The Hot Seat at the Hot Corner

Published: Thursday, July 3, 2025

by Ryder Nuesell

While the New York Yankees are expected to be contenders for the World Series every season, it is clear that they must make major adjustments to their current roster before they can be capable of winning it all in 2025. One position in particular that the team desperately needs to upgrade is at third base.

The hot corner has been a revolving door for the Yankees since the consistency that Gio Urshela gave them from 2019-2021. After letting go of one of their key contact hitters and elite defenders, third base has been filled by a list of players that the team had high hopes for, but never lived up to their hype.

Since the Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa experiments, DJ LeMahieu has shared time at third, along with one of the organization’s top infield prospects Oswald Peraza. However, with LeMahieu’s rapid decline since 2020, the production that he provides is now minimal. Peraza, on the other hand, has struggled to live up to his potential throughout multiple major league stints.

Since the devastating season-ending ankle fracture for Oswaldo Cabrera, who was giving the Yankees the third base production that they so desperately craved, the starting job has now landed in the hands of Jazz Chisolm Jr. And while his offensive numbers are nothing to be disappointed about, his lack of prior experience at the hot corner is becoming increasingly apparent.

When playing third base in 2025, Chisholm Jr. is giving the Yankees four outs below average, along with missing five percent of the plays that he is expected to make (according to data provided by Baseball Savant).

However, in the month of June, the 27-year-old hit .318 (28-for-88), with seven home runs, twenty runs batted in, and fifteen runs across 24 games.

Offense is clearly not an issue for the young star. But Chisholm Jr. said himself, “everybody knows I’m a second baseman”, and it is becoming confusing why manager Aaron Boone is reluctant to play him where he is most comfortable.

The Yankees' temporary solution to their defensive problem would be to slide Chisholm Jr. back to second base and have LeMahieu take the reins at third, where he has played comfortably before. However, his offensive numbers no longer suffice the team’s needs.

New York’s optimal solution would be to trade for an established third baseman at the trade deadline, as their current major-league-level players are not getting the job done and their prospects at the position are simply not ready for the task.

An option that has been rumored since last season is the possibility of a trade for St. Louis Cardinals star Nolan Arenado. Although the Cardinals are playing at a competitive level so far this season, they find themselves in a division with the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers. Two teams that will make a St. Louis postseason appearance difficult in an already stacked National League.

Additionally, Arenado is under contract through the 2027 season, which renders him more than simply a one-year rental. While his numbers at the plate do not grab much attention anymore, the 10-time Gold Glove Award winner would diminish all of the Yankees’ concerns regarding defense at third base.

Arenado may not be performing offensively at the level that he used to in Colorado, but he is certainly an option that the Yankees should consider for the right price. With a batting average hovering around .250, an elite glove at the hot corner, and a veteran presence that has played with current Yankees Paul Goldschmidt and DJ LeMahieu, Nolan Arenado carries many of the tools that likely would help to put New York’s third base concerns to rest.

Another rumored option for New York is Arizona Diamondbacks slugger Eugenio Suarez. However, this idea sounds all too similar to the Yankees’ Joey Gallo acquisition in 2021. Both players prior to the trade deadline in their respective seasons post similar numbers with similar style of play.

This year, Suarez is batting .254 with 26 home runs and a .888 OPS. In 2021, before being dealt to the Yankees, Gallo was batting .223 with 25 home runs and a .869 OPS. While the two fill different positions, this is a pair of players that specialize in power hitting and lack the ability to barrel up a base hit in clutch moments.

Suarez’s contract only carries him through the remainder of this season, giving him just one shot to help the Yankees attempt another run at the World Series. In a situation where New York is desperately searching for consistency at third base, a player on a multi-year deal would certainly be their preference.

Suarez’s 11 errors are also tied for the second most among qualified fielders in 2025. With defense already a key issue in the Bronx, the slugger does not seem like he would be much help in that department.

Could a reunion instead be the direction that the Yankees look towards? If it were to happen, it would likely be in the form of the previously mentioned Isiah Kiner-Falefa.

Although his first term in New York did not work out as planned, the utility man has since blossomed into the batter that the Yankees had always hoped he would become.

The Pittsburgh Pirates’ usual starting shortstop has posted a .276 batting average this season with a .319 on-base percentage. And not only can Kiner-Falefa play nearly any position, but he can do so with an above average ability.

Although he is also a free agent going into 2026, the Hawaii native is only promised six million dollars this season and would likely not take too much to pry from the hands of Pittsburgh, who will be selling once again at this year’s deadline.

While the answer to New York’s problem is not yet clear, general manager Brian Cashman and the Yankees’ should not be comfortable with their current situation at third base.

Could the veteran Gold-Glover be the answer? The slugger from out West? An old friend? Or possibly someone else? The answer will be known after the July 31 trade deadline at 6:00 p.m., as the Yankees look to bolster their roster and make a return to the World Series.

Ryder Nuesell can be reached at ryder.nuesell@student.shu.edu

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