Yankees trade for Ryan McMahon but bullpen meltdown sparks urgency for another move originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Yankees made a smart move Friday afternoon, trading for Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon to shore up their shaky infield. But a few hours later, the real problem smacked them in the face.
The bullpen.
In a 12–5 loss to the Phillies, Yankees relievers gave up ten earned runs on nine hits, turning a respectable start from rookie Will Warren into a blowout. Warren went 5 2/3 innings and allowed just two earned runs.
There are six days until the 2025 MLB trade deadline. Brian Cashman has until July 31 to find relievers on the trade market.
Same Story, Louder Volume
Even before Friday’s collapse, the Yankees’ bullpen ranked 20th in MLB with a 4.07 ERA. Now it’s worse.
Gerrit Cole is out for the season. Clarke Schmidt is, too. Luis Gil started the year on the IL and still hasn’t returned to the majors. And the bullpen is paper-thin.
Fernando Cruz, Mark Leiter Jr., and Ryan Yarbrough are all currently on the injured list. Yarbrough, originally intended to be a long reliever, was forced into starts before going down. Now, even middle-inning coverage is a nightly scramble.
The Yankees need help. And fast.
The Market Is There. Use It.
If they’re serious about fixing this and making a push for October, there are options out there.
For high-leverage impact, Ryan Helsley (Cardinals), Jhoan Duran (Twins) or David Bednar (Pirates) would be ideal. For more realistic targets with strikeout stuff, Griffin Jax (Twins), Cade Smith (Guardians), and Kyle Finnegan (Nationals) should be on the shortlist. Any of them would be an upgrade over the chaos we saw in Philadelphia.
McMahon Was a Start, Not a Solution
The McMahon trade was a smart way to support the Yankees’ pitching. It will likely help their investment in $218 million man Max Fried, who leads the league in groundballs and has had 15 errors committed behind him this year. The infield defense needed tightening. But that won’t matter if the bullpen keeps handing games away.
Tick Tock
The Yankees can’t wait this out. Not with the rotation patched together and the relievers torching leads on a nightly basis.
McMahon might stop the bleeding on the infield. But unless Cashman finds arms who can hold the line, this season’s foundation might collapse from the back end.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 26, 2025, where it first appeared.