Catcher: Here Are the Yankees’ Two Targets Ahead of the Trade Deadline

Since the start of the season, the Yankees have had one of the best offenses in Major League Baseball. It hasn't been quite as obvious in recent weeks, but the team is still capable of competing with anyone.

And that will be even more true if Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton eventually return.

However, despite all that, the catcher position remains a real problem in the Bronx. Austin Wells is having a dismal season offensively, and the options behind him aren't doing much better.

As a result, offensively speaking, the Yankees' biggest need is behind the plate. And according to Bob Nightengale, the team has already identified two specific players it would like to acquire.

We're talking about Hunter Goodman and Ryan Jeffers.

Goodman is having a phenomenal season, with 27 home runs already under his belt and an excellent pace on the basepaths. And he's doing all this while performing (significantly) better on the road than at Coors Field.

Jeffers, meanwhile, has just returned to action after a hand injury sidelined him for several weeks. That said, in 38 games, he has hit seven home runs while maintaining an on-base percentage of .408.

We should expect a potential regression, but he remains a much safer bet than Wells.

That said, according to Nightengale, it might be difficult for the Yankees to land either of these two players. The Rockies seem intent on keeping Goodman—who is under team control through 2030—and the Twins still believe in their chances of making the playoffs.

If Brian Cashman wants either of these two players, he'll have to be prepared to pay a fortune to the Rockies or hope for a collapse by the Twins over the next three weeks. Let's see if either of these two scenarios plays out.

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