There’s reason to believe that the New York Yankees will be trying hard to offload third baseman Ryan McMahon this offseason.
The McMahon experience is over, and while the Yankees might not be able to get much for him in a trade, anything could be better than having the final year of his 6-year, $70 million contract on their payroll.
FanSided.com’s Adam Weinrib recently wrote (about McMahon):
“What can the Yankees obtain for McMahon? Unfortunately, not all that much – the Cardinals have a number of young, hungry, OBP-heavy hitters, but even one of their overflow catchers feels too ambitious here. Maybe righty backup Pedro Pages. Maybe. The most likely outcome is that the Yankees eat half or more of McMahon’s contract in exchange for a bullpen piece, or they eat less than that and receive a lottery ticket prospect before heading back to the drawing board to fill third base externally.”
The words about McMahon’s future status with the Yankees come from a report that the St. Louis Cardinals are interested in pursuing a short-term option at 3B for 2027.
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Should the Yankees Trade Ryan McMahon to the Cardinals?
MLBTR.com’s Steve Adams noted (on 10/13) about the Cardinals’ interest in a short-term option at 3B:
“If the Yankees are willing to eat some of Ryan McMahon’s remaining $16MM, he’d be a decent fit as a glove-first option with enough pop to create hope for a rebound in the final season of his contract.”
Ryan McMahon has really struggled at the plate for the Yankees, and it’s become clear he’s not part of the team’s future plan, so as Weinrib suggests, perhaps New York could acquire a depth catcher for McMahon, who isn’t worth much on the trade block.
In 2026, McMahon posted a batting average of .213 over 328 at-bats, with a bWAR of 0.0.
Across 178 games dating back to 2025, McMahon has just 15 home runs with the Yankees, and 59 RBI, which is good for an OPS+ of 77.
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Why the Yankees Should Move on From Ryan McMahon
There are a few different reasons that the Yankees should move on from infielder Ryan McMahon.
First, his contract is holding the organization back from inking another 3B.
Secondly, his tenure with New York has just clearly not gone great on the offensive side of things, and no matter how good his glove is, a 0.0 bWAR suggests that just about any other player could be inserted at third, and be just as impactful as McMahon was this season.
This isn’t a hit piece on McMahon, who has actually put together a fairly strong career (All-Star in 2024). However, for the direction of the Yankees, it hasn’t worked out, and after a very disappointing end to the 2026 season, it feels like wholesale changes are going to be made in the Bronx.
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