The New York Yankees have a couple of weeks to figure out who will be their third baseman for the remainder of the season. The Yankees continue to play Jazz Chisholm Jr. at third base, who is open to the role but has said that "everybody knows I'm a second baseman." This is because the Yankees are still adamant on starting D.J. LeMahieu at second base like it's still 2019.
The Yankees and general manager Brian Cashman have options they can target to play the hot corner on the trade block. Eugenio Suarez of the Arizona Diamondbacks stands out in particular. However, the Yankees have recently been linked to a, well, underwhelming option. Well, the Yankees have been used to Cashman pursuing underwhelming options at the trade deadline, as of late.
According to New York Post MLB insider Jon Heyman (subscription required), the Yankees have reached out to the Colorado Rockies about third baseman and 2024 MLB All-Star Ryan McMahon. Heyman says that the Rockies have changed course compared to last year, as they are more willing to trade McMahon.
While McMahon is a former All-Star, he's not the third baseman the Yankees or Cashman need.
Ryan McMahon is not the third baseman the Yankees need
Moving Chisholm back to second base and sending LeMahieu to the bench is a must for the Yankees. They still have other areas that need addressing if they want to be considered true World Series contenders, but this is a major area that needs to be prioritized.
The thing with McMahon, however, is that he doesn't hit well outside of Coors Field in the altitude of Denver. This season, McMahon recorded a .252 batting average, a .366 on-base percentage, a .467 slugging percentage, eight home runs, 15 RBI, and 34 hits in 135 at-bats (41 games). Not bad. But then, there's his road split, where he recorded a .180 batting average, a .267 on-base percentage, a .311 slugging percentage with four home runs, 10 RBI, 29 hits, and 67 strikeouts in 161 at-bats (44 games).
Additionally, McMahon is in the middle of a six-year, $70 million contract with the Rockies. McMahon has two years remaining on his deal, where he'll earn $16 million per year, according to Spotrac. That's not exactly the type of investment you'd want to make for a player who's hitting below .200 outside of Coors Field.
There are better options for the Yankees and Cashman to pursue. Suarez stands out as the best, but that's only if the Diamondbacks are open to selling at the trade deadline. They could also choose to bring back Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who is having a good season with the Pittsburgh Pirates (.277 batting average, 22 RBI). We'll see what the Yankees decide to do, but McMahon is a name to keep an eye on in the coming weeks if you are a fan of the team. But he may not be the best solution to their third base dilemma.