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3 catchers the Yankees need to trade for to replace Jose Trevino

By Brad Berreman

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 04: Jose Trevino #39 of the New York Yankees in action against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium on July 3, 2023 in Bronx borough of New York City. New York Yankees defeated the Baltimore Orioles 8-4. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 04: Jose Trevino #39 of the New York Yankees in action against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium on July 3, 2023 in Bronx borough of New York City. New York Yankees defeated the Baltimore Orioles 8-4. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /
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Yasmani Grandal, New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox
Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

With Jose Trevino out for the season, here are 3 catchers who should be on the New York Yankees’ radar moving toward the trade deadline.

It’s been a pretty rough season for the New York Yankees, which surely isn’t causing much crying for fans of other teams. The are above .500, at 52-47 after a win Saturday, but they entered the day in last place in the AL East.

A struggling offense can’t afford to lose anyone at this point. But now, catcher Jose Trevino will miss the rest of the season once he undergoes surgery to fix a right wrist issue he’s apparently been dealing with since the spring.

Trevino was an All-Star in 2022. He posted a .248/.283/.388 slash-line at the plate, with 11 home runs and 43 RBI, as he also won a Gold Glove Award for his work behind the plate. That slash-line fell to .210/.257/.312 this year, for more than a 100-point drop in his OPS, perhaps due to the lingering wrist issue.

The Yankees have gotten the fifth-worst OPS from their catchers this season as of Friday. Which is to confirm, even with Trevino struggling offensively the way he was, Kyle Higashioka and Ben Rortvedt are not going to cut it for the rest of the season if the Bronx Bombers plan to make a push to a spot in the postseason.

And at just 2.5 games back of the last AL Wild Card spot, after Saturday’s win over the Kansas City Royals and pending the rest of the day’s action, that kind of push is not out of the question.

Moving toward the Aug. 1 trade deadline, here are three catches the Yankees should target to replace Trevino.

Yankees rumors: 3 catcher trade targets to replace Jose Trevino

3. Yasmani Grandal, Chicago White Sox

It’s hard to find a White Sox player with any perception of trade value who hasn’t been bandied about in the rumor mill lately.

Grandal’s days of hitting 20-plus home runs and posting a .800-plus OPS appear to be done, based on weakened hard contact metrics and a less discerning approach at the plate this year. But he is still putting up a .711 OPS (entering Saturday), with an OPS+ (96) that’s near average. Based on what the Yankees have gotten offensively behind the plate this season, the 34-year-old has practically been elite.

The White Sox are among the clearest trade deadline sellers around, it’s just a matter of to what extent they do a sell-off over the next week-plus. They may be willing to trade Grandal for whatever they can, at a steep discount, just to get rid of what’s left of his $18.25 million salary for this year.

Even with his warts, including declining defense, Grandal makes sense for the Yankees to be interested in search of any kind of offensive boost.

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