The New York Yankees may have found their starting third baseman for the next two and a half years, after acquiring left-handed third baseman Ryan McMahon in a trade with the Colorado Rockies for pitchers Griffin Herring and Josh Grosz.
McMahon, 30, and a National League All-Star last season, has led the majors with more than 100 starts and is expected to report to the New York club on Saturday. The former Rockie has an OPS of .645 and will become the seventh third baseman New York has used this year, with Oswald Peraza playing the most games (48) at the position but hitting .147 with three home runs before Friday night’s game against the Phillies at Yankee Stadium.
Ryan McMahon increases New York Yankees’ hitting power
In his last seven games, Ryan McMahon has shown great potential in the batter’s box, with a .292 batting average, three home runs and seven runs batted in. Overall, McMahon has a .217/.314/.403 slash line with 16 home runs and 35 RBIs. “He’s been an All-Star third baseman and an excellent defender. He’s had his ups and downs offensively this year. He has a great presence and can defend very well at third base for several years. We’re excited to have him,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
The Bronx Bombers’ addition of a third baseman before Thursday’s trade deadline became almost a certainty once they moved Jazz Chisholm Jr. back to second base earlier this month and designated infielder DJ LeMahieu for assignment shortly thereafter. Although the Yankees were frequently linked in trade rumors with the D-backs third baseman, Eugenio Suarez, there was reportedly a “gap in talks” between New York and Arizona.
New York Yankees bet on McMahon’s defensive quality
McMahon is not as powerful as Suarez, but he is a much better defender and is signed to a reasonable $16 million contract for 2026 and 2027. Suarez is scheduled to become a free agent after this season. Also, McMahon’s left-handed swing should fit well with Yankee Stadium’s short porch in right field. This will be the first time McMahon will be in a playoff environment since 2018, when the Rockies lost to the Brewers in the National League Division Series.
McMahon will not be in the spotlight as he was in Colorado. The Yankees already have players like that in Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Cody Bellinger. However, the third baseman tried to become the leader after the Rockies let Nolan Arenado, LeMahieu and Trevor Story go. It didn’t work out for him: he was inconsistent at the plate, with a lot of strikeouts to boot.
Read the full article here
