Yankees get terrible trade news on 'untouchable' All-Star catcher from NL West

The New York Yankees are playing their worst baseball of the season at the worst time. 

As losers of nine of their last 10 games, the Yankees will start a pivotal four-game series on the road against the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night. 

A significant part of New York's issues stems from the lack of production on offense. Finding a catcher at this year's trade deadline should be a top priority. 

No matter how well Austin Wells gels with the pitching staff, having his .483 OPS in the lineup is doing more harm than good. 

General manager Brian Cashman and the front office will be tasked with finding a platoon partner for Wells, or his starting replacement. 

While Ryan Jeffers from the Minnesota Twins is a name the Yankees will surely keep tabs on, The Athletic's Jim Bowden seemingly eliminated another possibility. 

"The Rockies will be sellers, with the only untouchable being catcher Hunter Goodman," Bowden wrote. "Unfortunately, they don’t have a lot of trade assets outside of some bullpen arms, fifth starter/long reliever types and role players." 

Bowden believes the Rockies will not dangle Goodman's name in trade talks. 

The All-Star catcher is hitting .254/.318/.552 with 27 home runs and 51 RBIs and would be a major offensive upgrade over Wells, J.C. Escarra, or Ali Sanchez. 

But the Rockies clearly view Goodman as a building block in their rebuilding phase. 

Surprisingly, Goodman has hit much better on the road than in the hitter-friendly environment of Coors Field in Colorado. 

MORE: Rays trade idea sends top-10 prospect in MLB to Tigers for Tarik Skubal

At the moment, adding Goodman via trade does not seem like a viable option for the Yankees. 

Cashman will have to look elsewhere to upgrade the position. Making an addition has become more of a necessity than a desire. 

More MLB news:

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• Phillies DFA No. 13-ranked prospect Jean Cabrera to keep Bryan De La Cruz
• Blue Jays trade idea swaps two top-10 prospects to Mets for Freddy Peralta