Yankees Linked to Trade for Polarizing Third Base Option

The New York Yankees need a third baseman. It seems highly unlikely they will begin next season with Ryan McMahon starting at the hot corner, so they need to find answers.

The problem is that the free-agent market is incredibly thin, and while Japanese slugger Teruaki Sato might be the cream of the crop, the Yankees are concerned about whether or not he can actually handle third base in the big leagues.

In the meantime, one name that has surfaced in Yankees trade rumors is Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung, who is under club control through 2028 and is coming off of the most productive offensive campaign of his career.

Jung slashed .299/.365/.462 with 12 home runs and 42 RBI over 444 plate appearances in 2026, good for a career-high .827 OPS.

It should also be noted that Jung was an All-Star back in 2023 after smashing 23 homers to go along with 70 RBI across 515 trips to the dish, but his OPS sat at a more modest — but still good — .781.

So will New York actually pursue the former first-round pick?

Jung definitely comes with major caveats. He has been maddeningly inconsistent offensively throughout his MLB tenure, having posted a .684 OPS in 2025 and a .719 OPS the season prior. Overall, he owns a respectable .266/.315/.435 slash line, but consistency has certainly not been his strong suit.

Additionally, Jung's defense has been all over the place.

This past year, the 28-year-old posted minus-12 defensive runs saved and minus-3 outs above average at the hot corner. In 2025, he was at a minus-3 DRS and plus-5 OAA with a plus-3 fielding run value.

Jung's defensive metrics have been a cluster of irregularity ever since he entered the majors in 2022, so it's hard to determine just how good he is with the glove.

We can probably say that he is pedestrian, at best, and that probably isn't what New York is looking for. But his bat definitely has potential.

Jung is a right-handed hitter who mashed southpaws to the tune of a .366/.448/.545 slash line in 2026, so perhaps the Yanks can platoon him with the left-handed hitting McMahon.

But how much would Jung cost?

The Rangers aren't just going to give him away, especially to a fellow American League team.

Jung could, however, comprise one of the more realistic options for the Bronx Bombers this winter.