The New York Yankees have been one of the teams most prominently linked to Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez in MLB trade rumors this summer. Now, just days out from the July 31 deadline, it appears New York is having some reservations about a deal.
According to Jim Bowden of The Athletic, the Yankees have concerns about Suarez’s defense at third base and are considering other options, like Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia. However, it’s unclear if Kansas City has any interest in dealing Garcia.
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- Eugenio Suarez stats (ESPN): .257/.328/.605, .933 OPS, 36 home runs, 18 doubles
Suarez would be an undeniable offensive upgrade at third base for the Yankees. New York moved Jazz Chisholm Jr. to second base this summer, resulting in Oswald Peraza (.454 OPS) and Jorbit Vivas (.553 OPS) drawing starts at third.
However, Suarez’s defense at third base is a reasonable concern. Heading into MLB games today, he is tied for the seventh-worst Defensive Runs Saved (-5) among third basemen. So, New York would be taking a significant hit defensively at the hot corner.
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If defense is New York’s priority, Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes is available, and he leads the position with 15 Defensive Runs Saved. However, despite his Gold Glove-caliber defense, Hayes has a .583 OPS this season with 2 home runs, and his bWAR (1.0) is significantly lower than Suarez’s (3.5).
The point is, the Yankees aren’t going to find the perfect third baseman who plays excellent defense and can hit in the middle of the order. If New York ultimately determines that Suarez’s defense is too big of an issue, there are plenty of other clubs willing to acquire him.
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