The Yankees’ search for a third-base upgrade has already pointed them toward one obvious problem spot, but the name now floating around the discussion comes with a much more complicated profile.
Jack Curry said third base is the most likely place for New York to make a move during his recent appearance on The Michael Kay Show. That fits the way the Yankees have looked at the position since Ryan McMahon arrived and hit just .211 with a .289 on-base percentage and .349 slugging percentage. Those numbers have pushed third base into offseason trade chatter, and one possible answer could come from Baltimore.
Coby Mayo has emerged as a proposed Yankees target after a season that mixed real power with uneven overall production. The Orioles infielder hit 24 home runs and drove in 63 runs in 132 games, finishing 2026 with a .228 average and a .461 slugging percentage. The idea is still just that - a proposal - and there have been no confirmed negotiations involving Mayo.
What makes Mayo interesting is the way his season changed over time. He opened July hitting .190/.260/.376, then caught fire over the next three months with OPS marks of .924 in July, .873 in August and .878 in September. That finish gives his year more weight than a short late-season burst would.
His split numbers tell an even sharper story. Mayo hit 16 of his 24 homers against left-handed pitching, even though he faced lefties in only 163 of his 454 plate appearances.
That works out to 66.7% of his home runs coming in 35.9% of his opportunities. His OPS was 1.105 against lefties and .567 against righties, a 538-point gap.
That kind of production suggests a clear role against southpaws, but it also raises the question of how much of the power translates to everyday third-base value. Mayo’s second-half numbers were better across the board, too: his OPS climbed from .659 before the All-Star break to .877 afterward, and his strikeout rate dropped from 32.5% to 27.9%.
There’s also the matter of where he fits defensively. MLB lists Mayo with 67 starts at third base in 2026 and 37 starts at designated hitter, so his 132 appearances do not amount to a full season handling the position every day. That matters for the Yankees, because a player who can truly stabilize third base carries a different value than one who needs a more limited deployment.
Baltimore’s roster situation is part of why Mayo’s name has come up at all. The Orioles are looking for rotation and outfield help and, according to a report by Andy Kostka, are open to trade discussions involving almost their entire roster.
Their infield picture is crowded enough to make a move plausible, especially with Jordan Westburg set to return from elbow surgery and Christian Encarnacion-Strand having taken much of the third-base playing time while hitting .277/.325/.513 in 58 games. Blaze Alexander and Alonso are also in the mix, with Alonso at first base.
Westburg and Mayo both hit right-handed, which makes a simple platoon less likely. Baltimore still has to balance positional fit with its need for pitching, and that is where the Yankees could enter the conversation. New York and Baltimore had serious discussions about the catcher, with Rodriguez and either Warren or Weathers among the requested pieces, so the division rivalry has not shut down the possibility of another deal.
The Yankees do have pitching inventory to work with. Will Warren, Clarke Schmidt, Ryan Weathers and Luis Gil, along with prospects Elmer Rodriguez and Carlos Lagrange, are among the names in the discussion of possible trade resources.
Mayo’s appeal is obvious when stacked against McMahon’s numbers. His .461 slugging percentage in 2026 is 112 points better than McMahon’s .349 mark during his Yankees tenure, though the comparison covers different time spans. The batting-average gap is only 17 points, so the real attraction is the extra-base damage.
Baltimore also has every reason to hold onto Mayo if it believes the late-season surge is real. He is under team control through the 2031 season and won’t reach free agency until 2032. That means any deal would be about more than a quick fix; it would require a long-term roster decision.
For now, the Yankees are left weighing whether Mayo’s improvement is enough to justify paying a trade price for a player whose best fit may be as a right-handed power source rather than an unquestioned everyday third baseman. As of Nov. 5, there is no verified Mayo offer or agreed trade framework.
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For the Yankees, that makes him the kind of rival target worth monitoring closely. Boston has been searching for ways to round out its infield while improving the overall offensive balance, and Arraez would slot in as a player who can help set the table rather than drive the ball out of the park. If the Red Sox decide he is the right fit, it could turn second base into one more front in a familiar division battle. [Read more 🡒]