The New York Yankees saw their season end in disastrous form when they had to compete with the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Division Series. The Yankees had played their best baseball in the final weeks of the regular season and they easily ran over the Boston Red Sox in the Wild Card round. However, when they had to face the American League's best team, they did not have enough hitting, their pitching was a bit short and they fell apart in the field.
The Rays were the significantly better team and they proved it in the head-to-head competition in the playoffs. The Yankees had a similar makeup to the team that fell short against the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2025 ALDS and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2024 World Series. If they decided to run it back again in 2027 — assuming that a labor dispute won't ruin the season — they can expect a similar result.
There are several holes in the New York lineup and they have to be addressed. The belief is that Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone will remain in charge and that owner Hal Steinbrenner will not fire them. The late George Steinbrenner would not have been so patient, but the current owner does not appear ready to pull the trigger on drastic moves among his management team.
That could lead to the Yankees doing very little to improve the team in the offseason because that's not Cashman's nature. However, if he wants to stay ahead of the rest of the AL and find a way to beat the Rays, he must make at least one trade — and possibly two or three.
Ryan McMahon is just a guy at 3rd base and needs to be replaced
The Yankees traded for McMahon in 2025, and there was a thought that he would be able to fill a need at the position. McMahon came to the Yankees with a reputation of being a solid fielder and having a left-handed stroke that would allow him to put the ball in the air.
Prior to his arrival in the Bronx, the Yankees were scrambling to fill the position with Oswald Peraza and Oswaldo Cabrera. Neither one was impressive and the Yankees had high hopes for McMahon. He was mediocre after arriving in the Bronx, slashing .208/.308/.333 with 4 home runs and 18 RBI.
The hope was that his first full season with the Yankees would represent a significant improvement. The numbers were not helpful to the team's offensive production. McMahon slashed .213/.279/.357 with 11 home runs and 41 RBI.
The Yankees were clearly expecting more. He struck out 106 times in 328 at bats and that's not good enough in a stadium that welcomes left-handed hitters who can hit the ball in the air.
McMahon made an error in Game 2 against Tampa Bay that led to a big inning for the Rays and he was not good enough in the field to overcome his offensive deficiencies.
The Yankees need to move McMahon because he has demonstrated a soft bat and there is no doubt that he was a disappointment in Yankee pinstripes.
The Yankees were thought to be in the market for Alex Bregman last winter. However, instead of flexing their financial muscle and outbidding the Chicago Cubs and Red Sox for his services, the Yankees were passive. The Cubs signed Bregman, to the regret of both AL East teams.
Yankees should pursue additional trades
The Yankees had other problems within their lineup besides McMahon. Giancarlo Stanton is an injury-prone slugger who played in just 24 games this season. He went out of the lineup with a strain of his right calf early in the season.
Article Continues BelowOn the surface, it did not seem that such an injury would cause him to miss 138 games, but the 36-year-old slugger is not a quick healer. He finished the season with 3 home runs and 14 RBI. Yankees fans may want to think how strong their team could be with Aaron Judge, Ben Rice and Stanton in the middle of their lineup, but that's probably a pipe dream at this point. The Yankees need to move on from Stanton.
The Yankees may also want to trade outfielder Jasson Dominguez at this point. Dominguez had showed promise in 2025 when he played in 123 games and slashed .257/.331/.388 with 10 home runs, 47 RBI and 23 stolen bases.
The 23-year-old was expected to build off that performance, but his production went south after suffering a left shoulder injury. He slashed.225/.267/.368 with 6 home runs and 14 RBI.
If the Yankees wanted to move on from Dominguez, it would seem to be a logical move. Perhaps Cashman can convince a trade partner to offer a valuable prospect at this point. However, he may not grow into a productive player with the Yankees, and they would be better off trading him.