Blue Jays force division rival into pre-deadline desperation move

Nearly a week ahead of Major League Baseball's Trade Deadline, the New York Yankees find themselves in a rather uncomfortable position. Following their latest series loss at the hands of the Blue Jays (and their loss at home to the Phillies on Friday), the Yanks have lost six of their last nine games, are now five-and-a-half games back of first in the AL East, and are tied with the Mariners for the top wild card spot.

In an effort to bolster a position they've received virtually no production from this season, the Bombers have acquired the latest guy that you're going to stare at in puzzlement until their name comes up on broadcasts - since there will be no name on the back of his jersey, and because the number he's worn his whole career is probably retired.

Blue Jays force division rival into pre-deadline desperation move

Now-former-Rockie Ryan McMahon is headed to the Bronx, in exchange for LHP Griffin Herring and RHP Josh Grosz - two 22-year-olds who now rank 5th and 18th respectively on Colorado's top prospects list on MLB.com.

That's two potentially valuable arms in exchange for a 30-year-old infielder on the worst team in baseball. While he's coming off his first All-Star appearance in 2024, he's a career .240 hitter that has averaged roughly 20 homers a season, his OBP and OPS are the lowest he's had since 2020, and he has the second most strikeouts in the Majors this season behind Riley Greene of the Tigers.

It's an upgrade over Oswald Peraza, Oswaldo Cabrera and Yorbit Vivas, three guys worth a combined 0.1 WAR this season - but not by a whole lot. At least not on paper. And it makes you wonder whether the Yankees make this move if they hadn't been embarrassed by the Blue Jays again this past week.

They committed seven errors in those three games - including four in Wednesday's series clincher - and that doesn't include the seemingly-routine pop-up that Cody Bellinger turned into an Ernie Clement triple.

Yankees Manager Aaron Boone said after Wednesday's loss that his team is "very good" defensively, but have just struggled in Toronto - and he may have had a point. When it comes to defensive runs saved above average (according to Baseball Reference), the Yankees sit sixth in the majors - right behind the Blue Jays - and when it comes to fielding percentage, they sit 20th - one spot ahead of the Blue Jays.

Following their loss to the Phillies on Friday, the Yankees have 54 errors on the season - which puts them right around the league average - but 12 - nearly a quarter of them - have come against the Blue Jays.

So does McMahon, a player who led all MLB third basemen with 15 errors last season, help a team that is trying to prove to opponents (and doubters) that it's "very good" defensively? Will the Yankees regret giving up prospect capital for a player of this calibre once the bidding wars heat up in the coming days? And did the Blue Jays force their hand?

If so, they accomplished more this past week than simply winning the season series against New York.