Matt Johnson
The New York Yankees will be buyers at the 2026 MLB trade deadline, eyeing several positions of need to turn things around amid a myriad of injuries and a summer swoon. While there are plenty of MLB trade candidates who can be pursued, one in particular seems to be standing out to everyone.
ESPN‘s Jeff Passan became the latest MLB insider to connect the Yankees to Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers. Regarding the veteran backstop, he labeled Jeffers as the best match to address New York’s biggest issue this season.
Related: New York Yankees Trade Targets
It’s evident why everyone expects New York to address its situation at catcher this summer. According to FanGraphs, New York entered play on July 10 ranked 26th in fWAR (0.2) with the lowest OPS (.514) in baseball at the position.
In an ideal world, Brian Cashman could pursue a long-term fix by trading for Baltimore Orioles‘ All-Star Adley Rutschman. Even better, acquiring Colorado Rockies‘ emerging star Hunter Goodman. With that said, neither is viewed as attainable ahead of the MLB trade deadline. That leaves Jeffers as the best fit.
Why Ryan Jeffers is a Fit for the New York Yankees
Jeffers, age 29, just came off the 10-day injured list this weekend after suffering a fractured hamate bone on May 18 against the Houston Astros. He completed a rehab assignment, going 6-for-16 during his brief stint at Triple-A. Most importantly, given the nature of returning from a hamate fracture, he hit 2 home runs in 19 plate appearances.
New York has shown remarkable patience with Austin Wells. When play began on Friday, the 26-year-old catcher had a .151/.246/.242 triple-slash line with just a .488 OPS across 212 plate appearances. Most alarmingly, the former top prospect compiled just a .336 OPS with a .111 batting average and 38 strikeouts over his last 99 at-bats dating back to May 8.
- Ryan Jeffers stats (2026): .295/.408/.541, 7 home runs, 26 RBI, .949 OPS
Now compare that to Jeffers’ production this season with Minnesota. Among catchers with 100-plus plate appearances, he boasts the fourth-highest walk rate (14.8 percent). In the top five among that group, he’s one of only two backstops with a strikeout rate under 16 percent.
Jeffers represents a monumental upgrade for the Yankees’ lineup over Wells. There’s also not as much being sacrificed defensively. According to Baseball Savant, Jeffers is in the 60th percentile for Blocks Above Average, the 63rd percentile for Framing and the 15th percentile for CS Above Average. For comparison, Wells ranks in the 60th, 92nd and 11th percentiles in those same respective categories.
The Yankees will be taking a slight hit when it comes to pitch framing, but even that has lost some of its value with the implementation of the ABS system. Jeffers brings far more value to the plate than Wells does and, given neither is effective at preventing stolen bases, nothing is being lost if a trade is made.
