Will the New York Yankees replace Ryan McMahon at third base this offseason?
Back at the 2025 MLB trade deadline, the New York Yankees were in dire need of a third baseman, so they went out and landed one of the best ones available in Ryan McMahon.
The results have not been what Yankees fans were expecting.
Since arriving in the Bronx in July 2025, McMahon is slashing just .211/.290/.346 with 14 home runs and 52 RBI over 522 plate appearances.
This season, he owns a .212/.280/.353 slash line with 10 homers and 34 RBI across 337 trips to the dish, and while McMahon does seem to have an odd knack for getting big hits, his offensive production has been generally unacceptable at the hot corner.
New York was willing to look past that because of his defense, as McMahon posted 10 defensive runs saved and seven outs above average at third base last year. He also regularly posted similar numbers during his time with the Colorado Rockies.
This year, however, things have changed.
While McMahon has still been wholly solid in the field, a 2026 decline has been evident, as he has posted zero defensive runs saved and three outs above average this season.
Has he been bad at third? Absolutely not. But he has been good enough to justify his $16 million salary while posting a .633 OPS? No.
The problem for the Yankees is that McMahon is under contract for another $16 million next year, which significantly decreases the chances of New York going out and finding an upgrade at the position.
These aren't your dad's Yankees; this is the more financially shrewd, cost-conscious version that initially balked at making any major moves last year due to Marcus Stroman's $18 million salary ... which they eventually ate after releasing him in August 2025.
You can bet that Hal Steinbrenner has every intention of going into 2027 with McMahon as the club's starting third baseman unless Brian Cashman can somehow find a trade for the veteran in which he can offload that money.
McMahon is 31 years old. He'll turn 32 in December. It's entirely possible that the former All-Star is declining, so it's possible that his defensive downturn this season is not a mirage.
Can New York win with McMahon on the roster? Sure. But is it preferable to keep him in a starting role? No.
An alternative solution is fighting a right-handed third baseman who isn't Amed Rosario to man the starting job while keeping McMahon in a reserve role ... but then you are paying $16 million for a pedestrian bench player. That isn't exactly advisable. Especially not for a team that, in recent years, has been trying to cut costs.
And it becomes even less realistic if the MLB does, indeed, institute a salary cap for 2027.
Is it possible the Yankees can trade McMahon? I guess, but good luck finding a team willing to take on the final year of his contract. New York would likely have to absorb some of that $16 million salary, and I'm just not sure how amenable Steinbrenner would be to doing that.
You would think if it meant upgrading the team for just a little bit of extra case, the Yankees would do it. I mean, they're the Yankees, right? But those Evil Empire days appear to be long gone.
The most probable scenario is New York opening up 2027 with McMahon as its starting third baseman, and while it could be worse, it could also be a lot better.
