Ryan McMahon was a shocking addition at the time, a trade that came out of nowhere for the Yankees that pulled them out of the Eugenio Suarez sweepstakes prematurely.
It wouldn’t be until the following week that the star slugger got dealt, heading to Seattle as his market had apparently cratered.
A player with massive offensive deficiencies in the contact department, McMahon’s elite defense was the selling point for his acquisition.
What the Yankees have gotten so far won’t be on the front page of any news articles, but his steady bat and elite defense has turned a blackhole into a solid area of contribution.
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Third Base Has Become A Positive For the Yankees With Ryan McMahon
When you acquire a player who is a career below-average hitter, your expectations for their offensive production shouldn’t be high.
Ryan McMahon has never been an above-average hitter when looking at OPS+, but the Yankees were aware of this when they landed him at the trade deadline.
The team was after his elite defense, as McMahon had become a truly dominant defender at the third base position once Nolan Arenado was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals.
He’s second in Defensive Runs Saved (+56) and Fielding Run Value (+33) among third baseman since taking over the position full-time in 2021.
Any offensive deficiencies would be measured up against Oswald Peraza, the third baseman who had lost favor inside the organization but remained their only option at the position in July.
These New York Yankees lead baseball in OPS (.774) and held that lead even with Peraza’s .452 OPS being penciled into the lineup every night, which makes Ryan McMahon’s offense a significant upgrade.
Peraza’s 23 OPS+ is 70 points worse than McMahon’s current OPS+ (93), as the former Colorado infielder has been an excellent bottom-of-the-order bat.
Everything is relative in baseball; you compare what was to what is now, and you should also compare bottom-of-the-order hitters to other bottom-of-the-order hitters.
The average hitter batting in the bottom third of an offense has a .661 OPS across Major League Baseball, if Ryan McMahon can settle around a .700 OPS he’ll be a nice hitter to have for that part of the offense.
He’s provided an above-average OPS+ (107) with the Yankees with a solid .331 xwOBA, making more contact and taking more walks with less overall power.
RYAN MCMAHON FIRST ROUND-TRIPPER WITH THE YANKEES!
10-7 BOMBERSpic.twitter.com/vcZWmaiUa4
— Fireside Yankees (@FiresideYankees) August 17, 2025
For context, the 2024 Yankees had three players who were everyday starters in the World Series that posted an OPS+ below McMahon’s mark on the season by nearly 10 points.
If Austin Wells doesn’t correct course, the Yankees could have Ryan McMahon as their eighth hitter ahead of Anthony Volpe, giving them an offense where their two worst hitters are ~90 OPS+ hitters who could hit 20+ home runs in 2025.
That’s what depth looks like in an offense, and with an MVP candidate surrounded by 110-120 OPS+ hitters, the team should be in position to continue scoring in droves.