The New York Yankees are reportedly looking for catching upgrades at this year's trade deadline, but it may not be so easy to actually land a star.
Hunter Goodman, Adley Rutschman, Ryan Jeffers and Shea Langeliers have all been brought up in trade rumors. Yankees fans holding their breath for Langeliers can perhaps scratch his name off the wishlist after Jeff Passan's latest report.
"The A's are always going to listen, but they have told teams that they have zero desire to trade Langeliers, who is arguably the best catcher in the big leagues," Passan wrote on Tuesday. "He's on the list anyway because the team's pitching has dragged the A's out of playoff contention, and moving Langeliers with multiple years of control would bring back a whale of a package and the sorts of arms they could use. Still, between his power and his presence behind the plate, the 28-year-old has established himself as one of the central parts of a future A's resurgence. And if they want to go to Las Vegas in 2028 with a wrecking-crew offense they have hoped to build, Langeliers figures to find himself right in the middle of it."
The A's have already signed Brent Rooker, Lawrence Butler, Jacob Wilson and Tyler Soderstrom to extensions. It's safe to assume that they want to lock up Nick Kurtz as well. However, Langeliers is represented by Scott Boras, meaning an extension is unlikely. That is the reason he is being tossed around as a trade target.
It's safe to assume that when he hits the open market, he will garner a payday out of the A's price range. He was an All-Star for the first time this year and has an .820 OPS. He is also exceptional defensively, and many teams would love to have a catcher like him.
However, Passan gives him just a 10% chance to be dealt. The A's figure to be a more complete and more competitive team next season, and keeping Langeliers would be wise for them.