Yankees Have Ideal Free-Agent Fix for Catching Problem Without Giving Up on Austin Wells

While the New York Yankees have multiple holes to fill on the roster, they shouldn't overlook this pressing need.

In the first half of the 2026 season, the Yankees' catching room was a disaster. Austin Wells suddenly cratered into one of the worst qualified hitters in baseball, while J.C. Escarra and Ali Sanchez did nothing to pick up the slack. Despite this, New York failed to bring in another backstop at the trade deadline and was forced to rely on a duo of Wells and Sanchez.

Fortunately, Wells enjoyed a much better second half (.787 OPS) to renew the Yankees' confidence in him. However, Sanchez remained a liability both at and behind the plate, forcing the Bronx Bombers to use Wells nearly exclusively down the stretch and into the postseason.

Austin Wells crushed two homers in the 8th inning!

He’s the first player in MLB history to enter a game as a pinch-hitter and then hit multiple home runs in a single inning.

H/T @OptaSTATS pic.twitter.com/3Qp7dkTUOz
— MLB (@MLB) August 30, 2026

Wells' improved play and Sanchez's continued ineffectiveness revealed the true weakness of the Yankees' catching room: inadequate depth. Without a capable backstop to either share the starting job with Wells or back him up, the unit becomes significantly more of a liability in case Wells doesn't perform. Nobody expected the 27-year-old to be as bad as he was in the first half, yet having no depth behind him allowed that disastrous scenario to play out.

With this in mind, the Yankees need to pair Wells with a better catcher during the winter. The good news is they can find a perfect fit on the open market—at a reasonable price to boot.

Carson Kelly is the perfect catcher to complement Austin Wells

On October 30, veteran catcher Carson Kelly opted out of the $7.5 million mutual option he had with the Chicago Cubs, which officially makes him a free agent. Kelly spent his past two seasons with the Cubs and posted 5.5 bWAR with a .736 OPS alongside solid defense.

The 32-year-old was Chicago's starting catcher in both 2025 and 2026, but his age and batting splits make him more suitable as part of a catching tandem. In that regard, no other catcher on the market would be a better partner to Wells than Kelly.

Arguably the biggest factor behind Wells' offensive struggles was his inability to hit left-handed pitching. In 99 plate appearances, Wells hit a woeful .122/.192/.244 against southpaws. Against righties, his .209/.326/.365 slash line in 289 plate appearances is closer to league-average production.

In his career, Wells has a .578 OPS against lefties and a .727 OPS against righties. When taking his strong defense into account, getting just average production from Wells makes his contributions a net positive, and that production usually comes against right-handed pitching.

And when a lefty is on the mound, there aren't too many catchers more dangerous than Kelly. In 2026, he hit .298/.375/.496 over 136 plate appearances against southpaws, as opposed to a .239/.318/.320 slash line in 289 plate appearances versus righties. In his 11-year career, Kelly is a .267/.353/.469 hitter against lefties, which is well-above average production.

Carson Kelly GRAND SLAM 💥

What a start for the @Cubs on this Friday afternoon! pic.twitter.com/qywu41HRYA
— MLB (@MLB) June 19, 2026

In terms of defense, Wells grades out as a better defender but Kelly is no slouch either. He won 69% of his ABS challenges in 2026, while Wells had a 63% success rate.

When looking at the catching market in free agency, Ryan Jeffers of the Minnesota Twins is the most coveted option; the Yankees were also frequently linked to him at the trade deadline. But Jeffers would be more inclined to sign with a team in need of a starting catcher, and New York has too much faith in Wells to make him a backup.

In contrast to Jeffers, who would likely want a long-term deal with a high AAV, Kelly could be signed at a very reasonable short- term rate. A two-year, $20 million contract would be a noticeable raise from his previous deal with the Cubs (two years, $11.5 million), yet that should be within the Yankees' budget.

The Yankees should be far from the only team interested in Kelly, as his skillset and market value make him a low-risk signing with a reasonably high reward. But Kelly is the specific catcher the Bronx Bombers are looking for, that being a right-handed catcher who can cover for Wells offensively and keep him fresh over the course of a season. While there are other areas for the Yankees to address, signing Kelly shouldn't prevent them from making other necessary moves, which is all the more reason to make him a priority target in free agency.

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