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Yankees could have possible out on Ryan McMahon trade under key condition

The Yankees need to move on from Ryan McMahon at third base.
ByPat Ragazzo
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Sep 25, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees third baseman Ryan McMahon (19) follows through on an RBI double against the Baltimore Orioles during the fifth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Sep 25, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees third baseman Ryan McMahon (19) follows through on an RBI double against the Baltimore Orioles during the fifth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ryan McMahon's time with the New York Yankees has been a major disappointment ever since GM Brian Cashman acquired him from the Colorado Rockies at the 2025 trade deadline. McMahon is known as a strong defensive third baseman, but his offense has been so poor that the Yankees can no longer trot him out there on an everyday basis in 2027. Not to mention, his defense has suffered too.

Last season, McMahon hit .213/.279/.357 with a .635 OPS, 76 OPS+, 11 home runs, 41 RBI and a 0.0 bWAR in 124 games. Overall, McMahon has posted a 1.1 bWAR in 178 games as a Yankee, which isn't good enough to be a starting position player. For that, we're going to take a look at one way the Yankees can trade McMahon this winter.

League source hints at how Yankees can trade Ryan McMahon

The Yankees need to upgrade at the third base position before next season, but the dilemma is that McMahon is still owed $16 million on the final year of his deal in 2027. However, one league source believes there is a path to the Yankees trading McMahon.

In order to get rid of McMahon, the Yankees will likely have to pay down his salary to move him to another team, which the league source believes they're "probably" willing to do. The Yankees know they can't afford another repeat of 2026, and McMahon was a big part of those struggles/issues.

Despite McMahon's reputation as an elite defender at the hot corner, he didn't even have a good season defensively in 2026. McMahon had 0 Outs Above Average and -3 defensive runs saved at third. Without his defensive skills, McMahon brings zero value to the Yankees' roster at the present moment. Even if they have to eat half of his salary, it'd be a win for them. They can find a more cost effective option to split the difference. Internally, the Yankees have Anthony Volpe and Jose Caballero as options, but they should still look elsewhere. There are no legitimate starting options on the roster at this moment.

The Yankees are running it back with Cashman as GM and Aaron Boone as manager for at least another year. With no changes in leadership, the modifications need to come from the roster, where there are some glaring weaknesses. If the Yankees can find a trade partner, they should do everything that they can to part with McMahon and start anew at third base — a position that has given them great trouble ever since Gio Urshela's departure. They had no problem eating the rest of Josh Donaldson's and DJ LeMahieu's money, so ripping the band-aid off with McMahon shouldn't be too painful.

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