Report: Yankees Eyeing Cubs Catcher Willson Contreras

New York reportedly checked in on Cubs catcher Willson Contreras with Ben Rortvedt recuperating from an oblique injury.

When the Yankees sent Gio Urshela and Gary Sánchez to the Twins for Josh Donaldson, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Ben Rortvedt, they received a catching prospect in the deal in order to upgrade their defense behind the dish.

But Rortvedt, who is projected to platoon with Kyle Higashioka, isn’t known for his bat. And by getting rid of Sánchez, the Yankees lost an offensive player with major upside.

Rortvedt is also dealing with an oblique strain suffered a few weeks back, which could prevent him from being ready in time for Opening Day.

While Rortvedt’s injury isn’t expected to be serious, the Yankees still don’t appear to be willing to settle for improved defense in exchange for minimal offense behind the plate this season.

According to Bruce Levine of 760 The Score, the Yankees, as well as the Padres, checked in on Cubs catcher Willson Contreras, who has been on the trading block since the beginning of the offseason.

READ: Yankees, Cubs Swap Catchers in Trade Proposal

Per reports, the Cubs are seeking a haul in return for Contreras, who has a strong arm and has put together 20-plus home run campaigns in three out of six seasons in the big-leagues.

The 29-year-old catcher is a two-time All-Star, and helped the Cubs win the World Series as a rookie starter in 2016.

Ideally, the Yankees would acquire Contreras to be their everyday catcher, while hanging onto Higashioka, who has emerged as ace pitcher Gerrit Cole’s personal catcher over the past few seasons.

However, the Yankees are unlikely to part with top prospects Anthony Volpe or Jasson Dominguez to acquire Contreras. Instead, New York could dip into their farm system to try to strike a deal with Chicago.

By acquiring Contreras, the Yankees would not only be upgrading offensively, they would also be receiving quality defense at the catching position. According to Baseball Savant, Contreras ranked 19th out of 59 MLB catchers last season in strike rate percentage (49%).

If the Yankees are able to land Contreras, this could be the move to put the Yankees back in the mix as World Series contenders. But trading for Contreras won’t come cheap.

MORE:

• Report: Yankees Preparing to Present Aaron Judge With Extension Offer This Week
• Yankees Knew About Ben Rortvedt’s Injury Prior to Twins Trade
• Yankees' Nestor Cortes Looking to Pick Up Where He Left Off Last Season

Follow Pat Ragazzo on Twitter (@ragazzoreport). Be sure to bookmark Inside The Pinstripes and check back daily for news, analysis and more.