After losing catcher Gary Sanchez to a recent injury, it appears as though the Yankees could be looking outside the organization for catching help.
Even after a deal to acquire left-handed starting pitcher J.A. Happ, the Yankees could still be in talks with the Blue Jays to acquire catching depth, Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic and Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported Wednesday night.
The Yankees, who just lost catcher Gary Sanchez to an injury a few days ago, could look to add some catching depth. Sherman tweeted again Thursday that the Yankees will not rest after the Happ trade and will still strongly pursue catching depth.
Also heard, as @Joelsherman1 did, that #Yankees’ Drury is in play for possible Happ trade with #BlueJays. Could lead to expanded deal; NYY also has inquired on TOR backup catching, per source.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 26, 2018
For starters, this seems intriguing and potentially exciting for Blue Jays fans. With backup catcher Luke Maile sharing time with Russell Martin and defensive specialist Reese McGuire performing adequately at Triple-A Buffalo, the Jays and Yankees could be trade partners once again.
For the season, Maile has slashed .245/.327/.367 with three home runs and 55 strikeouts in 168 plate appearances, while McGuire has slashed .245/.335/.348 with five homers in 233 at-bats with the Bisons.
More from Jays Journal
- Matt Chapman has been exactly what the Blue Jays needed
- Blue Jays: The goalposts are moving in the right direction
- Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays advance to the Championship Series
- Blue Jays: Comparisons for Alek Manoah’s Second Season
- Blue Jays: Adam Cimber, the unlikely decision King
No concrete discussions have been reported and no trades seem imminent, but it’s hard to deny that even after the big Happ deal, these two teams can, and should, trade with each other once again. If the Blue Jays can swing a deal and acquire one of the Yankees’ top 30 prospects, it might be considered a win.
Even though the Yankees aren’t struggling by any means, Sanchez’s injury could be more serious than anticipated, and their need for catchers could become larger as the days go by.
At this point though, it’s purely speculation. Multiple other sources have reported that the Yankees are prioritizing adding yet another reliever, even after acquiring Zach Britton from the Orioles. With that said, catching depth could fall down their list of priorities as the trade deadline approaches.
Regardless, we’ll continue to monitor these rumours, because while the Jays have traded arguably their most attractive trade chip, there are still likely many trades to come, with some of them perhaps being more surprising than the ones we’ve already seen.