There is no way the New York Yankees would go this route with Ryan McMahon.
It's no secret that New York Yankees third baseman Ryan McMahon has been struggling this season. Actually, he has been laboring ever since arriving in the Bronx at the trade deadline last summer.
McMahon is slashing .208/.287/.340 with 10 home runs and 38 RBI over 357 plate appearances with the Yankees since being acquired. This year, he is slashing .208/.263/.346 with six homers and 20 RBI.
He was actually palatable in May, posting a .711 OPS with four long balls and 12 RBI, but he owns a .250 OBP over his last 30 games, and you have to wonder how much longer New York can bear with him in the lineup.
Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller recently published a piece in which he listed every team's player most likely to be DFA'd this season, and McMahon was actually the choice for the Yankees.
"If [George] Lombard heats up—or if New York simply becomes content with a rotation of Anthony Volpe, José Caballero and Amed Rosario on the left side of the infield—Ryan McMahon could be in trouble," Miller wrote. "The money factor didn't prevent the Yankees from kicking both D.J. LeMahieu and Marcus Stroman to the curb last year, and it may not protect McMahon now."
There is a difference, though.
New York Yankees third baseman Ryan McMahon. Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images.Unlike LeMahieu and Stroman, neither of whom provided any value to the Yankees whatsoever, McMahon is a defensive wizard over at the hot corner, so they may want to keep him on for that reason alone.
Plus, just because Hal Steinbrenner ate some money on the LeMahieu and Stroman deals does not mean he wants to do it again.
McMahon is making $16 million this season and is owed another $16 million in 2027. I'm not so sure New York would want to just sink $32 million.
And to be fair, McMahon hasn't necessarily been playing every day, as the Yanks have been rotating in other players to man third base (like Caballero and Rosario).
The chances of the Yankees just cutting ties with McMahon are slim to none. I find it very hard to believe that will end up being the result.
Obviously, trading McMahon will be difficult because of that contract, but I think New York is more likely to make it through 2026 with him on the books and then potentially try and move him over the winter. The Yanks would still have to eat some of that 2027 salary, but at that point, it would be far more digestible.
No one is happy about McMahon's offensive production, but unfortunately, the Yankees are kind of stuck with him at the moment.
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