The Yankees might lead the league in star power, but their infield has turned into a slow leak dragging down the ship.
Every night it’s painfully clear DJ LeMahieu and Oswald Peraza aren’t providing the consistency or spark needed to contend.
Fans can see it, the numbers prove it, and general manager Brian Cashman surely knows it too.
That’s why the looming trade deadline has become such a massive inflection point for this season.
Moving Jazz Chisholm back to second base is key
Ideally, the Yankees would shift Jazz Chisholm back to his natural home at second base, freeing him up to flash that elite athleticism.
That would also let the front office zero in on finding a real third baseman, not just patchwork solutions that survive a few weeks.
In a perfect scenario, New York could pry Eugenio Suarez away from a stumbling Arizona Diamondbacks team that seems destined to sell.
Adding Suarez would kill two birds with one stone, strengthening second base defense and supercharging the lineup.
Eugenio Suarez’s power could transform Yankees lineup
Eugenio Suarez, now 33, is putting together a season most hitters would dream about.
He’s slashing .255/.322/.569 with a jaw-dropping 28 homers and 73 RBIs, which is exactly the kind of thunder the Yankees lineup could use.
Picture Suarez taking aim at that short right field porch, sending baseballs screaming into the Bronx night like comets.
Sure, he’s a righty, but with that much muscle in the bat, he’d feast at Yankee Stadium regardless of handedness.
Defensive warts are still there, but manageable
Of course, Suarez isn’t exactly Nolan Arenado with the glove.
He has a .945 fielding percentage at third base, already tallying 11 errors over 732.1 innings, along with -3 defensive runs saved.
But here’s the catch—compared to what the Yankees have now, he’d actually be an upgrade.
Jazz Chisholm, who’s been forced to handle third base duties, has struggled mightily by the advanced numbers.
He sports a .920 fielding percentage at the position, with -4 defensive runs saved and -3 outs above average in just 238 innings.
So as shaky as Suarez might look, he’s still an improvement defensively and a monstrous one with the bat.
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Bob Nightingale links Yankees to Suarez, Ke’Bryan Hayes
According to Bob Nightingale of USA Today, the Yankees are very much in the market for a third baseman.
He recently reported: “The Yankees would love to acquire D-backs third baseman Eugenio Suarez at the deadline and slide Jazz Chisholm back to second base. The Yankees, along with the Detroit Tigers and Chicago Cubs, have also expressed interest in Pirates third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes.”
Ke’Bryan Hayes would bring Gold Glove defense, but Suarez’s power might fit better with what this top-heavy Yankees offense needs right now.
Cashman has to get aggressive at the deadline
At this point, Cashman can’t afford to hedge.
The Yankees are trying to win a World Series with an aging core and a bullpen that needs propping up.
If acquiring Suarez helps stabilize two positions at once—by also moving Chisholm—then pulling the trigger could be one of those bold moves that defines a season.
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