After reports that indicated the New York Yankees may be considering a trade deadline move for a catcher, they aren’t expected to be super aggressive in that area of the market. Jose Treviño is playing at a phenomenal level and Kyle Higashioka hit two homers this past weekend. Management must be happy with the position and their production.
Treviño has been a godsend for the Yankees, hitting .300 on the season with a 34.6% on-base rate, five homers, and 18 RBIs.
Defensively, Treviño has been one of the best catchers in baseball, hosting a 52.4% strike rate, which is the highest in the MLB, sitting above Jonah Heim from Texas.
He also has three catcher framing runs saved and has been dominant in the lower portion of the zone framing pitches. Given his excellence, he has quickly become the Yankees’ everyday catcher, so injecting another player into the mix might not be a beneficial move.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic believes the Yankees will roll with what they have at catcher:
The Yankees, who also are getting modest offensive production at catcher, are in somewhat of a similar position. Their catchers, Kyle Higashioka and Jose Trevino, are guiding a pitching staff that leads the majors in ERA. Why would the Yankees want to introduce a new catcher at midseason and disrupt such a successful unit?
It was reported that the Bombers had interest in Cubs catcher Willson Contreras recently, but it seems as if that noise has deteriorated.
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Is there a reason the Yankees should trade for Willson Contreras?
Contreras is one of the best offensive catchers in baseball, hitting .279 with a 40% on-base rate and .546 slugging percentage. His 12 homers and 26 RBIs would be a welcomed addition to the Yankees batting order. But there aren’t enough reps for him to feature defensively. Contreras would mostly feature in a designated hitter role, which is where Giancarlo Stanton currently spends most of his time.
In addition, the Yankees would have to give up a solid package of prospects to get Contreras from the Cubs. The 30-year-old veteran is looking for a big contract extension after this season, which the Yankees will likely sidestep with the recent emergence of Treviño as a productive offensive piece.
There are liability concerns with Kyle Higashioka. He’s hitting .172, but he slapped two homers on Sunday to snap a massive HR drought. If Higgy can get back into the positive column, the Yankees will be in good shape at catcher. Brian Cashman should allocate any resources toward bolstering the bullpen at the deadline.