Austin Wells has not played great for the New York Yankees this year, and the team is reportedly interested in adding a catcher.
On Monday, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal noted that there is speculation that the Yankees will go after Ryan Jeffers, but what if they tried getting someone better? Jeffers will be a free agent after the season, and then the Yankees will be back to square one at catcher, and be limited to free agent options and prospects.
For that reason, it may be worth checking in on Dalton Rushing's availability. Rushing's place in the Dodgers' future has always been a question mark. Will Smith is signed through 2033, so he is clearly the long-term plan at catcher. Rushing can play in the outfield, but the Dodgers have Kyle Tucker, Andy Pages and Teoscar Hernández. As far as the future goes, three of their top five prospects are outfielders.
And the Dodgers have Shohei Ohtani locked into the designated hitter spot as long as he's playing, so Rushing cannot really slot in there. Rushing has gotten an extended run this year with Will Smith hurt, but he is expected to return this season. When that happens, Rushing will not be as valuable to the Dodgers, but he has built up some great potential trade value.
He may have some character concerns, but he would be a massive upgrade over Wells. In 57 games, he is slashing .269/.347/.503 with 10 home runs. He has an OPS over .840 against lefties and righties and is proving why he was once the No. 1 prospect in the Dodgers organization.
He is under club control through 2031 and will take a haul to acquire. However, he could be the Yankees' catcher of the future and would be worth it. As much as the Dodgers may like him, it's clear that when Smith is healthy, Rushing is a backup catcher and bench bat in their lineup at best.
Wells is hitting .151 this season, and if the Yankees want to make a deep run in October, they will need an upgrade at catcher.