Yankees have 3 other catcher trade options besides Ryan Jeffers to consider

Yankees have 3 other catcher trade options besides Ryan Jeffers to consider originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The New York Yankees need an upgrade at the catcher position. 

Badly. 

Austin Wells is having one of the worst offensive seasons in the organization’s history. He has a .483 OPS through 201 plate appearances. 

As the trade deadline approaches, the Yankees will almost certainly be in the market for another backstop. 

They’ve been linked to Ryan Jeffers of the Minnesota Twins for quite some time now, but there are other names to keep in mind. 

The Athletic’s Jim Bowden named Jeffers as the best fit for the Yankees, but three other catchers could gauge some level of interest from New York. 

“On the catcher front, their most likely target will be Ryan Jeffers, once he’s healthy. They also could try to go big and ask the Orioles about Adley Rutschman, but it’s unlikely Baltimore will move him,” Bowden wrote Monday.

“Otherwise, they’ll look for a platoon-type catcher like Jeffers, Keibert Ruiz or maybe even Gabriel Moreno.” 

Moreno has a Gold Glove under his belt and is having a great year at the plate with the Arizona Diamondbacks, hitting .282/.369/.426 with six home runs and a .795 OPS. 

He’s not the power hitter that Jeffers is, but Ruiz does not reach free agency until 2031, and his 33 RBIs and 12.7% strikeout rate are major improvements from Wells. 

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Unless the Orioles surprise the Yankees, Rutschman may be staying put this season. 

So, Jeffers is the primary target, but there are other options to consider. 

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