Yankees have no choice but to let go of $70M All-Star, Gold Glove finalist with a 30% strikeout rate

The biggest struggle overall for the New York Yankees right now is the bullpen, as there is hardly any trust in the unit. Closer David Bednar has been the most reliable arm, but after him there is a noticeable drop-off.

The Yankees know that if they want to return to the World Series, they are going to have to strengthen the bullpen. After all, a dominant bullpen becomes extremely valuable in October.

“Outside of those three, it’s hard to see who can be trusted. Fernando Cruz has been wild so far this season, and has issued too many walks early this season. Jake Bird is emerging, but has shown high vulnerability in big spots, but has also been clutch in big spots and could be worth a high-leverage look. The other options, Paul Blackburn and Ryan Yarbrough are not suited for high-leverage,” LWOS’ Matthew Nethercott wrote.

However, there are also some positional players who are getting dangerously close to losing their spot. One of those players is All-Star Ryan McMahon.

“You'd hope for one of two things from a glove-first guy hitting No. 7 or 8 in your lineup: Either they make lots of contact in order to move runners over and force the defense to make plays, or they do damage in the form of extra-base hits. McMahon profiled as the latter when New York traded for him, but he's been neither of late, striking out more than 30 percent of the time while sending harmless fly balls to the opposite field whenever he does connect. That's unacceptable, no matter how sturdy his defense at third base, and the albatross that is his contract can prevent the team from finding an upgrade one way or the other,” FanSided’s Chris Landers wrote.

McMahon was brought in primarily for his defense, and there is no doubt he has value on that side of the field. However, his offensive struggles have become impossible to ignore. No position player is going to stay in the lineup for long if they cannot produce consistently at the plate.

The third baseman still has one year remaining on his contract after this season, but he may not even make it to that point. If McMahon continues to struggle offensively, the Yankees may eventually have to decide whether to trade him or move on from him entirely.

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