The New York Yankees have been connected to an intriguing trade for the son of a polarizing MLB legend.
The New York Yankees have been playing some fine baseball even without Aaron Judge and have assumed first place in the AL East in his absence.
But even with the Yankees managing without their captain, they still need to patch up some holes between now and the MLB trade deadline.
We know that New York needs relief help, and it could also stand to add a bat or two to a lineup that lacks depth.
Regarding the latter, there should be some interesting names available before Aug. 3, and Ryan Garcia of Empire Sports Media has pitched an intriguing solution: Minnesota Twins super-utility man Kody Clemens.
More specifically, Garcia envisions Clemens — the son of controversial MLB legend and former Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens — as a replacement for Ryan McMahon, who has struggled mightily offensively since arriving in the Bronx last summer.
"Since 2025, Kody Clemens has a .796 OPS against right-handed pitching with 27 home runs against them in 476 plate appearances. This is a notable improvement over Ryan McMahon, who is sitting at a .718 OPS over that timespan against righties with 25 home runs in 603 plate appearances," Garcia wrote.
The catch here is that Clemens has not played third base since 2024 during his time with the Philadelphia Phillies, so he would absolutely represent a significant downgrade defensively.
Minnesota Twins utility man Kody Clemens. Credit: Jordan Johnson-Imagn Images.But how much longer can the Yankees live with McMahon's bat?
The 31-year-old is slashing .211/.274/.357 with seven home runs and 21 RBI this season, and while he has certainly been better lately, his .631 OPS is still bleak.
Meanwhile, Clemens owns a .251/.317/.483 slash line with 10 homers and 25 RBI over 229 plate appearances in 2026, which has represented a breakout year for the lifetime .216/.275/.421 hitter.
Clemens is earning just $803,900 this season and is under team control through 2029, so he would represent a very affordable option for New York.
The question is whether or not the Yanks feel Clemens' first two-and-a-half months of the campaign are legitimate. His advanced metrics (.286 BABIP, 13.2 percent barrel rate, 44 percent hard-hit rate) suggest he is for real, but his career numbers are not incredibly encouraging.
Perhaps the 30-year-old is finally breaking through in his fifth big-league season, and if the Yankees are looking for a cheap option at the hot corner, Clemens could represent a target.
Of course, the problem then becomes New York being stuck with McMahon, who is making $16 million this year and has another $16 million coming to him in 2027.
Clemens and McMahon are both lefties, so there would be no sense in keeping them both on the roster. So unless the Yankees were somehow able to rehome McMahon, any trade for a third baseman is probably a pipe dream at this point.
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