runs on righties (plus-2).
Plus, Goodman of course is a powerful right-handed bat, since he is third in the majors in home runs (31) this season, one better than Yankees first baseman Ben Rice.
Jeffers is the best-available pitch framer of the four catchers named. The Yankees are undoubtedly interested in Adley Rutschman of the Baltimore Orioles for both his offense (115 career OPS+, plus-5 catcher framing runs).
But the Orioles are likely to hold the Yankees for ransom to acquire Rutschman, since they are a rival, Rutschman is a former No. 1 overall pick and is under team control through next season.
Goodman, who is signed through 2030, has the tools to be an impact catcher for years to come, plus the Yankees have prospects to go get him. He should be the target before Aug. 3.
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