The New York Yankees are likely to be involved in trade talks this winter. With most of their remaining money likely heading towards Cody Bellinger in free agency, the trade market is the place to be for the Yankees.
Brian Cashman and the Yankees front office have a few areas of need to address, but two of the more important spots to bolster are the starting rotation and at catcher.
A trade rumor from ESPN's Jorge Castillo has the Yankees resolving both of those needs in one trade with the Minnesota Twins. Not only would it resolve two issues, but it would steal two players the Boston Red Sox could be pursuing.
Yankees linked to Twins in two-player deal for pitching and catching needs
"The Minnesota Twins should trade Joe Ryan and Ryan Jeffers to the New York Yankees," Castillo writes.
While Joe Ryan might not be the biggest priority for the Yankees, landing another starter as insurance in case one of Gerrit Cole, Clarke Schmidt, or Carlos Rodon doesn't return to form would be a smart move.
As seen with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2025, teams can never have too many starting pitchers. Ryan is cheap from a monetary standpoint, and even though he will cost a bit in a trade, the Yankees could stop the Red Sox from acquiring him.
Boston has been strongly linked to Ryan since the MLB trade deadline, and the Yankees swiping him instead would not only hurt the Red Sox but also give the Yankees an even better rotation.
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Ryan Jeffers, on the other hand, would be the perfect platoon mate for Austin Wells. Jeffers would be the right-handed-hitting catcher, while Wells would retain his left-handed hitting role.
Adding Jeffers would also allow the Yankees to move Ben Rice, who's on the verge of a massive breakout season, to first base full-time. With Paul Goldschmidt not likely to return, Rice at first would be a great solution in both the short and long term.
While this package would be very expensive for the Yankees to pull off, it's a move that could instantly help the rotation and the offense in a big way. Jeffers and Ryan are great trade targets, and if Castillo's proposed deal went through, it would be a huge boon for New York in 2026.
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