Yankees' trade deadline plans revealed amid Austin Wells' 'terrible' season

Major League teams with World Series aspirations cannot afford to have an automatic out in the lineup. 

Currently, the New York Yankees have at least one of those kinds of hitters. 

Catcher Austin Wells had three hits and an RBI on Tuesday, but overall, his season at the plate has been abysmal. The left-handed hitter carries a 60 OPS+ into Friday's game against the Athletics, indicating he's performed 40 percent worse than the average league batter. 

Both Wells and backup catcher J.C. Escarra hit from the left side. The Yankees could attempt to fix that at the trade deadline. 

"All three evaluators suspected the Yankees would use the time before the deadline to search for a right-handed hitting catcher — likely to pair with starter Austin Wells," wrote The Athletic's Brendan Kuty. "That’s despite the difficulty of trying to add in midseason a catcher who would have to learn a whole new pitching staff." 

There are internal options in the minors, but the Yankees may prefer someone with more experience in the Majors. 

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"The Yankees like what Ali Sanchez and Payton Henry bring defensively, but neither has lit up Triple-A offensively," Kuty added. 

Wells has done a fantastic job defensively, as he is one of the best pitch framers in the game. But a lack of power and a high strikeout rate are concerning. 

Clearly, the Yankees have concerns about their catching tandem and are prepared to address the need. 

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