Yankees 'best fit' at trade deadline is 3x All-Star AL East catcher with 69 career HR
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Yankees 'best fit' at trade deadline is 3x All-Star AL East catcher with 69 career HR originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The New York Yankees have needs in their bullpen and behind the plate at catcher, but for the latter position, the market has become pretty muddy.
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The Minnesota Twins might not trade Ryan Jeffers, and the Colorado Rockies have huge demands for Hunter Goodman. That leaves the Yankees with a lot fewer options at the catcher spot.
But, ESPN's Jeff Passan identified a different catcher, one from the AL East who is a three-time All-Star with 69 career home runs, as their "best fit." That catcher is Baltimore Orioles veteran Adley Rutschman.
Yankees linked to Adley Rutschman as 'best fit'
"Best fit: Adley Rutschman," Passan writes. "... Between their farm system and surplus big leaguers, the Yankees should have access to more or less anyone being discussed in deals. So maybe it's Rutschman. Maybe it's Mason Miller. Maybe it's both."
The Yankees have the prospect capital and the Major League talent to make competitive offers for just about any player who could be on the move this summer.
While it might seem odd for the Yankees to be linked to the rival Orioles for a deadline deal, if Baltimore is happy with the return package, they probably would be okay sending Rutschman in-division.
This season, Rutschman has a .764 OPS with a 115 OPS+ with eight home runs, 19 doubles, and 1.7 bWAR in 67 games played. He's currently on the injured list.
MORE: Yankees are ‘leading candidate’ to trade for Twins’ Ryan Jeffers
Being on the IL does complicate a trade for the Orioles this summer, but if the Yankees were willing to pay full price for the All-Star catcher who has 69 home runs in his big league career with a .756 career OPS, then the Orioles might bite on a trade offer.
The 28-year-old switch-hitting catcher would be a significant upgrade over Austin Wells and would also be under club control through the 2027 season.
He will cost a ton to acquire, but the Yankees can swing such a trade. George Lombard Jr. probably wouldn't be included in such a trade, as Rutschman is hurt, has fallen off from his initial breakout seasons in MLB, and he's a 1.5-year rental.
The intra-division nature of a Rutschman-to-Yankees trade would be very interesting. But it wouldn't be unprecedented, and the Yankees' offer for the All-Star catcher would likely be enough to entice Baltimore to part with their beloved All-Star.
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