Yankees tout catching depth in potential trade talks: 'It's an area of strength for us'
The MLB offseason is well underway and the Yankees are looking for ways to improve their team a season after not making the postseason for the first time since 2016.
And while the bulk of the free agent signings and trades will happen in the coming months, the Yankees are already taking calls on a number of positions including at catcher. The Yankees recently added catching prospect Agustin Ramirez to the 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft, which gives the organization six catchers.
In addition to Ramirez, the Yankees have Carlos Narvaez, Kyle Higashioka, Jose Trevino, Ben Rortvedt and Austin Wells.
While it doesn’t seem to make sense that the team would hold on to so many catchers, general manager Brian Cashman confirmed to the media Thursday night during his annual appearance at the Covenant House Sleep Out to raise awareness for homelessness that teams are calling about them.
"It's not a strong position in the game. It's not a deep position in the game,” Cashman said of catchers in baseball. “So yeah, a lot of teams are knocking on our door about our catching depth. It's an area of strength for us."
Ramirez, 22, spent time in Low-A, High-A and Double-A in 2023. In 114 games across the three stops, Ramirez slashed .271/.364/.455 with 18 home runs and 69 RBI.
Narvaez, 24, spent 2023 between Double-A and Triple-A where he slashed .239/.370/.397 with 12 home runs and 44 RBI.
Trevino began the 2023 season as the team’s starting catcher but had his year cut short after undergoing wrist surgery. He slashed .210/.257/.312 with four home runs and 15 RBI in 55 games. Higashioka started the year as the backup but was elevated to the starting role where he slashed .234/.274/.413 with 10 home runs and 34 RBI in 92 games.
Rortvedt, who was in the deal that sent Josh Donaldson to the Yankees, became Gerrit Cole’s primary catcher when he was called up after Trevino went down. In just 32 games, the 26-year-old hit .118 with two home runs and four RBI.
And finally, the Yankees called up Wells in September. The 24-year-old is the organization’s No. 8 prospect and in 19 games slashed .229/.257/.486 with four home runs and 13 RBI.
Of course, the Yankees need to make a few additions to their roster. Cashman acknowledged the need for an outfielder or two, preferably left-handed, as well as starting pitching. The names Cody Bellinger and Juan Soto are names that have been linked to the Yankees but no matter the name, Cashman says New York is working the phones.
"We’re knocking on those doors, we’re having those conversations,” Cashman said when asked if the Yankees can bring one or more big names to the team this offseason. “Hal Steinbrenner and his family have always run it the way that if there’s some opportunity worth pushing through on, they’re always there to allow that to happen. It’s really all about a team situation and how the collective all works together, so we’ll see how this winter plays out. But we’re going to have conversations about the big ones and the small ones.”
The Yankees will certainly be involved this offseason, and that can begin to bear fruit when the Winter Meetings begin in early December.
