NEW YORK — For weeks, the Yankees have made little secret of their biggest need. The catcher spot has dragged on the lineup all season, and the front office has been open about wanting to fix it before the trade deadline.
The numbers explain the urgency. Yankees catchers have combined to hit near the bottom of the majors, with a collective OPS that ranks last in baseball. Austin Wells, the primary starter, has spent most of the year mired in a deep slump.
General manager Brian Cashman has not hidden the problem. He recently called the catcher situation an issue as the second half approaches. Fans have floated dream targets, hoping for a right-handed bat to change the shape of the order.
Then the market delivered a cold splash of reality. The name at the top of the wish list may not be available at all, and that development has pushed the Yankees toward a less flashy option out of the American League West.
The target that slipped away
The player the Yankees coveted most was Hunter Goodman, the Colorado Rockies catcher and a two-time All-Star. He entered the break hitting .251 with 27 home runs, the second most among National League hitters behind only Kyle Schwarber. His .862 OPS made him one of the sport’s premier offensive backstops.
On paper, the fit was obvious. Goodman is a right-handed hitter with power, exactly the profile the Yankees lack behind the plate. He can also play the outfield and first base, the kind of flexibility Cashman tends to value.
The problem is that Colorado does not want to move him. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported over the weekend that the Rockies plan to keep Goodman, even as the worst team in baseball heads toward a sell-off. The report landed as bad news in the Bronx.
The reasons are simple. Goodman is 26 and under team control through 2029, playing on a modest salary with arbitration years still ahead. A last-place club has no reason to rush a young, cost-controlled slugger out the door.
Even if the Rockies listened, the price would be steep. Colorado needs pitching, and the Yankees’ farm system is thin on high-end arms near the majors. Any deal would likely require a top prospect, a cost that may not match the return.
Why an AL West name now fits
With Goodman looking unlikely and the Twins signaling they will hold Ryan Jeffers, the Yankees have started to look elsewhere. One option has surfaced from the Athletics, a team firmly in sell mode.
That name is Jonah Heim, a switch-hitting catcher and former All-Star and Gold Glove winner. He does not carry Goodman’s power, but he offers steady defense and a track record, and his expiring contract makes him an easier get for a selling club to move.
An industry evaluator laid out the appeal in blunt terms, framing Heim as the most movable piece on the Athletics roster.
“Jonah Heim is probably the most valuable expiring contract for the A’s to dangle at the deadline. The 31-year-old is a former All-Star and Gold Glove winner at catcher,” FanSided’s Christopher Kline wrote.
The same evaluator noted that Heim has been pushed off the plate by a teammate’s breakout, yet remains sharp behind it. That combination could suit a contender seeking catcher production without a defensive downgrade.
“The [Shea] Langeliers explosion has forced Heim to spend a lot of time at first base or DH, but he’s still razor-sharp behind home plate,” Kline wrote. “Any team looking to upgrade its catcher at-bats without a huge defensive sacrifice should inquire.”
How Heim would fit the Yankees
The fit is not perfect, but it addresses a specific need. As a switch-hitter, Heim would take most of his at-bats against left-handed pitching, where he has thrived this season. Against southpaws in 2026, he has hit .295 with a .962 OPS.
The other side of the platoon splits is less kind. Against right-handers, Heim has managed just a .174 average and a .541 OPS. That gap points to a complementary role rather than an everyday fix.
Still, for a team getting almost nothing from the position, even a platoon upgrade matters. Heim would give the Yankees a more experienced and productive bat than Ali Sanchez, and a steadier presence than the group has offered so far.
The broader context sharpens the need. The Yankees reached the break at 54-42 and have slipped behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East. With Aaron Judge sidelined for stretches by a rib injury, the lineup cannot afford dead spots, and catcher has been the deadest.
Where the search stands now
The Yankees enter the second half with their top catcher target seemingly out of reach and a clear willingness to pivot. The Aug. 3 trade deadline gives Cashman a few weeks to sort through the fallback options.
Heim is one of several names now in play, a practical answer if the bigger swings do not connect. The Athletics, unlike the Rockies, have every reason to sell, which makes a deal more plausible even if the ceiling is lower.
For now, the Yankees are left adjusting their aim. The dream target stayed home in Colorado, and the search behind the plate has shifted west, where a veteran catcher waits on a team ready to deal.
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