CBS Sports | R.J. Anderson: The Yankees have struck their first, but hopefully not last, move, bringing in Ryan McMahon to fill a gaping hole at third base. Anderson gives the team a “B” for their work here, arguing that this is far from an explosive move, but a solid one, one that was necessary given how little they were getting at the position. The return for the Rockies, minor league pitchers Griffin Herring and Josh Grosz, looks underwhelming at first glance, though Herring in particular has
a chance to contribute to the Rockies at some point in the next couple of years.
For more on the McMahon trade from PSA, check out Josh’s breaking news article and Michael’s analysis. Also, for those curious, the roster move has already been made to clear room for McMahon, as Jorbit Vivas was optioned to Triple-A Scranton. Oswald Peraza doesn’t have options remaining, so it was a fairly logical choice.
Following tonight’s game, the Yankees optioned RHP Scott Effross and INF Jorbit Vivas to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) July 26, 2025
As noted in the tweet, reliever Scott Effross was optioned too, as he was one of the four Yankees relievers to get thrashed by the Phillies in a 12-5 loss on Friday night. The Yanks will be scouting for bullpen help in the coming days, but at least in the short term, there will be a new arm today.
ESPN | Jorge Castillo: One of the most prominent members of the Yankee organization right now is a player who has never even stepped on a major-league field, with Spencer Jones now generating national headlines from ESPN. Castillo talked to scouts and Triple-A manager Shelley Duncan to try and answer a crucial deadline question: has Jones made himself untradeable? Jones has quickly become one of the most fascinating prospects in baseball, his tantalizing power ability combined with scary swing-and-miss issues making him the kind of player you could see both booming or busting.
MLB Trade Rumors | Anthony Franco: Even after adding McMahon, the Yankees obviously aren’t done. In fact, they might not even be done adding infield help. The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner reports that the team is still looking at right-handed infield help, as well as arms to add to the pitching staff. That the Yankees are trying to beef up their infield even though they have starters entrenched at all four positions would suggest that they don’t feel entirely comfortable with Oswald Peraza as their backup righty infielder. Fair enough, given the youngster’s brutal performance at the plate in 2025.
The Athletic | Brendan Kuty: ($) Aaron Judge’s greatest value to the Yankees may not come on the field, but in the video room. While that’s an exaggeration, his team raves about how much Judge provides in pregame meetings, where Judge comes highly prepared to both inform his teammates and learn from them. From Kuty:
While Judge may be the best hitter in baseball, his teammates say his behind-the-scenes presence in daily hitters meetings — from the information he offers to the atmosphere he cultivates — is a key differentiator for the New York Yankees... James Rowson, who runs the meetings, called Judge’s contributions “invaluable.”
Many (reasonable) criticisms have come the way of Yankees’ leadership in recent days in light of the team’s sloppy play, but this is a decent reminder of how much goes into being a leader that we don’t see, at least in the case of the Yankees’ captain.
FanGraphs | Davy Andrews: Here’s some more supplemental analysis of the McMahon trade. Andrews notes that, remarkably, McMahon’s wRC+ (88) only narrowly outstrips the wRC+ the Yankees have gotten from their third basemen this year (83). Of course, that ignores McMahon’s superlative defense, and Andrews also discusses the reasons for optimism regarding McMahon’s offense, namely the fact that McMahon is running the highest xwOBA and pulled-fly-ball rates of his career.
More from pinstripealley.com:
- Yankees acquire Ryan McMahon from Rockies for two prospects
- The Spencer Jones conundrum
- Yankees 2025 draft tracker: 18 of 19 draftees signed
- Yankees Trade Deadline Coverage
- The hitting genius of Aaron Judge
- Pinstripe Alley’s Top 100 Yankees
- 2000 Yankees Diary: The 25th Anniversary of MLB’s Last Three-peat
