Suddenly, the trades are coming fast and furious.
After another series in Toronto that put the Yankees’ defensive woes under a microscope, GM Brian Cashman has decided to address the problem with a long-term solution. New York is trading two prospects to Colorado in exchange for third baseman Ryan McMahon. The 30-year-old is under contract for both 2026 and 2027 at $16 million per season.
What does Ryan McMahon add to the Yankees?
First and foremost, McMahon shores up a spot that has given Aaron Boone headaches all year long. The Yankees have floated several different bodies at third, including DJ LeMahieu, Jorbit Vivas and Oswald Peraza. Most notably, New York had been starting Jazz Chisholm Jr. at the hot corner, despite the fact that Chisholm grades out much better at second base.
McMahon’s bat may be a question mark, but not his glove. The former second-round pick ranks in the 91st percentile of Outs Above Average in 2025 and he’s managed a positive defensive fWAR across each of the past five seasons.
But about that bat. There are certainly some things to like with McMahon, not the least of which being his left-handed power swing now calling Yankee Stadium home. McMahon also possesses a 98th percentile average exit velocity (94.0) and 87th percentile hard hit rate (50.4%). The issue is just he doesn’t make contact nearly as much as you’d like, owning a second percentile whiff rate (35.1%) and a third percentile strikeout rate (31.7%).
There’s also the obvious home/road split noise that follows every Rockies asset. In 204 plate appearances away from Coors Field in 2025, McMahon is slashing .189/.265/.324 with a 64 wRC+. Woof.
Does Ryan McMahon impact the Yankees division odds?
The Yankees are in a bit of a tough spot in the AL East after having dropped six of seven games in Toronto this season. That means not only are the Blue Jays currently up in the division by 4.5 games, but they also own the tie-breaker, which basically makes the divide 5.5 games. At the same time, New York owns the best odds of any American League team to win the World Series at +700, so it’s not like there’s no hope at all.
The Yankees still possess better top-end starting pitching than Toronto does. The Yankees still lead the league in ISO (.201) and wRC+ (119). They’ll likely continue to add at the deadline, so there’s value in betting them at plus-money to win the division — especially with Ryan McMahon improving the infield defense.
