The New York Yankees have a need at third base and one MLB analyst believes they should turn to a rival to acquire an infielder.
MLB analyst Jacob Mountz of FanSided believes the Yankees should trade for New York Mets infielder Jeff McNeil. Mountz believes McNeil would be a perfect fit for the Yankees and is a potential trade option.
“Jeff McNeil is coming off a down year posting a .238/.308/.384/.692 slash line with 12 home runs in 424 at-bats,” Mountz wrote. “At a glance, this doesn’t appear to be the same Jeff McNeil that won a batting title in 2022 with a .326 average. But while his first half was abysmal, he began to heat up hitting .289 in the second half before a wrist fracture ended his season. McNeil is no stranger to injuries as most of his career was riddled with them. He returned for the NLCS in which he performed rather poorly. So, why would he be ideal for the Yankees?
“To start, McNeil is a slap hitter who pulls the ball,” Mountz added. “He isn’t known as a home run hitter, but in the Bronx, this changes drastically. Baseball Savant estimates, when including park and environmental factors, McNeil would have hit 19 home runs in Yankee Stadium compared to the 12 he hit in 2024.”
Mountz believes McNeil could be a 25-home run hitter at Yankee Stadium, which is why he urges the Yankees to make the trade.
McNeil is set to enter the third year of his second year of his four-year $50 million deal. The final year of the deal is a club option.
Analyst Believes Change of Scenery is Needed for McNeil
McNeil struggled in 2024 and Mountz believes the infielder needs a change of scenery.
The infielder hit .238 with 12 home runs and 44 RBIs. He hasn’t been the same hitter since when he won the batting title in 2022. However, Mountz thinks McNeil could potentially thrive with the Yankees.
“A change of scenery would surely do him plenty of good. And if he can recover his old numbers when he hit for averages above .300, he would be a definite game-changer for the Bombers,” Mountz wrote. “McNeil turns 33 this coming season and is owed $15.75 million for each of the next two years. Included in his contract is a club option for 2027 at the same price. For the Mets, trading McNeil would bring a satisfactory return and give them a little breathing room they might want to put to work in bringing Alonso back.”
McNeil is a two-time All-Star and one-time Silver Slugger.
How Would McNeil Fit With The Yankees?
McNeil could compete for the starting third base or second base job with the Yankees.
New York has the option to shift Jazz Chisholm Jr. from third to second. However, McNeil can also play both positions, which gives the Yankees some roster flexibility.
It also gives the Yankees some much-needed insurance at third, as currently DJ LeMahieu projects to be the starter. But, he has dealt with injuries over the past two seasons.
Ultimately, McNeil would be a good infielder and a bottom-of-the-order bat. Meanwhile, the cost to acquire him likely wouldn’t be that much.
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Analyst Urges Yankees to Trade for $50 Million Infielder From Rival