The Yankees have a fixable problem on their hands. Their infield defense has been rough all season, and it’s starting to show in the standings.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. is the team’s best second baseman, but he’s stuck playing third base because DJ LeMahieu doesn’t want to move over there. The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner reports that LeMahieu is uncomfortable at the hot corner, which puts the Yankees in a tough spot.
Here’s the thing – LeMahieu isn’t exactly lighting it up at the plate either. That makes it pretty hard to justify building your entire infield around his preferences.
The solution seems obvious: find a real third baseman and let Chisholm get back to where he belongs. Adding another second baseman to replace LeMahieu won’t solve anything since Chisholm’s defense at third has been shaky at best.
Enter Eugenio Suárez.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports the Yankees “would love” to acquire the Arizona third baseman. It’s not hard to see why.
Suárez is having a monster year with a .255/.322/.569 slash line and 28 home runs. He’s playing on a $15 million club option this season – the final year of a seven-year, $66 million deal he signed back in 2018. After this season, he’ll hit free agency for the first time in his career.
The fit makes sense on multiple levels. Suárez would give the Yankees a legitimate everyday third baseman while providing way more offensive pop than what they’re getting from LeMahieu right now.
Arizona might be willing to deal, too. The Diamondbacks are teetering on the edge of contention, and Suárez has already hit over 300 career home runs. With him having such a strong season, they could look to cash in on his value and get a solid return.
For the Yankees, landing Suárez would solve two problems at once. They’d fix their infield defense and finally give LeMahieu a graceful exit from everyday duty.
All things considered, it seems like the kind of move that makes too much sense not to happen.
