Biggest Yankees Winners & Losers from the Trade Deadline: Catcher Inactivity Sends Austin Wells Message

The trade deadline has come and gone, and the Yankees were not nearly as active as anyone projected or hoped, but despite only acquiring two players to bolster the lineup, their action (and inaction) have severe ripple effects throughout the entire roster that will play out over the next several months.

Here are some organizational winners and losers from this year's trade deadline.

Winner: Austin Wells

The most stunning thing that happened at the trade deadline for the Yankees wasn't anything they did; it was what they didn't do. A catching position that ranked 24th in fWAR and 28th in wRC+ received no reinforcement, locking in the platoon of Austin Wells and Ali Sanchez (with maybe a sprinkle of JC Escarra) for the foreseeable future.

As much as it looks like a tremendous oversight by the Yankees, it also seems to be a vote of confidence in Wells's ability behind the plate, one backed by an impressive stretch by the 27-year-old backstop.

In his last 16 games, he's 10-for-39 with four home runs, seven walks, and just nine strikeouts. That's coming after a dreadful 21-game stretch in which he had just four hits and two walks compared to a staggering 20 strikeouts. In that time, he's raised his OPS from a season-low .468 on July 8 to .559 entering play on Tuesday night.

If Wells can be anything close to what he was the previous two seasons, an average offensive catcher, he becomes one less hole the team has to worry about offensively. His defense more than makes up for the wasted potential of his bat, but if he can get back to not being a black hole, it immediately lengthens the lineup.

Loser: Giancarlo Stanton

No player on the roster's status going forward is more up in the air than the 36-year-old slugger who's still trying to work his way back from a pair of lengthy calf injuries. While he stood in for live at-bats today and has continued to progress his running program, the Yankees smartly deemed it to be foolish to expect Stanton in prime form at any point down the stretch.

That isn't to say he won't be back. I peg it as a good chance he returns before Aaron Judge and even Cody Bellinger, just because of how limited he is in terms of his game. The big thing with Stanton now is that, with the acquisition of Luis García Jr. and Heliot Ramos, he no longer has a guaranteed spot when the team is healthy in October.

He will undoubtedly get a chance to get his swing going in September, but if it doesn't? He might not be getting much playing time in the time of year he's usually at his best. García and Ramos, at bare minimum, provide platoon options at DH when the team is healthy, and that's not even factoring in Paul Goldschmidt's dominance against left-handed pitching.

Even for 2027, when Stanton will be playing the final year of his 13-year mega contract, the Yankees are in a spot where they might decide to cut him loose, similar to what they did to DJ LeMahieu and Aaron Hicks in years past. I'm not convinced they will, but they got two controllable bats that will make that decision one to consider, and it could mean the end of a man who has defined the last decade of Yankees baseball.

Winner: Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Ryan McMahon

One of the things that was considered at the deadline was grabbing a right-handed infield bat, but as we've all seen, the Yankees didn't exactly do everything they could've at the deadline.

The two players that would've been most affected by a right-handed infielder acquisition were Chisholm and McMahon, who have both hit righties to an extent while struggling mightily against lefties. While the book has been out on McMahon, Chisholm's struggles have been a big reason why the Yankees' offense has sputtered over the past six weeks.

Coupled with Tuesday's promotion of top prospect George Lombard Jr., an acquisition in this area would undoubtedly cut into either of their playing time, which seem to be safe going forward, although McMahon will likely still platoon with Amed Rosario and José Caballero.

Loser: Trent Grisham

Regardless of what happened at this deadline, Grisham was always going to be penciled in as the Yankees' leadoff hitter and center fielder for the remainder of the season, but in grabbing a right-handed outfielder, the Yankees have given themselves flexibility in a way they likely didn't envision when the season began.

Grisham's numbers under the hood are a lot better than they are when you look at the back of his baseball cards, but his at-bat quality has gotten worse against left-handed pitching than it was last year. Whether that's an overexposure issue after a six-week stretch where the Yankees are facing a mind-boggling 43 percent lefty pitching or something long-term, that remains to be seen.

The fact of the matter is, though, that Grisham is a free agent this offseason and will likely command a multi-year deal after showing the strides he's made as a hitter over the last two seasons. It seems like the Yankees will not be the team to give him that, especially after grabbing an outfielder with three additional years of control.

With Ramos, the Yankees could put Cody Bellinger in center field in 2027 and put Ramos and Judge in the corners. Even down the stretch of this season, Grisham may start sitting against high-quality lefties at the expense of Ramos, especially considering the team's sudden depth at DH. All of this will depend on health, which isn't guaranteed, but it's something to think about.

Winner: Paul Blackburn

Along with the lack of a catcher, it was really surprising to see the Yankees ignore their needs in the bullpen, especially after sending three 40-man relievers out of the organization. One of the players that most benefit from no new faces is Blackburn.

A revelation this season, Blackburn has a 2.08 ERA in 60.2 innings out of the bullpen, even as his strikeout stuff has diminished. A once-backend starter for the Mets and Athletics, he's become a valuable piece of a bullpen that just learned there are no reinforcements coming.

Where will he be in the pecking order come playoff time? That's something we'll know in two months' time, but we know that, barring disaster, he will be in the trust tree because of the inactivity at the deadline.

Loser: End-of-Roster Hitters

Amed Rosario and José Caballero — Apr 19, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees shortstop Jose Caballero (72) and third baseman Amed Rosario (14) celebrate after defeating the Kansas City Royals at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

For the last six weeks, the Yankees have generally rotated the same 15 position players on their roster, swapping them out due to injuries. Since the injury to Bellinger in Philadelphia, the 13 players on the roster stayed the same until the acquisition of García.

Since then, three hitters have been demoted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre: Anthony Volpe, Jasson Domínguez, and Max Schuemann, all of whom were given opportunities to prove themselves and were demoted when they couldn't hit. While the deadline passing means no external hitters will come, the team still has three big hitters on the shelf who they expect to return this season.

So who will be on the chopping block next? Spencer Jones is optionable and a clear candidate, but the other two will require tougher choices. Amed Rosario seems to be a lock to be one of those cut due to a numbers game, but would the third be someone like Caballero or McMahon? Suddenly, there's a few short weeks for these players to play for their right to wear the pinstripes.

Winner: Returning Pitchers

The fact that the Yankees didn't grab a pitcher gives credence to the fact that they believe that the pitchers who still need to return will provide the value out of the bullpen that they did not address at the deadline.

The team fully intends to get Clarke Schmidt and Carlos Rodón back at some point down the stretch, with Rodón rejoining the rotation and pushing either Ryan Weathers or Will Warren into the bullpen. One of those two, along with Schmidt, who has a history of effectiveness in the bullpen in 2022, will bolster a unit that desperately needs someone else to step up and be a high-leverage guy.

Whether that happens or not remains to be seen, but it's a win for these two, and a pie-in-the-sky return candidate, Carlos Lagrange, who would all have an easier chance to make an impact at the major league level with no added cooks in the kitchen.

Loser: The Yankees

Oct 28, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman walks on the field before game three of the 2024 MLB World Series between the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Despite steadfast belief they remain the toast of the American League, the Yankees had an opportunity to widen that gap, and instead, they let other teams shorten it.

The bare minimum fans expected would have been acquiring a catcher and at least some other body in the bullpen, but they decided to walk away from the deadline with just Ramos and García. It's one thing to make these moves with time on the clock, but since the abolition of the waiver deadline in 2019, teams are out of moves to make once the one deadline passes.

The medical rumors with Adley Rutschman and the godfather offer that Boston gave up makes it understandable that the Yankees couldn't make the move, but there were cheaper options that would allow them to raise the floor of their least productive position. The same can be said for the rumors surrounding Adrian Morejon and his steep asking price, but other options were available to take a swing.

Ultimately, time will tell whether Cashman and his crew made a big mistake, or whether they were right to trust the personnel already in place.

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