New York Yankees trade talk: Possible catcher targets for deadline

With Jose Trevino set to miss the rest of the season following wrist surgery, the New York Yankees need to upgrade their catching situation. A combination of Trevino and Kyle Higashioka was solid, but now pairing Higashioka with Ben Rortvedt is not the best option at the moment.

As the trade deadline quickly approaches, the New York Yankees should target these catchers.

Jake Rogers, Detroit Tigers

This one might be a bit of a stretch, but Rogers is a personal favorite of mine. After missing the 2020 and 2022 seasons, Rogers is putting up a strong season, with a .741 OPS and 12 home runs. Even with a strikeout rate north of 30 percent, Rogers walks enough and produces enough power to mask that inefficiency.

Even more impressive is his work behind the dish. The 28-year-old ranks seventh in the league at +5 framing runs, and possesses an above-average arm. The fact that Rogers will not reach free agency will likely mean that a significant cast of prospects would need to be exchanged for his services. While Rogers is the Tigers’ catcher currently,prospect Dillon Dingler is lurking in Double-A. Dingler is ranked as the sixth-best Tigers prospect by Baseball America. Seemingly stuck in an endless rebuild, the Tigers could ask for a strong set of prospects.

Yasmani Grandal, White Sox

This seems a bit less likely, given the New York Yankees‘ preference for strong defensive catchers. Grandal’s framing rates below-average, and he has the second-worst average pop time in the league. While Grandal used to be able to hide those inefficiencies with his bat, he has posted below-average OPS+ numbers the last two seasons. Actually, Grandal’s 93 OPS+ this season is a huge improvement from a dreadful 2022 season, and he has registered 20 extra-base hits this season compared to 12 in 2022.

Another speed bump in acquiring Grandal is his $18.25 million salary, albeit on an expiring contract. The Yankees’ leadership has stayed committed to being below the maximum luxury tax penalty. A salary dump is less likely with Aaron Hicks gone and Josh Donaldson likely done for the season.

Joey Bart, Giants

Bart is the odd man out in San Francisco with the emergence of Patrick Bailey, who has posted a .726 OPS, but is one of the best defensive catchers in the league. After being drafted in the first round of the 2018 draft, Bart has failed to live up to the hype of being the second overall pick.

Bart is an excellent pitch framer, clearly a quality that the Yankees crave. Still, his offensive production has been severely lacking, with just a .635 OPS and a 78 OPS+ for his career. Bart can hit the ball very hard, as evidenced by his 95th percentile max exit velocity in 2022. The raw power has yet to actualize in game, with just 11 home runs in 158 career games. This could be a great buy-low target for Brian Cashman.

The Yankees have been quiet in the days leading up to the trade deadline, but expect that to change in the next couple of days.