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Yankees urged to move on from Ryan McMahon
The New York Yankees could look to the trade market to replace the struggling Ryan McMahon.
The Yankees acquired McMahon last year to become the team’s everyday third baseman, which was a major need. However, to begin the 2026 MLB season, McMahon has struggled mightily, and now MLB analyst Billy Heyen of Sporting News urges the team to trade for an infielder to replace McMahon.
“The New York Yankees traded for Ryan McMahon in July with the hope of solving their third base woes. It hasn’t worked,” Heyen wrote. “Simply put, the Yankees can only put up with hitting like that for so much longer. If McMahon isn’t the third base answer, they’ve got to find one somewhere else.
“So what can they do? Well, one option is to go after another trade. This time, they’d send away either Jasson Dominguez or Spencer Jones. Both young outfielders are at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre because they’re blocked from playing time at the MLB level. And unless they magically become infielders, the best way to extract present value from them would be to turn one into a third baseman.”
McMahon is in the fifth year of his six-year, $70 million deal with the Yankees. The glove-first infielder has struggled at the plate, as he’s hitting .087 with 2 RBIs, and with New York in a win-now window, how much more leeway they give McMahon is uncertain.
Who Could Yankees Look to Acquire?
If New York does look to acquire an infielder to replace McMahon, the team does have some options.
Heyen listed three potential candidates, being Brett Baty, Royce Lewis, and Alec Bohm, as potential trade candidates for the Yankees.
“Maybe the answer resides with the New York Mets,” Heyen wrote. “Would the crosstown rival trade either Brett Baty or Mark Vientos for either Dominguez or Jones? What about the Minnesota Twins? Royce Lewis could use a change of scenery.
“The Phillies‘ Alec Bohm is often in trade rumors. Could the Yankees pull off a deal for him? While no noise is out there about a trade, it certainly seems like the Yanks should think about it. Do they want to win a World Series with Aaron Judge? It might have to come with another good infielder on the roster and one less piece of upside-laden outfield depth at Triple-A.”
All three names have been mentioned in trade talks in the past, and if the Yankees float one of Dominguez or Jones in the trade package, perhaps that is enough to make a trade happen.
Aaron Boone Discusses McMahon’s Struggles
The Yankees are off to a hot start to begin the season, but McMahon is not.
McMahon has struggled at the plate, but Yankees manager Aaron Boone doesn’t seem too concerned. Instead, he believes it’s just a timing issue, which he believes will be corrected.
“He’s just been a little bit in-between, not wanting to chase or make a bad decision,” Boone said about McMahon. “He’s seeing the ball, but the timing isn’t quite synced up yet.”
The Yankees are off to a 7-2 start.
Cole Shelton Cole Shelton covers the NHL, MLB and Cleveland Browns for Heavy.com. He has covered pro and college sports since 2016, including bylines at BJ Penn, USA Today, SB Nation, Rotowire, Canadian Baseball Network and more. More about Cole Shelton
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