The New York Yankees have been connected to an intriguing bat.
The New York Yankees are apparently still searching for bats, specifically those of the right-handed variety.
Brian Cashman made it clear earlier in the offseason that he felt the Yankees were too lefty-heavy, so New York pursuing a right shouldn't be too surprising.
But who can the Yankees actually land?
New York has been linked to a couple of rather unexciting outfielders in Randal Grichuk and Austin Slater (the latter of whom spent the last couple of months of 2025 in the Bronx), and it has also been connected to a reunion with Paul Goldschmidt. Fellow first baseman Ty France is reportedly on the Yanks' radar, as well.
Now, Cai Rogers of Just Baseball has pitched another interesting name that could make sense for the Yankees: catcher Mitch Garver.
"Garver is one of the remaining free agents who fits the profile of a player that hits lefties well, provides around league-average defense behind the plate, and should be a more affordable option," Rogers wrote. "... While Garver would be more of an offense-based acquisition, he can still be a stable backstop off the bench, making him the perfect pinch-hitter and platoon partner for [Austin] Wells."
Mitch Garver. Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images.Garver is a former Silver Slugger award winner, although he slashed just .209/.297/.343 with nine home runs and 30 RBI over 290 plate appearances with the Seattle Mariners in 2025. He posted a passable .718 OPS against southpaws and hits them at a lifetime .255/.358/.474 clip, though, which is what makes him intriguing.
The funny thing is that Wells actually hit lefties (.733 OPS) better than righties (.702 OPS) this past season, although he owns a lifetime .218/.282/.360 slash line versus left-handed pitching.
The Yankees don't have any right-handed hitting backstops on their roster right now. Wells, J.C. Escarra and Ben Rice (who plays catcher on occasion) all bat from the left side, and while it's certainly nice to have lefty hitters with Yankee Stadium's short right-field porch, it would also be nice to have a righty in the mix, as well.
Garver boasts a solid lifetime .766 OPS and slashed .270/.370/.500 as recently as 2023, but his production has fallen off a cliff the last couple of years.
It's slim pickings for New York at this point, so Garver might actually be one of the club's top remaining options.
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