2024 All-Star Comes to New York: Will This Move the Needle?
The New York Yankees are trying to catch lightning in a bottle twice. Once again, Brian Cashman traded with a favored GM located in Colorado that once bore fruit by the name of DJ LeMahieu. The Yankees hope third baseman Ryan McMahon can be tinkered with in the same manner to uncover another gem and bring him back to his all-star form a year ago. This is a Yankee trademark type of trade. What can we expect from this union going forward?
McMahon, at 30 years of age and a career .240 hitter, is hitting well below that number this season. However, a change of scenery may be what Ryan needs. McMahon will have an opportunity to play in a hitter-friendly park like Yankee Stadium, which could help him regain his form. He is playing a position that can be his for the next two years. He has been released from the prison of a team in last place with no future. Ryan will be playing important games, including the unique postseason experience that comes with playing for demanding New York fans. All this adds up to a renaissance run that plugs a major hole defensively and is a potential hitting upgrade at the position. This is a trade only the Yankees make. He will be paid $16 million over the next two years. They lose two up-and-coming pitching prospects. The Yankees will tell you he comes at a cheaper cost than what Arizona was looking for high-level rental, Eugenio Suarez.
The Yankees feel they have solved the third base problem today and for some time after. He is an upgrade from previous third basemen in recent Yankee history. McMahon has more power potential than DJ LeMahieu and Jazz Chisholm Jr. He produces more offense than Oswald Peraza and is more consistent than Gio Urshela. He is more durable than Josh Donaldson ever was as a Yankee. They have a player who is versatile enough to play second and first in a pinch. They see a player with a good batting eye, who gets on base at a respectable rate, and drives in runs. In addition, he brings a veteran presence in the infield that helps calm Anthony Volpe and reduce his responsibilities on the left side area. If McMahon works out like they hope, it will improve the defense for sure and add offense to the bottom half of the lineup.
Ryan McMahon is slated to debut at third today. The corners should finally be stabilized. There are still more weaknesses yet to be addressed. However, the eye test tells us that defensive miscues have significantly impacted their performance and standings in the league. The Yankees committed 52 errors in 102 games. They have a record of 41-22 when they play error-free baseball. However, when they make at least one error, they play to a 15-24 mark. The numbers confirm what we see. They are middle of the pack in the league in error rate, and this move is a step in addressing that. Will this be a mutual fit and help both the Yankees as well as Ryan McMahon get to where they want to go? The numbers say that if he lives up to his career numbers, the answer is yes.
