The MLB trade deadline is a week from Monday, and to this point, it has been mostly quiet on that front.
That relative inactivity is hardly unexpected this season, given how many teams find themselves in, or on the periphery of, contention for a postseason berth. Those clubs are in the uncomfortable position of being unsure whether to be buyers, sellers, or some combination of both.
The Yankees unquestionably will be buyers, and they have plenty of needs. General manager Brian Cashman is tasked with improving a roster that, while almost assured of making the playoffs in what has been an underwhelming American League, is missing some elements that would make it truly championship-caliber.
Those needs hardly are a secret at this point. The Yankees left spring training with the belief that the following likely would have to be addressed before the deadline: obtaining a righthanded-hitting catcher, bullpen help and perhaps another righthanded hitter.
With that in mind, here are five potential trade targets — there are many more, of course — for the Yankees as they look to win the World Series for the first time since 2009:
1. Ryan Jeffers, C, Twins
Jeffers, a righthanded-hitting catcher, has been linked to the Yankees pretty much from the start of the regular season, and that’s not a surprise. Entering Saturday, Jeffers was hitting .283 with nine homers and a .922 OPS (which includes an eye-popping .389 on-base percentage). Defensively he is considered a mixed bag by scouts, seen as an above-average pitch-framer, something highly valued by the Yankees, but not as good when it comes to controlling the running game. But Jeffers — who is familiar to the Yankees’ director of catching, Tanner Swanson, who was a minor-league coordinator with the Twins in 2018 when they drafted Jeffers — overall checks all the boxes, including being a free agent after the season. The Twins, however, entered Saturday only three games out of the American League’s final wild-card spot, so it’s far from a lock that they will deal arguably their best hitter.
2. Mason Miller, RHP, Padres
Miller, 27, is the white whale of the deadline for several reasons, not the least of which is the righthander is the game’s top reliever. He is having a season for the ages, recording a 0.84 ERA with a 0.84 WHIP and 79 strikeouts in 42 2/3 innings in 41 games. Then there is the fact that he isn’t arbitration-eligible until 2027 and won’t be a free agent until 2030. That, however, means that Miller has an exorbitant price tag. The Yankees have the pieces — both in the majors and minors in prospects — to get him, though it remains to be seen whether Cashman will be willing to pay the price. The Padres, four games out of a National League wild-card spot as of Saturday, could choose to be buyers, but if they decide to move Miller, there will be no shortage of suitors; bullpen help probably is the No. 1 need of most contenders. The Yankees are among a glut of teams who will have scouts following Miller this week.
3. Luke Weaver, RHP, Mets
Weaver, who like the other standout relievers on selling teams will elicit plenty of phone calls, checks one critical box right out of the gate: The righthander already has shown he can handle all that comes with pitching in New York; he enjoyed two mostly standout seasons with the Yankees in 2024 and 2025 before taking his talents to the Mets, for whom he has posted a 1.98 ERA in 39 games. Weaver is due $11 million next season, which won’t scare off the Yankees. Because of the number of big-market teams looking for relievers, his price tag might, though.
4. Tyler Stephenson, C, Reds
Stephenson isn’t in Jeffers’ class but he would, albeit to a lesser degree, address the Yankees’ need for a righthanded-hitting catcher. Stephenson is hitting .249 with a .726 OPS, hardly impressive numbers but still better than what the Yankees are getting between Austin Wells and Ali Sanchez (as are Stephenson’s eight homers and 13 doubles). And with the disappointing Reds likely to be sellers (six games out of a National League wild-card spot as of Saturday), Stephenson potentially could be packaged with a solid reliever such as Tejay Antone (a 2.30 ERA in 31 games), allowing the Yankees to address two needs in one deal.
5. Adrian Morejon, LHP, Padres
Morejon, a bullpen mate of Miller’s, would not be a bad consolation prize for teams unwilling to part with the haul the Padres will command for the latter. The bevy of teams, including the Yankees, who will send a scout to watch Miller this week also will closely watch Morejon, 27, who has a 3.25 ERA in 48 games with 63 strikeouts in 55 1/3 innings. The lefthander will be a free agent after the season, meaning his price tag will be significantly lower than Miller’s. In the case of the Yankees, Morejon would be a third effective late-inning lefty for their bullpen, which already has the solid Tim Hill (though he could find himself as part of a deal) and the electric Brent Headrick, who is in the midst of a breakout season.
Erik Boland started in Newsday’s sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.
