The New York Yankees begin the second half of the regular season with a good, but not great, team. Their roster features tons of star power, but has several holes that Brian Cashman must address by the time the trade deadline comes and goes on July 31. The most pressing of those holes to address is third base, especially after the team DFA'd DJ LeMahieu; it goes without saying that guys like Oswald Peraza and Jorbit Vivas are not the solution at the hot corner. But while it feels like a no-brainer for Cashman to acquire a third baseman, doing so will be easier said than done.
With three Wild Card spots in place for each league, it's hard to find clear-cut sellers outside of six or seven teams. There might be a couple of third basemen available, but not only will the Yankees face tons of competition for these players, the players themselves also have flaws worth discussing.
The Yankees have put themselves in a very tricky spot.
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There is no perfect third baseman for the Yankees to acquire at trade deadline
The crown jewel among the third basemen that figure to be available is Eugenio Suarez, an established veteran having an awesome season. Yankees fans might not think they'd have to part with a lot for a player on an expiring contract, but it's entirely possible that Suarez is the best bat available regardless of position. There will be a slew of teams interested in acquiring him, and there's a good chance the asking price will be too high for Cashman to get a deal done. The Yankees don't have a terrible farm system, but they also don't have a great one, light on prospects that figured to be ready to make an impact in the Majors by 2026.
So if it isn't Suarez, who will the Yankees pursue? Ke'Bryan Hayes is a player they've been linked to, and he'd certainly help their defense. The problem, though, is that his 60 wRC+ since the start of the 2024 campaign ranks dead last among 170 position players with at least 700 plate appearances in that span. His bat isn't good enough, especially since he has another four years on his deal worth a total of $36 million (when the $6 million buyout for his $12 million club option for 2030 is included). He's never been a great hitter and has only gotten worse on that end, making it hard to justify trading for him even with his elite glove.
Another player often linked to the Yankees is Ryan McMahon of the Colorado Rockies, another great defender who has hit 20+ home runs in each of the last four years and has another 13 this year. McMahon might be an upgrade over the likes of Peraza and Vivas, but his home/road splits are noteworthy. The 30-year-old has an .800 OPS at the altitude-aided Coors Field this season, over 200 points higher than his .589 OPS at sea level. Do the Yankees really want to trade for him, especially when he has another two years on his deal worth $16 million annually? Yankee Stadium might be a decent fit for his left-handed bat, but that's far from a given.
New York's options are either to overpay for a player who will likely walk in a couple of months or acquire an underwhelming alternative, making bad money. Neither option is particularly appealing, and that's concerning, considering this is the team's biggest hole.