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A 2-7 road trip. Losses to a bad Orioles team. Getting taken apart by the Brewers. And then losing 2-out-of-3 to the Mets.
Before Monday’s win to the Blue Jays, the Yankees were in a rut, and ESPN analyst Buster Olney isn’t sugarcoating it.
According to Olney, the Bombers’ recent stretch of ugly baseball didn’t just expose a bad stretch of form — it exposed what this team is missing and will need to address before the trade deadline.
“This road trip sort of defined what they’re going to need at the trade deadline,” Olney said, via YouTube. “They’re going to need bullpen help and they’re going to have to be out in the marketplace and be aggressive with that.”
Olney pointed to David Bednar as a player who teammates love but whose command issues were on full display in a recent outing against Toronto, where his pitch count climbed past 30.
But the even more pressing issue, according to Olney? The catching position.
Austin Wells is a genuinely excellent defensive catcher. But the Yankees cannot keep fielding a lineup with a near-zero offensive contribution from the catching position.
“Either Austin Wells has to hit or they have to go and make a deal, do something. But that part of the team has to improve. They just can’t have a zero offensively in that spot,” Olney said.
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Through 36 of the team’s 48 games this season, Wells is batting .173 and has just four extra-base hits, a double and three home runs, and five RBI.
His backup catcher, JC Escarra, who’s appeared in just 16 games this season, has more RBIs (6) than Wells.
So what’s the move? Olney had a specific name.
“I think the perfect trade candidate for the Yankees this summer is going to be Ryan Jeffers of the Minnesota Twins,” Olney said.
Jeffers is batting close to .295 with seven home runs and 26 RBI, more than double the combined RBI totals of Wells and Escarra. He’s also a free agent at season’s end.
If the Twins continue to struggle, Jeffers could become available.
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