Why Yankees Made the Right Call to Keep Austin Wells Around

Heading into the postseason, Austin Wells has been the best catcher for the New York Yankees.

New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells hasn't been tearing the ball off the cover this season. But his improvement at the plate since the trade deadline is noticeable. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The back of Austin Wells' baseball card will look ugly next year. A long stretch in which a player is not just the worst hitter on the New York Yankees, but one of the worst in baseball, will do that to a stat line.

This year, Wells is hitting .186/.292/.332 with a 77 wRC+. He has 14 home runs and 32 RBI. Those ugly numbers obscure the fact that Wells has actually been hitting the ball well since the trade deadline, when the Yankees felt they absolutely needed to add a catcher. Since then, Wells is slashing .221/.336/.416 with a 114 wRC+, six home runs, and 16 RBI.

It's not quite All-Star caliber production from Wells, but when you consider what the Boston Red Sox gave up in the Adley Rutschman trade and how much of a bust he's been, it seems like Brian Cashman and company dodged a bullet. In that same span, Rutschman has hit for .217/.268/.383 with a 77 wRC+ with the Sox. He has four homers and 12 RBI.

The New York Yankees looked like they made the right call not to go after Adley Rutschman, and instead stick with Austin Wells (not pictured). | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Wells' importance for the postseason can't be understated

It's not just about production, either. One thing about the Yankees is that pitching is their strength. Since Wells has been behind the plate for 122 games, he has caught everyone on this staff, from ace Cam Schlittler to ancillary pieces like Yerry De Los Santos.

Wells knows everybody, and if the Yankees are going to make a run this October, it'll be off their pitching. Even though Wells has been a big disappointment, he at least knows each of these guys well.

Just imagine a world where the Yankees dealt a boatload of prospects for Rutschman the way Boston did, and they're headed into the postseason. They're in the position where they're still starting a bad-hitting catcher in October, and on top of that, Rutschman only partially knows the staff.

Even with Max Fried, Carlos Rodón, and Gerrit Cole out for most of the year, Wells has years of experience with them. Rutschman wouldn't be able to say that.

Whether Wells should come back next year is another discussion entirely. If the Yankees thought they needed to move off a catcher with a 77 wRC+, it would be hard to fault them. That said, a good finish to the year — not great by any means — doesn't nullify how bad Wells has been.

For now, that's a discussion that they can table. Wells is the best option at catcher, and standing pat at the deadline worked out for the Yankees this time around, as next up on the calendar are the MLB playoffs and a matchup against Rutschman and the Red Sox.

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