The New York Yankees are off to a hot start this season, and the team will likely be aggressive in adding more talent to the roster.
One area of need for the Yankees could be at third base, as Ryan McMahon has struggled at the plate to begin the season. If New York wants to add more offense to the lineup, third base would make sense.
With that, MLB analyst Adam Weinrib of FanSided believes the team should pursue a trade for Chicago Cubs star Matt Shaw.
“How about dangling a Gil-led package to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for Matt Shaw, who seemed to be available this offseason?,” Weinrib wrote. “Shaw’s 24 years old. The quality of contact still leaves something to be desired.
“But his numbers improved as his rookie season built, and he posted 3.1 bWAR and a 99 OPS+, settling in roughly league-average territory. He’d also be a righty in a lineup full of (suddenly) too many left-handers.”
With Cade Horton injured, the Cubs could use a starter, and New York could center a package around Luis Gil and some prospects. However, it’s uncertain if the Cubs would be willing to trade Shaw who seems to be a key part of their future.
Shaw is just 24-years-old and is under team control through the 2031 season, so he could be a key part of the Yankees’ offense for years to come.
Shaw is hitting .257 with 2 home runs and 6 RBIs to begin the year.
McMahon Off to Slow Start
McMahon is a glove-first infielder, but his bat has struggled to begin the season.
The Gold Glove Award-winning infielder hasn’t been able to be a huge part of the Yankees’ offense, and manager Aaron Boone believes it’s because McMahon doesn’t want to make a bad decision.
“He’s just been a little bit in-between, not wanting to chase or make a bad decision,” Boone said about McMahon. “He’s seeing the ball, but the timing isn’t quite synced up yet.”
McMahon is hitting .077 with 2 RBIs to begin the season, as he has just 2 hits in 26 ABs. However, he did play shortstop on April 8, which does help his case to be part of the team due to how good he is defensively.
Yankees Bats Go Quiet
New York is off to a hot start this season, but on April 8 against the Athletics, the bats went cold.
The Yankees suffered a 3-2 loss, and Boone credited Luis Severino for limiting the offense.
“We scored two (and tried to) make it tough on Sevy, but we just couldn’t break through,” Boone said. “Then they held us down. It’s just one of those nights where we didn’t do enough, especially during the second half of the game, offensively.
“Sevy has great stuff and he didn’t flinch. It’s one of those areas, sometimes, (where) guys can fold a little bit. But credit to him. He buckled down, He didn’t give in at all. He was able to work around some walks, but ultimately we couldn’t get that big hit to finish it.”
The Yankees are off to an 8-3 start.
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