NEW YORK — Jack Curry identified third base as the Yankees’ most likely upgrade priority during his recent appearance on The Michael Kay Show.
However, the Yankees have a third-base problem that another power bat alone might not solve.
Ryan McMahon has hit .211 with a .289 on-base percentage and .349 slugging percentage since joining New York. His offensive struggles have opened the position to offseason trade speculation, with a potential alternative emerging from another team’s crowded infield.
A division rival offers a possible match. The Orioles are seeking rotation and outfield help while remaining open to trade discussions involving almost their entire roster, according to a report by Andy Kostka.
The complication is that one of their young power hitters improved after losing his grip on regular third-base work. His bat finished the season with a stronger case for playing time than his glove.
An AL East precedent opens the trade door
Orioles infielder Coby Mayo has surfaced as a proposed Yankees target after hitting 24 home runs with 63 RBIs in 132 games. The connection remains a trade proposal, with no confirmed negotiations involving Mayo.
The 24-year-old finished 2026 batting .228 with a .461 slugging percentage. His power offers a possible lift for the Yankees, but the route to those numbers was uneven enough to make his full-season line an incomplete measure of his progress.
Mayo entered July hitting .190/.260/.376. He then posted monthly OPS figures of .924 in July, .873 in August and .878 in September. The improvement lasted three months, giving his finish more substance than a brief September surge.
His early success against left-handed pitching also developed into better results against right-handers. For the Yankees, that distinction affects whether he projects as a complementary right-handed bat or someone who can claim a larger share of the lineup.
Baltimore controls Mayo through the 2031 season, with free agency scheduled for 2032. Acquiring him would therefore involve several seasons of roster planning, rather than a short-term rental.
The possibilities of a trade
Baltimore’s crowded infield provides another reason the idea has surfaced. Jordan Westburg’s return from elbow surgery would add to a group that includes Mayo, Blaze Alexander and Christian Encarnacion-Strand. Alonso occupies first base.
Mayo’s struggles in the field helped keep Baltimore’s third-base job unsettled. Christian Encarnacion-Strand eventually took much of the playing time there and hit .277/.325/.513 in 58 games.
Jordan Westburg adds another option if he returns healthy from elbow surgery. He missed the 2026 season, but his presence in Baltimore’s plans complicates Mayo’s path to an everyday position.
Westburg and Mayo both bat right-handed, limiting a conventional platoon between them. Alonso occupies first base. That leaves Baltimore weighing positional flexibility alongside its need for pitching.
The Yankees had also serious discussions with Baltimore about the catcher, with Rodriguez and either Warren or Weathers among the requested pieces. So, it is expected that the division rivalry does not automatically rule out another deal.
The Orioles need arms. That creates a potential match with the Yankees’ pitching inventory. Will Warren, Clarke Schmidt, Ryan Weathers and Luis Gil, along with prospects Elmer Rodriguez and Carlos Lagrange, appear in the discussion of possible trade resources.
Original statistical analysis: Two-thirds of power against lefties
MLB’s Baseball Savant splits show why Mayo presents a specific decision for the Yankees. He hit 16 of his 24 homers against left-handed pitching, despite facing lefties in only 163 of his 454 plate appearances.
Calculated from those totals, 66.7% of his homers came in 35.9% of his opportunities. His OPS was 1.105 against lefties and .567 against righties, a gap of 538 points.
That distribution supports a clear immediate role against southpaws. It also shows why projecting the full home run total into an everyday third-base upgrade requires more scrutiny.
There was broader progress: His OPS rose from .659 before the All-Star break to .877 afterward. He struck out in 27.9% of his second-half plate appearances, down from 32.5%, calculated from the same MLB splits.
Comparing Mayo’s .461 slugging percentage in 2026 with McMahon’s .349 mark during his Yankees tenure produces a 112-point difference. That calculation uses different time spans, but it illustrates why Mayo’s power creates an appealing fit in trade speculation.
The gap is considerably larger than their 17-point difference in batting average. Mayo’s appeal centers on extra-base damage, rather than a dramatic improvement in how often he collects a hit.
For the Yankees, that makes his defensive position part of the valuation. A hitter who upgrades third base every day has a different roster role from one who needs frequent designated hitter assignments or late-inning defensive replacements.
The price and everyday role remain unsettled
Mayo’s finish strengthened Baltimore’s incentive to keep him as well as his appeal to other clubs. He posted an OPS above .870 in each of the final three months, giving the Orioles more than one brief hot streak to evaluate.
The Yankees would also need to evaluate the defensive workload. MLB lists 67 starts at third base for Mayo in 2026, compared with 37 starts at designated hitter. His 132 appearances did not represent a full season defending the position.
Keeping McMahon alongside Mayo would create a different roster arrangement from replacing McMahon outright. The Yankees could gain a right-handed option while retaining another third baseman, but the acquisition cost would still have to fit that narrower role. Baltimore’s remaining years of control mean it has no immediate contractual reason to accept a discounted return.
For the Yankees, the unresolved issue is whether that improvement translates into a regular third baseman worth surrendering pitching for. Baltimore has alternatives at the position and needs elsewhere, but no verified Mayo offer or agreed trade framework has emerged as of Nov. 5.
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