Will A Deadline Third Baseman Trade Decide The 2025 World Series?

Forbes

17-07-2025

PHOENIX, ARIZONA - JUNE 11: Eugenio Suárez #28 of the Arizona Diamondbacks reacts after hitting a ... More grand slam against the Seattle Mariners during the sixth inning of the MLB game at Chase Field on June 11, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by)
Now that the Midsummer Classic has come and gone, the 'Summer Sprint' to the MLB Trade Deadline is underway.
And despite a brief injury scare in his last at-bat of the All-Star Game, soon-to-be free agent Eugenio Suárez made a great first impression on several teams that may look to add his talents.
Entering the break, there are five playoff teams in the bottom-third of OPS produced from their third base position.
At the top of these hot corner bottom feeders are the Detroit Tigers in 20th.
Despite having the best record in baseball, the Tigers have tried five different options at third base. Leading the group is utility man Zach McKinstry with 51 games, who has an .836 OPS on the season.
Third base not being the primary position of McKinstry has hurt his defensive numbers overall, as he sits with a -3 outs above average (OAA) at third.
With an infield also featuring Gleyber Torres and Spencer Torkelson, who both have an OAA of -2, and rookie Trey Sweeney playing every day shortstop, the addition of a true third baseman to better utilize McKinstry's versatility could go a long way in completing their postseason roster.
And, even with the best MLB record in baseball, the Tigers also possess the best farm system in MLB, which will go a long way throughout the deadline.
Two places below the Tigers are the New York Yankees, who entered the 2025 season already fielding questions about third base.
The position battle was set to be between Oswald Peraza and Oswaldo Cabrera, two inexperienced prospects playing away from their primary position in the minor leagues.
Cabrera outplayed Peraza with just a .631 OPS, which already did not resolve the preseason issue. However, New York would come to miss his 79 OPS+ when he went down with a season-ending injury, forcing Peraza and Jazz Chisholm Jr to split the position.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 27: Jazz Chisholm Jr. #13 of the New York Yankees reacts as he rounds the ... More bases after hitting a solo home run during the second inning of the game against the Athletics at Yankee Stadium on June 27, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by)
As a whole, the hot corner for New York has a .653 OPS, while ranking at the bottom of the league defensively as well.
A consolation prize for the Bronx Bombers is the fact that their third base production ranks best in the state of New York, as the Mets trail them on this list with a .649 OPS from third base.
2025 was an important year for 25-year-old Mark Vientos. The former second-round pick and top organizational prospect looked to capitalize on his impressive 2024, however, with a .640 OPS and -8 OAA, Brett Baty has all but taken the position from Vientos.
The Mets would still likely upgrade from Baty, and use his versatility similar to McKinstry, making Vientos a likely trade piece.
When it comes to trade pieces, a team below the Mets in third baseman OPS may be able to outbid New York with their loaded farm.
The Milwaukee Brewers have the fifth-worst offensive output from third, with a .619 OPS and a .320 slugging percentage.
The position has mostly been manned by rookie Caleb Durbin, who has performed above expectations personally. In 74 games, Durbin has produced a 2.0 bWAR, thanks to his .263 batting average.
The reason Milwaukee may still try to upgrade the position is due to the lack of power coming from the position where extra base hits are usually expected. With just five total home runs from the position group, the addition of a player like Suarez would lead the entire roster in home runs by 12.
When it comes to offensive production from the position group, no team ranks worse than the Chicago Cubs. Of the five playoff teams on this list, the Cubs as a whole come up last on the list, receiving an average slash line of .199/.273/.258 with just one home run on the year.
The position has mostly been split between Matt Shaw and Jon Berti, who have both lacked for Chicago offensively.
In 63 games, 23-year-old Shaw has a 62 OPS+, with Berti trailing behind at a 52 OPS+. As an offense overall, these two are the only everyday players with an OPS+ below 100.
In fact, four of these five teams rank in the top eight teams in baseball offensively without much production from third base, with the Brewers as the only outlier.
With Suarez being such a powerful threat offensively, his addition to any of these lineups could propel the team to the top of the rankings. But does this mean Suarez is the best fit for all five of these teams?
Defensively, Suarez has a -4 outs above average, and an average throwing velocity of 83.5 mph, which is two miles per hour slower than the league average. With a .948 fielding percentage and 11 errors on the season, Suarez is not a liability with the glove.
However, for the deeper lineups eying a rental third baseman, there
DENVER, COLORADO - SEPTEMBER 24: Nolan Arenado #28 of the St. Louis Cardinals throws out Brenton ... More Doyle of the Colorado Rockies in the fourth inning at Coors Field on September 24, 2024 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by)
may be a better alternative if they lose the Suarez sweepstakes.
The only issue is that there are not a lot of other options available at the end of the month. The other third basemen rumored in trade talks are Nolan Arenado, Ryan McMahon, and Yoan Moncada.
Arenado and McMahon both have two years remaining past 2025, while Moncada is set to become a free agent following the season.
With the Cardinals still in playoff contention and the Rockies seeming unable to trade at the deadline, Moncada may be the only member of these rumors to change jerseys in the coming weeks.
However, with an underwhelming free agency pool of third basemen in 2026, teams may look to trade for younger players still under team control.
If any of these teams are looking to change their defensive identity drastically, they would look to trade for KeBryan Hayes of the Pirates.
After having his arbitration year bought out in an eight-year, $70 million extension, the trade package would have to be a haul.
A more achievable option this trade deadline could be Josh Jung of the Rangers, who may be looking for a change of scenery after a lack of development offensively.
After his top-five Rookie of the Year finish in 2023, Jung has steadily declined in symmetry with the Rangers' team success.
With three years of arbitration remaining, Jung could be a valuable addition while capitalizing on his trade value being low.
So, there is a lot to watch for in the next 14 days, with plenty of other valuable trade pieces being moved around the league.
But this all goes to show the third basemen market will be the most impactful on the 2025 postseason.