Yankees trade deadline: What’s next after adding Ryan McMahon?

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NEW YORK — It has been obvious since the offseason that the New York Yankees needed an upgrade at third base. On Friday, they did just that in acquiring veteran Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies, filling a key need and setting themselves up to address other areas of the roster — including the bullpen, rotation and infield — before the trade deadline.

The production the Yankees have received at third base has been horrendous. They went into the season with a combination of DJ LeMahieu, Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza, a trio of players who were either unproven or nearing the end of their careers. Their third basemen have a combined 83 wRC+, minus-4 outs above average and a minus-2 Defensive Runs Saved.

The Yankees were so desperate to find an answer at third base that they played Jazz Chisholm Jr. out of position. The non-Chisholm third basemen this season have a combined 43 wRC+ and minus-0.8 WAR, according to FanGraphs. Cabrera suffered a brutal left ankle injury in May, and the Yankees released LeMahieu two weeks ago. Their current starting third baseman, Peraza, has a 24 wRC+ this season, which is the second-worst in franchise history since 1961. (Bucky Dent had a 10 wRC+ in 1982.)

So, almost any third baseman the Yankees added would have been an upgrade over the incumbent choice.

On Friday, they traded for McMahon, sending two High-A pitchers, Griffin Herring and Josh Grosz, to the Rockies. Since McMahon debuted with Colorado in 2017, only three third basemen have topped his 64 Defensive Runs Saved and 44 outs above average: Matt Chapman, Nolan Arenado and Ke’Bryan Hayes.

McMahon has not posted at least a 100 wRC+ in any season, but the Yankees believe he’s capable of more than what he’s shown. The 30-year-old ranks in the 98th percentile in average exit velocity, and above the 75th percentile in bat speed, hard-hit rate and barrel percentage. However, there’s some concern with him being a high swing-and-miss player, much like Joey Gallo was with the Yankees. It can get ugly quickly with this fan base.

“I know there’s real offensive potential in there,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “I know he’s had offensive success, as well as some struggles there. But then he can really defend over there (at third). Just the handful of times that we’ve played against him and that I watch him, you’re like, that’s what it should look like over there.”

Welcome to the Bronx, Ryan! 🔥@Ry_McMahon | #RepBX pic.twitter.com/9iqcHauLHZ

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) July 25, 2025

The Yankees may not be done adding to their infield. A team source said the Yankees are interested in adding a right-handed hitter who could play the infield.

McMahon has a career .686 OPS against left-handed pitchers, and he’s struggled against them this season, posting a .599 OPS. To that end, the Yankees have expressed interest in Minnesota Twins utilityman Willi Castro, according to the source. Castro has an .859 OPS against left-handers this season, and can play third base, shortstop, second base and both corner outfield spots. The Yankees had interest in Castro last offseason and that has remained.

Another player who could fit is Washington Nationals utilityman Amed Rosario. The Yankees have had longstanding interest in Rosario, who has an .816 OPS against lefties.

Adding McMahon makes the Yankees a bit unbalanced in lineup handedness, something Boone obsesses over. He left open the possibility that the balance could sort itself out before the July 31 trade deadline passes.

“As the roster evolves and changes, hopefully it puts us in a better position to have more interchangeable parts that can offset some of that in a given night, where you’re making a move against a bullpen guy because you have bench flexibility,” Boone said. “I think, for the most part, we’ve handled lefties OK with a lot of our (lefty hitters). I feel like we should be viable against lefties. We’ll see how the roster continues to evolve.”

Another area the Yankees are looking to upgrade is the bullpen. They currently have three trusted relievers: Devin Williams, Luke Weaver and Tim Hill. The other five are either underperforming pitchers or untrustworthy depth.

The Yankees realize their bullpen is a mess, but they should get internal help soon with Fernando Cruz, Mark Leiter Jr. and Yerry De Los Santos coming back from injury. They feel Leiter, in particular, has been subjected to unfair external criticism. Leiter’s ERA is 4.46, but his FIP is 2.77. It’s the ninth-largest gap among all relievers. His batting average on balls in play (BABIP) is an MLB high .411, which means on those balls batters are hitting better than Ted Williams in 1941 when Leiter is on the mound.

“The unluckiest pitcher in the sport,” a team source said.

But even with those three relievers returning in the weeks ahead, the Yankees are looking at upgrades. A few names have emerged in conversations with major-league sources, including Minnesota’s trio of Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax and Danny Coulombe. At this point, the Twins have been hesitant about moving Duran and Jax, who are under club control through 2027. The cost to land one, or both, will be high. The Yankees have also talked to the Pittsburgh Pirates about David Bednar, according to league sources. This is by no means an exhaustive list of their reliever targets, but The Athletic has heard these names mentioned with the Yankees in recent days.

A starting pitcher is also on the Yankees’ wish list. Adding one could lead to the Yankees getting creative with filling remaining holes in the bullpen, if necessary. If they were to acquire a mid-rotation starter, it could allow them to move Cam Schlittler, Will Warren, Luis Gil or Ryan Yarbrough to the bullpen.

One positive with the McMahon trade is the prospect cost was not exorbitant, like it would have been if they landed Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suárez. The Yankees believe they’re in a great position to continue adding after filling a key hole.

(Photo: Matthew Stockman / Getty Images)

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