MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand knows the New York Yankees well, having covered the team in some capacity for over two decades and also written two books about them. If he’s reporting something happening out of the Bronx, he’s serious.
Thus, imagine the shock when Feinsand tweeted Monday that the Yankees wanted to trade for, above all things, catching help.
This despite having Gold Glover Jose Trevino, who was also an All-Star last year. He’s since regressed to the mean and is batting just .210 on the season. Add an awful on-base percentage of .257, and his New York star faded in a New York Minute.
However, despite not hitting, Trevino is still putting up pretty great defensive numbers. His framing is in the 87th percentile and he ranks third in MLB with +6 framing runs. Trevino also ranks sixth with a strike rate near 50%.
Except the Yankees aren’t hitting as a team, particularly with Aaron Judge injured. Thus, what they seek in a catcher is pretty simple.
The Yankees want a catcher who can defend just as or almost as well as Jose Trevino. Moreover, in any deal, they’d probably offer up Trevino along with a combination of both major and minor league pitching depth, and maybe one extra prospect.
Most importantly, any catcher acquired is likely around for just one or two years until Austin Wells is ready.
Taking a look at the market, it’s a safe bet Brian Cashman has at least checked in on these three backstops.
Jake Rogers, Detroit Tigers. Defensively, Rogers is pretty on par with Trevino. He has +5 framing runs and ranks tenth in strike rate. The downside is he’s only batting .205, his OBP isn’t much better at .296, and 2024 is his first arbitration year. Not only would the Yankees be acquiring a light-hitting catcher, but one about to get more expensive.
But Cashman still might land the 28-year-old Rogers for one reason: he’ll come cheap in a trade. Detroit is third in the AL Central and not a playoff team, so who’s to say they just wont swap Rogers for Trevino outright? Plus, with 11 home runs on the year, Rogers is arguably just a power-hitting version of Trevino anyway.
It’s easy to just write off Rogers as a home run-or-bust player, but he’s also batting .297 with just two homers and a .895 OPS since June 25. Maybe a move from the Motor City to the Big Apple is what he needs to keep thriving?
Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners. Here is where the Yankees might be willing to lose some defense in favor of a bat. Raleigh’s framing runs are +4 and his strike rate is respectable at 49.1%. Yet, what makes him enticing to the Yankees is his switch-hitting bat that can take advantage of Yankee Stadium’s short porches.
Raleigh doesn’t hit the ball hard consistently, but has a high barrel rate. Just the analytics the Yankees love so much, right? He’s only batting .223 on the year, but has 12 home runs. Again, the lineup is desperate enough that it needs power top to bottom, regardless of how consistent.
Raleigh comes cheap, isn’t arbitration eligible until 2025, and the Mariners seem primed to miss the playoffs again. Plus, their No. 1 prospect is catcher Harry Ford, so is Raleigh even in their future plans?
William Contreras, Milwaukee Brewers. This might be the biggest reach of all, especially considering the Brewers are currently first in the NL Central. Contreras is also having a pretty solid year himself both at and behind the plate. He has +5 framing runs and while his strike rate could be higher, it is by no means bad at 48.2%.
Contreras is also batting .272 with ten home runs and a .799 OPS. Why would the Brewers trade him at all when he’s clearly been an important piece?
Well, it’s like we said in our MLB preview. The Milwaukee Brewers are basically run like a Midwestern Mom-and-Pop. Management has their system for building winning teams and rarely gets so invested in players that they pay them big, like former MVP Christian Yelich. Plus, 20-year-old switch-hitting catcher and No. 3 prospect Jefferson Quero will soon be ready.
Add that Contreras only has 33 RBI on the year, and the Brewers can probably be convinced to move him. He’s good, but not a cornerstone. They won’t command a king’s ransom for him either. It’s just not their style. What Milwaukee general manager Matt Arnold calls “great” might be another team’s “decent,” prime circumstances for Cashman to pounce.
A package of Trevino, perhaps even Domingo German, and maybe a couple of prospects might just be enough to put William Contreras in pinstripes.
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