The San Diego Padres are looking for a catcher at this year’s trade deadline, and the New York Yankees currently have a catching log jam.
Brian Cashman was in a familiar situation entering the offseason, with Carlos Narvaez and Jose Trevino being traded, making room for J.C. Escarra and Ben Rice to get playing time in 2025.
While Escarra was held onto, the Yankees received trade interest from multiple National League teams before he officially made his MLB debut in 2025.
One of those teams were the aforementioned Padres, who were looking to add catching depth and could look to renew those conversations at the trade deadline, sources tell Empire Sports Media.
Dylan Cease and Robert Suarez are among rentals the Padres are listening on in trade conversations, and the Yankees could use their catcher surplus to create a deal with San Diego.
JC Escarra Drew Interest From Padres, Yankees Open To Creative Deals
With AJ Preller having numerous holes on his roster to solve and limited prospect ammo, he has looked at various expiring contracts on his roster to try and creatively re-tool his roster and fill other holes.
This is a similar strategy to what he implemented with outfielder Juan Soto, who he netted Michael King and Kyle Higashioka for alongside various young arms.
San Diego has a -0.7 WAR and 69 wRC+ from the catching position, as they’re in the bottom 10 in both Framing Runs and OPS among teams.
They displayed interest in acquiring J.C. Escarra from the New York Yankees earlier in the winter alongside veteran catcher Jose Trevino, but the two sides couldn’t come to an agreement.
Buster Olney of ESPN reported that AL East teams have checked in on Dylan Cease, with the Yankees among teams displaying some interest in him, although I am not aware of their seriousness on that front.
I also know that Robert Suarez, who could be a piece Preller deals, has fans inside the Yankees’ organization and could be a name they end up calling about.
While J.C. Escarra is highly respected in the Yankees’ organization, with current and former coaches at the Minor and Major League levels raving about his talent and character, he’s the odd man out of a awkward catching dilemma.
Ben Rice has been brilliant vs RHP and Austin Wells has been better against LHP this year, but Escarra has struggled to carve out playing time.
This is not a product of his poor play; Escarra has recorded +2 Fielding Run Value in 199 innings behind the dish with the eighth-most Framing Runs (4.2) in baseball according to FanGraphs.
His high contact rates and excellent patience at the plate profile Escarra to be a strong platoon catcher for the bottom of a lineup, and he would pair nicely with the well-respected Martin Maldonado.
READ MORE: Yankees have to address urgent deadline need before it derails their season
No deal has materialized between the Padres and Yankees, but San Diego has been interested in Escarra before he was a big-leaguer, and his play this season would reinforce that belief.
In 38 games, Escarra has posted an 84 OPS+ and 0.6 fWAR, which would put him on pace to be around a 2-3 WAR player at the position.
Projections similarly believe in his offensive skillset, and with control for five more seasons, the Padres would get a long-term fixture at the position and could address other holes on their roster.
They’d likely demand more than just Escarra for either Cease or Suarez, and those pieces (just like Drew Thorpe) could be flipped to get other assets such as Jarren Duran for the outfield or Charlie Morton for the rotation.
Brian Cashman has made pitching a priority this deadline, and while J.C. Escarra has been a nice find for them, the Yankees would love to lessen the prospect burden to acquire a power pitcher from San Diego.
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