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New York Times
2 minutes ago
- New York Times
Yankees trade deadline: What's next after adding Ryan McMahon?
NEW YORK — It has been obvious since the offseason that the New York Yankees needed an upgrade at third base. On Friday, they did just that in acquiring veteran Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies, filling a key need and setting themselves up to address other areas of the roster — including the bullpen, rotation and infield — before the trade deadline. Advertisement The production the Yankees have received at third base has been horrendous. They went into the season with a combination of DJ LeMahieu, Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza, a trio of players that were either unproven or nearing the end of their career. Their third basemen have a combined 83 wRC+, minus-4 outs above average and a minus-2 Defensive Runs Saved. The Yankees were so desperate to find an answer at third base that they played Jazz Chisholm Jr. out of position. The non-Chisholm third basemen this season have a combined 43 wRC+ and minus-0.8 WAR, according to FanGraphs. Their current starting third baseman, Peraza, has a 24 wRC+ this season, which is the second-worst in franchise history since 1961. (Bucky Dent had a 10 wRC+ in 1982.) So almost any third baseman the Yankees added would have been an upgrade over the incumbent choice. On Friday, they traded for McMahon, sending two High-A pitchers, Griffin Herring and Josh Grosz, to the Rockies. Since McMahon debuted with Colorado in 2017, only three third basemen have topped his 64 Defensive Runs Saved and 44 outs above average: Matt Chapman, Nolan Arenado and Ke'Bryan Hayes. McMahon has not posted at least a 100 wRC+ in any season, but the Yankees believe he's capable of more than what he's shown. The 30-year-old ranks in the 98th percentile in average exit velocity, and above the 75th percentile in bat speed, hard-hit rate and barrel percentage. However, there's some concern with him being a high swing-and-miss player, much like Joey Gallo was with the Yankees. It can get ugly quickly with this fan base. 'I know there's real offensive potential in there,' Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. 'I know he's had offensive success, as well as some struggles there. But then he can really defend over there (at third). Just the handful of times that we've played against him and that I watch him, you're like, that's what it should look like over there.' Welcome to the Bronx, Ryan! 🔥@Ry_McMahon | #RepBX — New York Yankees (@Yankees) July 25, 2025 The Yankees may not be done adding to their infield. A team source said the Yankees are interested in adding a right-handed hitter who could play the infield. McMahon has a career .686 OPS against left-handed pitchers, and he's struggled against them this season, posting a .599 OPS. To that end, the Yankees have expressed interest in Minnesota Twins utilityman Willi Castro, according to the source. Castro has an .859 OPS against left-handers this season, and can play third base, shortstop, second base and both corner outfield spots. The Yankees had interest in Castro last offseason and that has remained. Advertisement Another player who could fit is Washington Nationals utilityman Amed Rosario. The Yankees have had longstanding interest in Rosario, who has an .816 OPS against lefties. Adding McMahon makes the Yankees a bit unbalanced in lineup handedness, something Boone obsesses over. He left open the possibility that the balance could sort itself out before the July 31 trade deadline passes. 'As the roster evolves and changes, hopefully it puts us in a better position to have more interchangeable parts that can offset some of that in a given night, where you're making a move against a bullpen guy because you have bench flexibility,' Boone said. 'I think, for the most part, we've handled lefties OK with a lot of our (lefty hitters). I feel like we should be viable against lefties. We'll see how the roster continues to evolve.' Another area the Yankees are looking to upgrade is the bullpen. They currently have three trusted relievers: Devin Williams, Luke Weaver and Tim Hill. The other five are either underperforming pitchers or untrustworthy depth. The Yankees realize their bullpen is a mess, but they should get internal help soon with Fernando Cruz, Mark Leiter Jr. and Yerry De Los Santos coming back from injury. They feel Leiter, in particular, has been subjected to unfair external criticism. Leiter's ERA is 4.46, but his FIP is 2.77. It's the ninth-largest gap among all relievers. His batting average on balls in play (BABIP) is an MLB high .411, which means on those balls batters are hitting better than Ted Williams in 1941 when Leiter is on the mound. 'The unluckiest pitcher in the sport,' a team source said. But even with those three relievers returning in the weeks ahead, the Yankees are looking at upgrades. A few names have emerged in conversations with major-league sources, including Minnesota's trio of Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax and Danny Coulombe. At this point, the Twins have been hesitant about moving Duran and Jax, who are under club control through 2027. The cost to land one, or both, will be high. The Yankees have also talked to the Pittsburgh Pirates about David Bednar, according to league sources. This is by no means an exhaustive list of their reliever targets, but The Athletic has heard these names mentioned with the Yankees in recent days. Advertisement A starting pitcher is also on the Yankees' wish list. Adding one could lead to the Yankees getting creative with filling remaining holes in the bullpen, if necessary. If they were to acquire a mid-rotation starter, it could allow them to move Cam Schlittler, Will Warren, Luis Gil or Ryan Yarbrough to the bullpen. One positive with the McMahon trade is the prospect cost was not exorbitant, like it would have been if they landed Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suárez. The Yankees believe they're in a great position to continue adding after filling a key hole.
Washington Post
2 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Cubs' Taillon, Assad nearing returns to depleted staff as trade deadline approaches
CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs line up as one of the prospective buyers, especially for pitching, as baseball's July 31 trade deadline approaches. In the meantime, Chicago — which entered Friday at 60-42 and a game behind first-place Milwaukee in the NL Central — is inching closer to having some injured pitchers return.
New York Times
2 minutes ago
- New York Times
Despite future contract questions, Ravens' first week of camp has been drama-free
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy chose his words carefully on Thursday. The 34-year-old wouldn't say whether retirement was a strong consideration this offseason. He'd only describe his offseason as 'interesting,' but even when pressed, he didn't provide a whole lot of details to explain why. Advertisement 'I wouldn't go into that,' Van Noy said when asked specifically about whether he thought of retiring. 'There's just other situations where I feel like I'm very valuable, and some people think I'm more valuable than others.' It's not hard to read between the lines here. With his 12 1/2 -sack season last year, Van Noy thoroughly outperformed the two-year, $9 million contract he signed in April 2024. A first-time Pro Bowler last season who has 21 1/2 sacks since joining the Ravens during Week 4 of 2023, Van Noy has been one of the better bargains in the NFL. His base salary is just $2.75 million this year, and his cap number is $6.1 million. To what extent, if any, Van Noy and his agent lobbied for a contract bump is unclear. He hasn't griped publicly and showed up to training camp earlier this week ready to work. 'I'm here, it's good,' Van Noy said. 'I'm just grateful to be with my teammates. The end is closer than the beginning, right? I know that. I think everybody knows that, but I can play as long as I want to. That's my mindset. I thought about a lot this offseason, and I'm just grateful to continue to play. My body is still good, and I can still play at a high level. 'I really think I'm one of the best in the league. My stats show it the last two years. I'm top 10 in a lot of stuff. I still go under the radar, which is fine. I've just got to keep waking people up, and I'm grateful to do it with people that feel the same way, that have the same mindset.' Van Noy's approach is shared by numerous Ravens on the roster. They have a host of starters and standout players either entering their contract years or worthy of extensions or bumps. However, general manager Eric DeCosta is also somewhat limited in what he can do, given the organization's lack of salary-cap flexibility. Advertisement Quarterback Lamar Jackson's cap number swells to $74.5 million next year, so he's the biggest domino when it comes to contract decisions for the Ravens. They'll need to either rework or extend his current deal to have any flexibility to make moves next offseason. The list of pending free agents includes all three of the team's tight ends (Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely, Charlie Kolar), two-time Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum, starting nose tackle Travis Jones, and returning double-digit sackers Van Noy and Odafe Oweh. There are others, too. Yet, there have been no hold-ins, holdouts or public complaints about contracts. The Ravens' first week of training camp has been characterized by a decisive lack of drama, with Andrews setting the tone on Tuesday when he talked about the unselfishness of the team. 'I don't want to speak for everybody else. Everybody has a unique situation, but we all care about football, and we're all here,' said Ravens fourth-year safety Kyle Hamilton. 'We try our best to limit distractions, and business is business. It is a business that we play in, so stuff happens sometimes, but we're all here. We all just want to play football.' The Ravens picked up Hamilton's fifth-year option, so he's under contract through the 2026 season. However, as one of the top safeties in the sport, Hamilton's price figures only to rise the longer it goes before he's extended. On the same day Hamilton's option was picked up, the Ravens announced that they were declining Linderbaum's fifth-year option. But they were still interested in extending the center's contract. With the start of the regular season six weeks away, the clock is ticking. Linderbaum said he'd let his agent Neil Cornrich handle the talks. 'My job is to be as prepared as possible and get this football team ready to go Week 1,' Linderbaum said Friday. 'That's all I'm really worried about.' Advertisement Linderbaum was a fixture at the facility during the offseason, attending the voluntary workout program and organized team activities. Asked what compelled him to go that route despite his contract uncertainty, Linderbaum said, 'I need to work on my craft and I need to get better.' • Friday's practice standout was second-year cornerback Nate Wiggins, who was all over the field. Wiggins broke up two passes and had tackles for losses on back-to-back plays. First, Wiggins got a jump on Cooper Rush's screen pass to Anthony Miller. He probably could have intercepted the ball, but to avoid a collision, Wiggins settled for touching Miller down behind the line of scrimmage. On the very next play, Wiggins broke through and brought down Justice Hill for a loss on a running back sweep. In full-team work, Wiggins was trailing Rashod Bateman, but Jackson's pass was slightly underthrown, allowing Wiggins to get back in the play and break it up. Matched up against Bateman again later in practice, Wiggins cut in front of the receiver and deflected a Jackson pass as his helmet was coming off. Wiggins punctuated the play by joining fellow cornerback Jaire Alexander in doing Alexander's seatbelt celebration. 'I think he's going to be one of the best in the league. I'm kind of throwing that out a lot today, but I truly believe that,' Hamilton said. 'Nate is one of those guys who is not afraid to line up against whoever. Nameless, faceless opponent, line it up and let's run it. I think he's probably going to have one of the bigger jumps from last year to this year than anybody on the team.' .@WigginNathaniel on fuego — Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) July 25, 2025 • On a day when the Ravens' offense had trouble getting anything going and Jackson struggled with his accuracy, rookie sixth-round pick Tyler Loop provided one of the lone non-defensive highlights. Getting his turn in the kicking competition with fellow rookie John Hoyland, Loop ended a perfect 10-for-10 day on field goal attempts with a flourish. Loop was good with plenty of room to spare on a 63-yard field goal, earning loud cheers from the crowd and a high-five from coach John Harbaugh. Loop was good on his previous nine attempts, too, but they were all from 43 yards and in. He did hit a 68-yarder later in practice during a non-team portion. Advertisement • A day after missing practice with leg soreness courtesy of a hard landing on Day 1 of training camp, veteran wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins returned to the field and made a few catches. His best was a sliding reception while being closely defended. Veteran receiver Keith Kirkwood was the lone new practice absence. Undrafted rookie running back Marcus Major left practice just before it ended and was flanked by two members of Baltimore's medical team. It was unclear what was ailing him, but the Ravens have only four other running backs on the roster and might have to make a move to add another ball carrier to get them through the preseason if there are injuries at the position. • Running back Keaton Mitchell continues to look elusive. On his short touchdown run late in practice, Mitchell showed his patience by staying behind a blocker before popping outside, where he had a clear path to the end zone. Mitchell has had a few drops early in camp, but from a speed and explosiveness perspective, he looks far ahead from where he was last season after he returned from a major knee injury. (Photo of Kyle Hamilton: Stephanie Scarbrough / Associated Press)
