The New York Yankees are in dire need of catching help before the MLB trade deadline, but the problem is that two of their top targets, Hunter Goodman and Ryan Jeffers, both appear to be off the block.

So who could the Yankees acquire?

One possibility that has emerged is Baltimore Orioles star Adley Rutschman, who is currently on the injured list due to a wrist issue but is due back relatively soon.

In fact, ESPN’s Jeff Passan — perhaps the most renowned baseball insider on the planet right now — went as far to predict that Rutschman would end up in the Bronx.

Rutschman is slashing .251/.331/.433 with eight home runs and 47 RBI over 284 plate appearances this season and just made his third All-Star appearance.

However, the 28-year-old has been on the injured list three times in 2026, and it should be noted that he played in just 90 games last season, as well.

A former first-round pick, Rutschman entered the big leagues in 2022 and got off to a fast start, posting an .806 OPS with 13 homers and 42 RBI across 470 trips to the dish. The following year, Rutschman became a full-time starter and slashed .277/.374/.435 with 20 long balls and 80 RBI.

Rutschman’s offensive production has slipped quite a bit since then, as he registered a .709 OPS in 2024 and followed that up with a .673 OPS last season. He has certainly rebounded a bit this year, but again, he has spent far too much time on the shelf.

The Yankees would have to surrender a king’s ransom to the Orioles in order to convince Baltimore to send the backstop to its hated AL East rivals, so a deal seems rather unlikely on the surface.

Rutschman is under team control through the end of 2027, so New York also wouldn’t have a long runway with the Portland, Or. native before having to sign him to a long-term deal.

But sometimes, desperate times call for desperate measures.

We’ll see if the Yankees are willing to pay such an exorbitant price before Monday’s deadline.