TAMPA, Fla. — As a third baseman, Ryan McMahon was everything the Yankees thought they were getting in last summer’s trade with the Rockies for two minor-league pitchers.
And more.
They knew McMahon would be elite in the field.
They probably didn’t know how determined and tough he was until the eighth inning of their do-or-die playoff win over the Red Sox last October at Yankee Stadium, Game 3 of a Wild Card Series.
Jarren Duran’s eighth-inning foul pop looked like it was going to drop in the Red Sox’s third-base dugout until McMahon came flying over and made a great Jeter-esque grab while flipping over the rail.
Somehow, McMahon held onto the ball and escaped injury.
“He’s a great third baseman,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after Thursday’s spring training workout. “He’s what I want it to look like. He was born to pick up a groundball. And then that big arm and he kind of has that quarterback movement about him just side to side. Really good.”
Amen.
Now if only McMahon could do something about his low batting average and all those strikeouts because the 31-year-old Southern California native has good size a lot of left-handed power.
The 6-foot-2, 220 pounder slugged 20 homers three times and 23 twice in the last five seasons, but his whiffing has been very problematic throughout his nine seasons as a big leaguer. He struck out 189 times in 586 plate appearances last season for a 33.5 percent K rate that was the highest in the majors.
Not good.
His .214 batting average last season was a career low and well below his .239 lifetime average.
Also not good.
The Yankees were hoping the short right-field porch at Yankee Stadium would be beneficial, but McMahon hit just .198 with two homers in 29 Bronx games.
His edge when playing for the Rockies, the thin and dry Denver air at Coors Field, did play up. He batted .248 with 11 homers in 50 games in Denver last season and .198 with nine homers in 104 games everyone else.
The Yankees are hoping that McMahon can became a better hitter working with hitting coach James Rowson for a full season.
“I think he’s got a lot of talent,” Boone said. “I think he knows the strike zone. He’s got power at all fields, so he’s got the ability to really impact the ball. He’s a really good athlete.
“It really comes down to cleaning up some of the swing-and-miss. That rose a little bit on him last year. If we can cut into that a little bit, I think he’s a guy that not only can hit for some power as he’s shown throughout his career, but with some on-base there hopefully.”
The Yankees need to fix McMahon because making $16 million this year and $16 million next year Also, DJ LeMahieu, the Yankees’ third baseman in past seasons, still is on the payroll for $15 million in 2026 after being released last July.
It’s doubtful Yankees GM Brian Cashman would get the green light from owner Hal Steinbrenner to spend for another third baseman with McMahon and LeMahieu combining for $31 million in payroll this year.
If McMahon doesn’t pan out, a possible solution at some point is No. 1 prospect George Lombard Jr., a shortstop with a third baseman’s body. He’ll probably get to Triple-A this season and perhaps be major-league ready to play short or third in 2027.
But McMahon deserves more than three months as a Yankee to prove himself, and he’ll get it this season.
“He’s made some adjustments as far as his stance and things he’s worked on this this winter that hopefully pay dividends,” Boone said. “I think he’s a really talented player offensively and defensively.”
