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The New York Yankees are in dire need of production from the catcher position, as neither Austin Wells nor J.C. Escarra have afforded them much of anything from an offensive standpoint.
Wells' OPS has been in the .500s all season long, and Escarra probably shouldn't even be on a big-league roster. At least not on a contending team.
The Yankees have been able to hide their lack of output at catcher for quite some time now, but with Aaron Judge now sidelined for around two months and Giancarlo Stanton still out of the lineup, the hole could now become glaring.
New York is expected to target a catcher between now and the MLB trade deadline, and while some felt the Yankees might just go after a right-handed bat to platoon with Wells, it's now becoming apparent that they may look for a replacement altogether.
In fact, Joel Sherman of The New York Post has already tabbed Baltimore Orioles star Adley Rutschman as a candidate, and if the Yanks acquired Rutschman, it would absolutely mean the end for Wells as a starting backstop.
Rutschman is exactly what the Yankees need behind the plate.
The 28-year-old is slashing .269/.349/.497 with eight home runs and 34 RBI over 195 plate appearances this season, and he owns a very respectable .763 OPS since entering the big leagues in 2022.
Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman. Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images.
Rutschman is also a fantastic defensive catcher, so New York wouldn't miss Wells' glove at all.
A former No. 1 overall pick, Rutschman made back-to-back All-Star appearances in 2023 and 2024 before an uncharacteristic 2025 campaign in which he managed a .673 OPS while dealing with injuries.
Outside of that lone outlier of a season, Rutschman has been a tremendous force offensively, and he even finished ninth in AL MVP voting in 2023.
Of course, the question is how much Rutschman would cost the Yankees.
The Portland, Or. native has one more year of club control remaining, so the Orioles may want to move him now while they can still collect significant value for him. But you have to imagine Baltimore would want to rake New York over the coals in any deal.
Surely, the Orioles would prefer not to send Rutschman to their AL East rivals, but the Yankees do have a host of pitching prospects in their farm system that could interest Baltimore.
New York probably wouldn't part with Carlos Lagrange in a Rutschman package, but it might be willing to surrender Elmer Rodriguez or Ben Hess. And would Jasson Dominguez potentially be on the table, as well?
Regardless, the fact that the Yankees are expressing interest in pursuing a catcher like Rutschman — as well as Ryan Jeffers over in Minnesota — indicates that they have had enough of Wells and understand they can no longer get by with him as their starter.
Yankees Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Yankees. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.
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Wells' OPS has been in the .500s all season long, and Escarra probably shouldn't even be on a big-league roster. At least not on a contending team.
The Yankees have been able to hide their lack of output at catcher for quite some time now, but with Aaron Judge now sidelined for around two months and Giancarlo Stanton still out of the lineup, the hole could now become glaring.
New York is expected to target a catcher between now and the MLB trade deadline, and while some felt the Yankees might just go after a right-handed bat to platoon with Wells, it's now becoming apparent that they may look for a replacement altogether.
In fact, Joel Sherman of The New York Post has already tabbed Baltimore Orioles star Adley Rutschman as a candidate, and if the Yanks acquired Rutschman, it would absolutely mean the end for Wells as a starting backstop.
Rutschman is exactly what the Yankees need behind the plate.
The 28-year-old is slashing .269/.349/.497 with eight home runs and 34 RBI over 195 plate appearances this season, and he owns a very respectable .763 OPS since entering the big leagues in 2022.
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Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman. Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images.
Rutschman is also a fantastic defensive catcher, so New York wouldn't miss Wells' glove at all.
A former No. 1 overall pick, Rutschman made back-to-back All-Star appearances in 2023 and 2024 before an uncharacteristic 2025 campaign in which he managed a .673 OPS while dealing with injuries.
Outside of that lone outlier of a season, Rutschman has been a tremendous force offensively, and he even finished ninth in AL MVP voting in 2023.
Of course, the question is how much Rutschman would cost the Yankees.
The Portland, Or. native has one more year of club control remaining, so the Orioles may want to move him now while they can still collect significant value for him. But you have to imagine Baltimore would want to rake New York over the coals in any deal.
Surely, the Orioles would prefer not to send Rutschman to their AL East rivals, but the Yankees do have a host of pitching prospects in their farm system that could interest Baltimore.
New York probably wouldn't part with Carlos Lagrange in a Rutschman package, but it might be willing to surrender Elmer Rodriguez or Ben Hess. And would Jasson Dominguez potentially be on the table, as well?
Regardless, the fact that the Yankees are expressing interest in pursuing a catcher like Rutschman — as well as Ryan Jeffers over in Minnesota — indicates that they have had enough of Wells and understand they can no longer get by with him as their starter.
Yankees Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Yankees. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.
Continue reading...
