Ordinarily a left-handed energy bat with plus protection would appear like a major improve for the Yankees on the gaping gap that was third base. However I don’t assume I’ve to inform the Yankee legions who’ve been watching this group bumbling alongside at a 14-22 clip since June 13 and 11-18 towards the American League East that Ryan McMahon doesn’t tackle the inherent issues which might be making for an extended, irritating summer season within the Bronx.
In reality, no quantity of trades on the deadline can treatment what we’ve got persistently witnessed for too lengthy now — a group sorely missing in fundamentals, with a one-dimensional dwelling run-or-bust offense that too usually (particularly this 12 months) beats itself. In a approach, every little thing that’s incorrect with the Yankees and proper with the AL East-leading Blue Jays was manifested of their latest sequence in Toronto wherein the Yankees dedicated a complete of seven errors and scored all of their runs on homers.
“That’s the difference between the two teams,” a Blue Jay scout advised me. “The Jays have a bunch of players who put the ball in play — they can beat you 10 different ways, whereas the Yankees can beat you just one way. And the Yankee defenders are not adept at dealing with a team that constantly puts the ball in play. They have below average defenders at 2-3 positions at any given time.”
Not coincidentally, the Blue Jays rank first within the majors in hits and final in strikeouts. The Yankees in contrast have the eighth most strikeouts in baseball and so they’ll probably go even greater after this deal.
McMahon ought to present strong protection at third and can hit some dwelling runs, however not almost sufficient to beat all the extra strikeouts he brings to the lineup. Hopefully he gained’t be one other Joey Gallo, however on the time of the deal Friday he was hitting .217 with a Nationwide League-leading 127 strikeouts. In his profession McMahon has barely 100 extra COMBINED walks and hits than strikeouts. It appears to me the Yankees have to get away from buying these swing-and-miss sort of gamers, whereas what they do want are extra gamers like Caleb Durbin, the diminutive third baseman they traded to the Brewers within the Devin Williams deal who has been one of many hottest hitters in baseball during the last six weeks (.347, .899 OPS).
The one motive the Yankees have been capable of win the AL pennant final 12 months was due to superior beginning pitching and the actual fact the AL general was the weakest it’s been in years. They have been doing it once more this 12 months with beginning pitching after which Clarke Schmidt went down for the season and Will Warren proved exasperatingly inconsistent as their No. 5 starter. They usually couldn’t cowl up Anthony Volpe’s alarming regression at shortstop and the opposite infield points.
Presumably GM Brian Cashman isn’t finished on the commerce deadline and he’ll be capable of safe one other frontline — or semi-frontline — starter within the mould of the Pirates’ Mitch Keller, and with Luis Gil due again quickly as properly, the Yankees ought to be capable of advance to the postseason, even with Volpe at quick.
However there is no such thing as a escaping the actual fact that is nonetheless a basically flawed Yankee group that wants a brand new shortstop and may solely beat you with the house run — and that’s an organization-wide difficulty that isn’t helped by Aaron Boone’s continuous “everything’s gonna be fine” platitudes.
IT’S A MADD, MADD WORLD
Baseball people are nonetheless speaking concerning the actually weird ending of final Monday’s Phillies-Crimson Sox recreation — with a tenth inning walk-off catcher’s interference — one thing that hadn’t occurred for the reason that Dodgers bought one towards the Reds on Aug. 1, 1971. The equally unlikely recipient of the catcher’s interference was Edmundo Sosa, the Phillies unsung backup infielder who had entered the sport a number of innings earlier as a pinch hitter for Bryson Stott. Crimson Sox reliever Jordan Hicks had beforehand deliberately walked Max Kepler to load the bases and on his fifth pitch to Sosa, a slider away, Sosa checked his swing and his bat clearly ticked the mitt of Crimson Sox catcher Carlos Narvaez. Residence plate umpire Quinn Wolcott initially didn’t see it however when Sosa advised him he felt one thing, a replay overview was known as and the decision was reversed. Narvaez mentioned he didn’t assume he was that near Sosa however nonetheless took duty. “That’s can’t happen,” he mentioned. “I’ve got to be better.” However catcher interference calls ARE taking place increasingly more lately. There have been 56 of them already this season in line with the Elias Sports activities Bureau and the season is barely half over. In 2018 there have been 41. That went to 61 in 2019 (fifth most in historical past), then 62 in 2021, 74 in 2022, 96 in ’23 (second most in historical past) after which a file 100 final 12 months. Why is that this taking place? Did anyone say “framing”? The brand new No. 1 standards in a catcher’s defensive skills is completed by the catcher crouching nearer to the plate and the batter in an effort to rapidly convey the pitches into the strike zone. We probably gained’t have to attend one other 54 years for the subsequent walk-off catcher’s interference. … Because the commerce deadline approaches one factor appears clear — nearly each group with postseason aspirations is in search of aid pitchers. Even the Dodgers, the group that seemingly had every little thing, are frantically making an attempt to shore up a porous bullpen. Tanner Scott, who they signed final winter for 4 years/$72 million, has been just about a bust as their nearer with a 4.14 ERA and 7 blown saves, and in two video games final week, three of their different relievers, Ben Casparius, Will Klein and Kirby Yates all began their first innings of aid by strolling three batters in a row!… By now it’s no contest the Pirates’ Ben Cherington, engaged on his seventh straight shedding season, is the worst GM in baseball, however failing to signal his second-round draft choose, right-hander Angel Cervantes, who final week mentioned he was honoring his dedication to UCLA, was unforgiveable, As one baseball exec mentioned: “You cannot be that far off in your signability projection in the second round! Your boots-on-the-ground scouts have got to get it right!” However Pirates proprietor Bob Nutting doesn’t appear to care or notice his GM has failed him miserably.
Initially Revealed: July 26, 2025 at 9:43 AM EDT
