The New York Yankees have a clear need at catcher and have been linked to multiple names ahead of the deadline.
New York has made it clear they are looking to add a catcher to pair with Austin Wells, who has struggled this season. Ahead of the trade deadline, MLB analyst Peter Appel of JustBaseball shared a mock trade that sees the Yankees acquiring Carson Kelly from the Chicago Cubs.
Yankees acquire:
Cubs acquire:
The proposed deal is a three-player deal that sees three MLB players get dealt between playoff-bound teams in a need-for-need trade. Chicago needs pitching help and has a surplus of catchers, while the Yankees need a catcher and have a surplus of relievers.
Kelly is in the second year of his two-year, $11.5 million deal with a mutual option for $7.5 million next season, which likely wouldn’t be picked up. Kelly is a good tandem catcher with Wells, and he’s hitting the ball well, as he’s hitting .260 with 6 home runs and 37 RBIs.
Doval, meanwhile, was a major trade addition last year for the Yankees, but the former San Francisco Giants closer has struggled in the Bronx. He still has proven to be an effective reliever in the past, and a change of scenery would do him well. He’d likely be a seventh-inning guy with the Cubs. Doval is 3-1 with a 4.54 ERA in 44 games.
Beck, meanwhile, is an optionable reliever who can come up and down and add some depth for the Cubs. The 27-year-old is 0-1 with a 9.45 ERA, but he adds some more depth to the Cubs org and would likely be in Triple-A.
Analyst Explains Yankees-Cubs Swap
The proposed deal makes sense as New York and Chicago both address some areas of need.
Appel explained his reasoning and believes Kelly fits in with what the Yankees need. And Doval and Beck both aren’t likely part of the bullpen going forward and need a change of scenery.
“Carson Kelly’s .976 OPS against left-handed pitching ranks second among catchers. He’s a veteran with a mutual option at the end of the season for $7.5M,” Appel wrote. “The Cubs are clearly not selling, but they could net two Yankees pitchers, and they already have Miguel Amaya, who’s younger, cheaper, and putting up a season nearly identical to Kelly’s.
“Doval has been a rollercoaster on the Yankees, but there’s no debate about the level of stuff he has. He could simply be a pitcher who bounces back when he leaves New York, or he’s broken. I would take that risk if I were the Cubs, or they could simply lean on his 3.54 xERA and 3.76 xFIP. Beck was dominant in Triple-A but struggled once he got called up. He’s a 27-year-old who can start right now or be a long reliever in the bullpen. He fits a need for the Cubs, who need pitching depth, and all they have to give up is one of their two catchers, who’s likely a free agent after the season anyway.”
Whether or not the deal will happen is to be seen, but it does make sense for both sides.
New York Eyes Catching Help
Ahead of the deadline, catcher is arguably the biggest need for the Yankees.
Wells has struggled, and the backup role has been a revolving door. So, ahead of the deadline, Yankees GM Brian Cashman made it clear that they are looking for a catcher.
Cashman called the catcher position an ‘issue, clearly.’
So, ahead of the deadline, New York is likely to add a catcher to bolster the roster.
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