Ryan McMahon gave the Yankees a steadier glove at third base than they’d had before, but the bat has kept the position from feeling settled. That’s why his spot is back in the winter conversation, and why Alec Bohm has surfaced as a possible answer.
McMahon arrived from Colorado in July 2025 with the reputation of a reliable defender at the hot corner. The Yankees hoped that move would bring some needed offense too, but it never really happened. By the end of 2026, even the defense had taken a step back.
The numbers explain the concern. McMahon hit .213 with 11 home runs, 41 RBIs and a .636 OPS in 124 games in 2026.
Statcast gave him zero Outs Above Average, while Defensive Runs Saved had him three runs below average. He is set to make $16 million next season, the last year of his contract.
That puts the Yankees in a tough spot. They can trade him, play him less, or keep betting on a player whose production hasn’t matched the price tag. But any alternative has to solve more than one issue, because third base is about offense and defense both.
Bohm is the name that’s now in the mix. Philadelphia’s 2024 All-Star third baseman is heading toward free agency after seven seasons with the Phillies, and he brings a different kind of profile than McMahon.
In 2026, Bohm played 155 games and hit .249/.315/.383 with 15 home runs, 88 RBIs and a .698 OPS. His 87 OPS+ was 13% below league average, so this isn’t about landing a big power bat. It’s about a hitter who puts the ball in play, drives in runs and gives a lineup a right-handed presence.
That last part matters. Bohm was one of seven right-handed major league hitters with at least 85 RBIs in three of the previous four seasons. He also owns a career .314 average with an .825 OPS with runners in scoring position, which is exactly the sort of trait that stands out for a Yankees lineup that has had trouble cashing in when it matters most.
Still, the glove is the catch. Bohm’s 2026 defense was rough, with Statcast rating him at minus-11 Outs Above Average overall, including minus-8 at third base and minus-3 at first.
He had been plus-5 in 2024, then minus-2 in 2025, before the drop this year. So if the Yankees sign him to play third every day, they’d be swapping one set of problems for another.
Bohm’s season wasn’t a straight line, though. His final totals hide a much better second half.
Through his first 35 games, he was stuck at .159/.227/.206 with one home run and 15 RBIs. Then he turned it around over his final 120 games starting May 9, hitting .274/.340/.433 with 14 home runs and 73 RBIs.
After the All-Star break, he hit .298/.369/.425. His .347 average with runners in scoring position on the season is another reason Philadelphia kept rolling him out there despite the rough start. In Game 2 of the National League Wild Card Series against Atlanta, he delivered a two-out, go-ahead homer in the 10th inning that kept the Phillies alive before they were knocked out in Game 3.
His early slump came after he filed a lawsuit alleging financial mismanagement by his parents. That dispute was later settled. There is no established causal link between the lawsuit and his performance, and the improved stretch later in the year stands on its own.
A direct comparison with McMahon shows why this is not a simple yes-or-no decision. Bohm got on base more often and struck out less, but neither player had an above-average offensive season overall. The Yankees would have to decide whether Bohm’s contact-heavy profile is worth paying for while McMahon is still under contract.
Here’s how the two lined up in 2026:
- Batting average: Bohm .249, McMahon .213
- On-base percentage: Bohm .315, McMahon .279
- Slugging percentage: Bohm .383, McMahon .357
- Home runs: Bohm 15, McMahon 11
- RBIs: Bohm 88, McMahon 41
- OPS: Bohm .698, McMahon .636
- Outs Above Average: Bohm -11, McMahon 0
Bohm was also better against left-handed pitching, posting an .816 OPS in 2026 and showing a history of being productive against southpaws. That opens up one possible arrangement: Bohm handles right-handed bats, while McMahon stays available for late-inning defense if the Yankees are protecting a lead. But that kind of setup would be costly, and it still wouldn’t fully solve the hole if McMahon is moved.
The Yankees would also be wise not to overreact to a tiny sample at Yankee Stadium. Bohm has a .944 OPS there, but it comes in just nine career at-bats, which is nowhere near enough to project anything meaningful.
The other revealing stat is strikeouts. McMahon struck out 106 times in 360 plate appearances in 2026.
Bohm struck out 88 times while making 567 at-bats. Bohm offers a different way to keep innings alive, though his lower slugging percentage limits how much that alone changes the offense.
There’s also the Philadelphia side of the equation. Bohm’s free agency comes with a qualifying offer of $23.15 million this offseason, and that would be a heavy ask for a third baseman who produced 0.2 FanGraphs wins above replacement in 2026. The Phillies are unlikely to make that gamble.
For the Yankees, the market behind Bohm is thin. Jose Caballero has played third base, though the Yankees prefer him as a utility piece, and younger infielders could still affect how everything settles. Japanese slugger Teruaki Sato has also entered offseason speculation, offering a different kind of offensive swing.
Hal Steinbrenner has already pointed to the Yankees’ offensive shortcomings as a major reason for their postseason failures over the past two years. That could make the team more willing to live with Bohm’s defensive risk if they believe the bat is the better bet.
And McMahon’s presence could still matter even if Bohm is the one they pursue. It would give the Yankees a late-inning defensive option, letting them move Bohm off third when they’re trying to protect a slim lead.
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