The MLB trade deadline lands August 3, just 10 days away, and the New York Yankees enter the stretch run with catcher and high-leverage relief as their top needs. Add in Aaron Judge’s ongoing absence and a lineup spot at catcher that has hit like the worst in baseball, and general manager Brian Cashman has plenty to sort out before the clock runs out.
The offense has come apart without Judge. Outside of Ben Rice and a brief midsummer surge from Paul Goldschmidt, nearly every hitter in the lineup has struggled to produce consistently since Judge went down, according to The Big Lead‘s Lou Landers. That collapse has turned an already active buyer into a team with holes on both sides of the ball.
Catching remains the clearest priority. New York’s backstops have combined for one of the sport’s worst offensive lines this season, and Austin Wells hasn’t been the answer behind the plate. The front office is expected to pursue a platoon partner for Wells. A second bat to offset the loss of Judge, and a bullpen arm capable of pitching the eighth or ninth inning, round out the wish list.
Catchers on New York’s Radar
- Ryan Jeffers, Minnesota Twins: The switch-hitting Twins backstop has been a name consistently linked to the Yankees. Jeffers is an impending free agent who was mashing before a fractured hamate bone ended his first half, and New York’s director of catching, Tanner Swanson, coached him in Minnesota. Multiple contenders are believed to be monitoring his availability.
- Tyler Stephenson, Cincinnati Reds: Stephenson has surfaced as a realistic target as the Yankees search for an experienced hand behind the plate, according to The Athletic. The 29-year-old carries a 92 wRC+ this season and a 104 career mark, giving him a track record of everyday offensive production if the Reds decide to sell.
- Hunter Goodman, Colorado Rockies: Goodman would be the prize of the catching market if Colorado made him available, according to MLB Trade Rumors. He’s controllable through 2029 and brings real power with a career home run rate of one every 15.5 at-bats, though that combination would command a steep return.
- Shea Langeliers, Athletics: Langeliers has been floated as a power-hitting option should Oakland lean toward selling. He hasn’t generated the same volume of recent momentum as Jeffers or Stephenson, but his name keeps resurfacing in broader catching discussions around the league.
Bullpen Help and Beyond
GettyYankees rumored trade target, closer Mason Miller of the San Diego Padres.
Heat-throwing closer Mason Miller, whose fastball averages about 101 mph, tops the rumored bullpen targets. The Padres right-hander with an 0.86 ERA has drawn intense interest across the league, with the Yankees said to be among the suitors, but San Diego is expected to set an extremely high asking price for a pitcher under team control through the 2029 season.
New York would also welcome another bat given Judge’s continued absence, though no advanced conversations on a specific hitter have surfaced over the past two days. Max Fried’s activation off a limited rehab program has been read around the sport as a sign of urgency in the American League East, with Tampa Bay ahead of the Yankees and Boston charging in the standings.
Assessing the Luis Arraez Fit
GettyLuis Arraez of the San Francisco Giants is rumored trade target, but is a fit on the Yankees roster?
New York and San Francisco have reportedly discussed second baseman Luis Arraez, though the Yankees remain uncertain how the impending free agent would fit a roster that already has Jazz Chisholm Jr. at second base. Arraez carries a 130 OPS+ for a Giants team sitting 18 games under .500, and his contact-heavy approach stands out on a Yankees roster that has struck out at a punishing rate since Judge’s injury. But first base belongs to Rice and Goldschmidt, DH figures to be spoken for once Judge returns, and Giancarlo Stanton is also working his way back.
MLB.com ranked New York fifth among six possible landing spots for Arraez, calling the fit imperfect even as the bat makes the idea attractive on paper.
“You never know what’s going to happen in the next two weeks,” manager Aaron Boone said, “it takes two to tango, sometimes more,” as quoted by Pinstripes Nation. A bigger framework has also circulated publicly, one swapping Arraez and other Giants infielders for a package built around Chisholm and Anthony Volpe, though that idea comes from analysts rather than either front office.
Not everyone is sold on the Arraez idea. Chisholm isn’t the problem at second base, and adding another everyday player without an obvious spot “feels more like a puzzle than a solution,” according to Bleeding Yankee Blue‘s breakdown of the fit, which argues catching and the bullpen remain the cleaner paths to an everyday role.
Players the Yankees May Be Willing to Trade
GettyWould the Yankees be willing to part with high-ranked prospect Spencer Jones?
Outfielders Spencer Jones and Jasson DomÃnguez have emerged as the names most useful as New York’s trade capital.
“Spencer Jones and Jasson DomÃnguez are two of the key pieces the Yankees are planning to use as trade assets ahead of the trade deadline,” according to industry sources cited by MLB insider Francys Romero. Neither outfielder has hit consistently at the major league level this season, though both remain former Top 100 prospects with real offensive upside.
Top prospect George Lombard Jr. and right-hander Carlos Lagrange appear to be off the table, according to MLB.com’s breakdown of the Yankees’ trade chips. That leaves shortstop Dax Kilby and right-hander Elmer RodrÃguez, who has already made a handful of major league starts, as more realistic pieces alongside Jones and DomÃnguez. Left-handers Henry Lalane and Allen Facundo have also surfaced as secondary names to watch. No confirmed reporting indicates the Yankees are shopping an established major leaguer such as Anthony Volpe as a primary trade piece, though speculative chatter occasionally surfaces. The front office appears focused on using its outfield and pitching depth to address catching and high-leverage relief.
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