IS THIS CATCHER ABOUT TO BACK UP AUSTIN WELLS?

Catcher, catcher, who will be the backup catcher?

There's actually talk about this and to be honest, I was too wrapped up in the rotation and infield and didn't realize we're kind of in a bad place in this position.

The Yankees have their starting catcher in Austin Wells... and that's about it.  Right now, the backup options aren’t exactly inspiring, no offense. The only other catchers on the active roster that I can see are J.C. Escarra and Jesus Rodriguez. Rodriguez, at just 22 years old, is still a work in progress, and Escarra, 29, has yet to make his MLB debut. Let’s be real—both will likely spend most (if not all) of the season in the minors. 

So, what’s the plan, Yankees?

Wells is solid, but let’s not pretend he’s the second coming of Jorge Posada. Catchers take a beating, injuries happen, and having a reliable backup is a must. That’s why the latest buzz about veteran James McCann is actually pretty intriguing.

McCann, a former All-Star, spent 2024 as the Orioles’ backup, hitting .231 with eight homers and 31 RBIs while mentoring Adley Rutschman. He’s a seasoned pro with over a decade of MLB experience and could be the perfect guy to not only provide depth but also help Wells develop.

Bringing in McCann would give the Yankees a steady, experienced presence behind the plate—someone who’s been through the grind and knows how to handle a pitching staff. Plus, he wouldn’t cost a fortune. It’s still just a rumor at this point, but honestly? This move makes a ton of sense.

Will the Yankees pull the trigger? We’ll have to wait and see.

RUMOR: A NEW CATCHER IS ON THE YANKEES TRADE DEADLINE WISHLIST

It's early, but I'm already thinking about this years trade deadline. Usually by now I have a decent list of players on my wish list but this year it's a little bit different. This year, if the Yankees continue to stay relatively healthy they can focus on adding pieces they want not just pieces they need to replace injuries.

Weird to think about, but this years trade deadline is just over six weeks away on August 2nd and the Yankees are are still thinking about Willson Contreras, read more HERE but so are a lot of other teams. Let's face it, the Cubs are in full rebuild mode. Contreras is the last big name left that holds any weight with their fan base....but his days in a Cubs uniform are numbered.

The Cubs and Contreras have not come to an agreement on a long-term contract extension and he is a free agent at the end of the season so he's on his way out of Chitown. Back in March we wrote RUMOR: YANKEES HAVE CHECKED IN ON YET ANOTHER CATCHER and the Yankees are still interested.

Before Jose Trevino, the connection to Contreras made a lot of sense. Trevino's done well for the Yankees while Kyle Higashioka has struggled....but can Trevino continue to perform at this level? His career .245 BA leaves me skeptical but I hope he proves me wrong. The Yankees have time to sit back and watch for a bit. 

But the Yankees aren't the only ones that will sit back and watch. The Astros and the Mets are considered favorite landing spots for Contreras and I think the Mets would be willing to give more to get him. As bad as the Astros production has been from behind the plate I think they will continue to trust Martin Maldonado and give him the chance to work through his issues. On the other hand, the Mets have already proven they are willing to make a big splash to win and James McCann hasn't lived up to their expectations so I think they will push harder to get Contreras.

But this is why I get excited about trade deadline rumors. I love the speculation and possibilities and this year if the Yankees continue on their current path they can add to strengthen the roster from a place of want and not just need. 

The Yankees have been tied to Contreras for a while now....it will be interesting to see if he eventually ends up in the Bronx. Good thing is we still have plenty of time to speculate. 

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

IS DJ LEMAHIEU AN INDISPENSABLE YANKEE?

Source: Gary A. Vasquez/USA Today Sports, via Reuters

Just a few days before Christmas and Yankee fans still have not received their gift: A multi-year deal for DJ LeMahieu. Everyone is talking about it. Could the Yankees even contend for the championship without LeMahieu? Is DJ LeMahieu worth it? Is Brian Cashman serious when he says that he is focused on a deal with the infielder? But the NY Times on Saturday escalated this to, "LeMahieu, 32, has become an indispensable Yankee, and the team’s off-season plans center on him."

Source: Newsday

"Speaking on a video conference call, Cashman said the Yankees had done their homework on alternative options in the free-agent and trade markets. “But anything that’s come off the board before today came off the board because I’m willing to wait to hopefully find a way to navigate a negotiation successfully with D.J. LeMahieu,” he said," as reported by the Times. 

Source: AP

If this doesn't express how much LeMahieu means to the Yankees as an organization focused on winning, then nothing does. This means that they will forgo pitchers like Trevor Bauer and let White Sox Catcher James McCann slip by as well, as he is headed to the Mets. This also means that Masahiro Tanaka is not the highest priority and he could land himself another team as well. 

I am pleased that the Yankees have expressed this level of commitment toward signing LeMahieu and probably will only have a few bucks left over for a pitcher. According to the New York Post, "If the Yankees re-sign LeMahieu, expect them to find a starting pitcher in free agency or trade for less than $10 million in 2021. If they don’t sign LeMahieu, the Yankees can apply more money to the area, but will then also have to address the middle infield."

The Yankees are demonstrating, at least to me, that LeMahieu is a key fixture in their road to 28, thereby making him indispensable. But could putting so much faith in LeMahieu, change him? Well, that is a story for another day. Let's get LeMahieu first and then provide him the support he needs to do his job, effectively. 

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

RUMOR: YANKEES GIVE DJ LEMAHIEU A CHEAP OFFER

We all know this is a perfect match. The Yankees want DJ LeMahieu back in a Yankees uniform, and DJ wants to be back in a Yankees uniform. It's a fact, so let's get it done already. It's the Christmas gift all Yankee fans are waiting for.

But it sounds like we are going to have to wait just a little bit longer, even though we really don't want to. Jeff Passan was on Michael Kay's show this week, you can listen HERE. Passan confirms that the Yankees have reached out, "the first offer that was made last week by the New York Yankees to DJ LeMahieu is not going to get it done. It was….underwhelming is the word that I was told."

Underwhelming. That's not what Yankee fans want to hear right now, but I don't think it is time to panic yet. It's just a good example of a negotiation and this isn't unusual. The Yankees and DJ have a mutual interest in each other. I still believe that at the end of the day DJ will accept an offer from the Yankees.

I also believe that DJ will be the first big free agent to sign this winter instead of J.T. Realmuto or Trevor Bauer and I think this will happen before Christmas. It's just a gut feeling I have. Baseball is in a tough holding pattern right now. We sill don't know what 2021 will bring as we still deal with this pandemic. Will we have fans in the stands this coming season? I hope so, and so do all owners. When DJ signed his 2-year deal with the Yankees he waited until January to sign. I don't think he wants to wait that long again. I think he wants to sign early, especially with how slow the market has been so far.

The Yankees will have to outbid other teams, and right now The Toronto Blue Jays and New York Mets are also very interested in DJ. Both teams are more willing to spend money this winter compared to other teams, but I'm not going to stress. The Mets are supposedly close to a deal with James McCann, and the Blue Jays have options for DJ at either second or third base but at the end of the day I'm not going to stress too much.

The Yankees know how important DJ is to this team and I don't think they will let him go easily in this market. You don't let a talent like DJ just walk away. The Yankees may be more conservative with their money this winter, but they know just how valuable he is. Smaller budget or not, the Yankees don't want to be outbid for their MVP.

DJ said no the first offer, and the Yankees didn't start with their best and final offer....so this "no" does not mean that the Yankees are being cheap and it doesn't mean that DJ isn't coming back. Don't panic yet.

  --Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

     BYB Managing Editor

    Twitter: @nyprincessj

CATCHER JAMES MCCANN ON YANKEE RADAR

Nice little nugget coming from baseball insider Jon Heyman. I'm not a fan of Heyman as he's rarely right until after the fact, but that being said, this is a good one and one Yankee fans should take seriously considering Gary Sanchez may be on his way out.

This is interesting because for about 2 weeks now the Yankees were allegedly in on JT Realmuto.  Look, I don't need some high level catcher. You know what I want? A catcher that can catch, call a good game and hustle and trust me, there are plenty out there that can do that. James McCann is one of them.

James Kelly from Elite Sports NY writes:

"McCann is a good catcher. He’s not a superstar...He didn’t get a lot of run in 2020 behind Yasmani Grandal, but in 111 plate appearances, he slashed .289/.360./536 for an .896 OPS. ...

Defensively, McCann showed drastic improvements in 2020 in framing. He posted a career high in framing strike rate at 51.4%, a marked improvement over his 2019 performance at just 45.0%."

Oh yeah... and he will hustle.

Anyway look... it's just something to think about. It's the rumor season. Let's have alittle fun here.

A NEW NAME THAT COULD REPLACE GARY SANCHEZ FOR 2021!

I think the writing is on the wall for Gary Sanchez. I just think "time's up" for him in pinstripes. This weekend we asked WILL THE YANKEES CONTINUE TO INVEST IN GARY SANCHEZ? And I really hope that the answer is NO. I don't say NO because I have ill feelings toward him, but he's had a lot of opportunities and it just hasn't worked out. It's time to move on.

I think Brian Cashman and the Yankees might finally be realizing that. I know Cashman can be hard to read sometimes and the Yankees can be unpredictable but the Yankees have unwavering confidence in Sanchez....until now.

That sounds a lot different then recent years. I think the Yankees are ready to move on but maybe not to some of the names we've talked about. As much as I like the idea of J.T. Realmuto or Yadier Molina, the Yankees sound like they are not going to be big spenders this winter. If they are looking to get under the luxury tax, they might not have room for either of them....or want to save any room for Sanchez.

According to George A King III HERE, "Dec. 2, which is Sanchez’s 28th birthday, is the deadline for teams to offer pre-arbitration and arbitration-eligible players a contract for next season. Any player who isn’t tendered, and there a lot of industry types who believe Sanchez won’t be, is a free agent."

I don't see the Yankees trading him by December 2nd. Even if teams do want him, they will likely get a better deal on him if he does become a free agent. So the Yankees are really in a tough spot there. But if they did just let Sanchez become a free agent....there's another name they could consider.

Here's a new name to watch, James McCann. The 30 year old played last season for the Chicago White Sox and some baseball enthusiasts called him an important part of one of the best catching tandems in baseball. He was an All-Star back in 2019 with a .273 BA, 18 home runs and 60 RBI's.

It's harder to get excited by his 2020 numbers thanks to the shortened season but he finished with a .289BA, 7 home runs and 15 RBI's. He may not be the same slugger than Sanchez is but he still has a good bat and is definitely a defensive upgrade. He allowed two passed balls with a .985 fielding percentage and threw out 33% of runners. He has some defensive concerns also, he ranked third in the AL in 2019 for errors but he showed better numbers this season and could still be an upgrade the Yankees want and would still cost less than Realmuto.

I think the Yankees know that Sanchez is no longer the answer. Maybe McCann isn't the answer but he's worth a look. Honestly I don't hate the idea of McCann and Kyle Higashioka, it certainly looks a lot better on paper than any combination with Sanchez right now. 

I'm willing to look at all possibilities right now, and right now I'm willing to bet the Yankees are too. Right now it sounds like Sanchez may not get the birthday gift he's hoping for....I guess we will wait and see what happens.

  --Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

     BYB Managing Editor

    Twitter: @nyprincessj

WILL THE YANKEES FIND A DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH THIS OFF SEASON?

Source: The New York Post

This is going to be a tough off season; one of the toughest for the Yankees in particular. They simply don't have the money to shell out this year given the salaries in tow and the ones they will have to payout in order to keep their prized players on the roster. So what does this mean? Brian Cashman will have to go fishing and find that diamond in the rough to keep the team on course for post season success.

"I am going to speculate that Hal Steinbrenner will order a payroll that drops beneath the $210 million luxury tax threshold for next season. So you can scratch off signing J.T. Realmuto and Trevor Bauer in free agency and trading for Francisco Lindor, especially since re-signing DJ LeMahieu likely will be a four-year, $100 million-ish proposition. And the Yankees pretty much have to do that," said New York Post writer Joel Sherman earlier this month. 

There is no doubt that DJ LeMahieu deserves to be paid for his tremendous contribution to this team. And he himself is a diamond in the rough, finding his way to top of short list of consistent players, who just happen to also win the batting title. But paying LeMahieu means we simply can't offer top dollar for others who need to fill the gaping holes in the Yankee roster.

"The Yankees talk up (Gary) Sanchez, but the reality is they seem to be trying to talk themselves into thinking he can be salvaged. What are the chances here? Maybe he will reemerge elsewhere. The Yankees should see if they can get anything for him and, if not, he is a strong non-tender candidate," said Sherman. 

And removing Sanchez makes room for another diamond in the rough and another positive consequence: perhaps the Yankees starting pitching improves because of the renewed faith in the catching ability of the next guy in. Maybe that next guy is Gold Glove finalist from Cincinnati, catcher Tucker Barnhart or White Sox backup catcher James "Mac" McCann. Either would instill some confidence in pitching and both with a consistent bat. 

Without a bunch of money to spend and a lot of contracts to draw up, the Yankees need a diamond or two in the rough and be willing to give up a diamond in the rough himself, Luke Voit to get there. This is going to be a tough off season, and the Yankees have to be open to a variety of deals to get to where they need to be. Let's hope Cashman can use some of his magic to get there. 

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof