NEW YORK — The Yankees have a catching problem, a logical solution and a deadline closing in.
New York has made little effort to hide its interest in Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers, the right-handed bat the lineup has lacked behind the plate. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported Sunday that the Yankees are making it no secret they want him before the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
The fit is obvious. Jeffers was in the middle of a career year before a broken left hamate bone landed him on the injured list May 19, and he profiles as the best hitting catcher likely to be available. For a team whose catchers rank near the bottom of the majors in offense, he would be a major upgrade.
But the path runs through complications. The Twins are climbing back into the playoff race, the price could be steep, and there is real internal question about whether the Yankees are ready to move on from Austin Wells. The interest is clear. So is the wrinkle.
Why Jeffers fits the Yankees
The need traces back to a lineup hole the Yankees did not expect. Austin Wells, J.C. Escarra, and Ali Sanchez have combined for a .183/.270/.268 slash line with a 52 wRC+, leaving only the White Sox and Phillies getting less from the position.
Jeffers solves two problems at once. He hits right-handed, which the lefty-leaning group lacks, and he simply hits. Before the injury he slashed .295/.408/.541 with seven homers, 26 RBI and a 163 wRC+ across 37 games, numbers that read like a breakout for an already above-average bat.
He has also shown he is more than a platoon piece, posting a .981 OPS against righties and an .895 mark against lefties this season. ESPN ranked him the top catcher and No. 21 overall among its trade deadline candidates.
There is a Yankees connection beneath the stats. Director of catching Tanner Swanson pushed the Twins to draft Jeffers in the second round in 2018 and used him as an early test case for the one-knee stance now common across the majors.
Swanson stays at arm’s length
Swanson remains close with Jeffers, but the trade chatter has changed how the two interact. He explained to the Daily News that he has deliberately kept his distance to avoid complicating a possible deal.
“I’ve heard the same noise that’s circulating, and I’ve intentionally not reached out to him,” Swanson said. “I don’t want to muddy the waters, and he hasn’t reached out to me. It’s probably for similar reasons.”
Swanson confirmed the front office has asked him about Jeffers, but framed it as standard practice rather than a signal of intent.
“I’ve been asked on every player that I’ve ever been connected to,” Swanson said. “So yes, I’ve been asked about Ryan, but that’s not uncommon. That’s not unique to this trade deadline or our situation.”
Notably, the coach did not lobby for the move. He made clear he believes in the catchers already in the room.
“I’m not out there pounding the door for us to bring in a new catcher,” Swanson said. “I like our guys, I believe in our guys.”
What could derail a deal
The contract shapes everything. Jeffers is playing on a one-year, $6.7 million deal and will be a free agent after the season, which limits what Minnesota can reasonably demand for a rental. The luxury-tax math adds a hidden cost, too, since MLB Trade Rumors notes the Yankees would owe a 110 percent tax on the remainder of that salary given their payroll status.
That walk-year status caps the asking price but does not erase it. Reporting around the rumor pegs a likely return at one high-quality prospect, plus possibly a catcher to replace Jeffers on Minnesota’s roster. Speculative packages have floated names like left-hander Kyle Carr and infielder Kaeden Kent, while the Twins would also have interest in a big-bodied arm such as Ben Hess. MLB Pipeline’s list of the Yankees’ top 30 prospects includes no catcher, so any deal would require dipping into other parts of the system.
Even if the Yankees commit, the Twins may take the choice away. Minnesota has won seven of 10 to climb back within roughly 1 1/2 games of a wild-card spot, and a contending Twins team has little reason to sell its best trade chip. The recent surge, combined with the injury, has made a near-term deal look less likely than it did weeks ago.
Health is the other variable hanging over everything. Jeffers has been out since May 19 with a fractured hamate bone in his glove-side wrist that required surgery, with a six-to-eight-week timetable that points to a July return. Hamate injuries are notorious for sapping power, so the Yankees and any rival suitor will want to see him hit before committing, and that evaluation window is narrow.
Onboarding risk lingers, too. General manager Brian Cashman has warned about the difficulty of integrating a starting catcher midseason, though pitching coach Matt Blake suggested the legwork would be manageable and within the realm of possibility.
For now, the Yankees’ interest is settled. Everything else is not.
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