The New York Yankees have an obvious Austin Wells problem, though the front office doesn’t seem too worried about fixing it anytime in the near future.
Perhaps the Yankees are willing to wait until the trade deadline to get something done, but they don’t seem to be in a rush with Wells now injured and not playing since June 5. That’s unfortunate that things have gone the way they have for both parties, but this is something the Yankees simply need to fix, and time is ticking.
Among the few options that could be available for the Yankees, the Minnesota Twins probably have the most realistic candidate in Ryan Jeffers. Jeffers is a very average player, to say the least, but he’s probably a bit better than Wells, at least career-wise.
“The Yankees’ catchers have not gotten things going at the plate all year. Austin Wells has a dismal .533 OPS and JC Escarra has somehow been even worse with a .488 OPS. Most catchers aren’t great hitters, but when the tandem of backstops are both hitting this poorly, some type of shake-up is needed.
“The Yankees should look no further than Minnesota’s Ryan Jeffers, who has had an excellent season. Jeffers, 29, is a right-handed batter and boasts a .949 OPS and a superb 163 wRC+. He’s hit seven home runs––more than Wells and Escarra combined––and is a solid framer behind the plate. A tandem of Jeffers and Wells would be a major upgrade over the current setup in the Bronx, and with Jeffers set to be a free agent this offseason, the Twins should be looking to deal him,” Karl Rasmussen of SI wrote.
My problem with Jeffers isn’t that he isn’t having a very respectable season, but more so that history suggests he’s a pretty average player.
He was decent a year ago as well, hitting .266, but he only hit nine home runs in 406 at-bats. The Yankees are a team that lives by the long ball, and rightfully so, as that’s what wins games nowadays, so adding a catcher with limited pop doesn’t really solve everything.
On the flip side, it isn’t like Wells or JC Escarra is giving the Yankees much, at least in the power department, so it might not be the worst idea to go with Jeffers and hope the high average and above-average OPS can play in their favor.
