Ryan McMahon trade positions Yankees to ruin Cubs' trade deadline

Despite Matt Shaw's recent hot stretch, it's no secret that the Cubs are looking for third base help at the trade deadline.

The impacts of acquiring a veteran stopgap at the position are numerous, from alleviating (what's been) a black hole in the lineup to helping fix the bench by pushing Shaw into a utility role for the remainder of his rookie campaign.

However, the third base market was crashed by the New York Yankees yesterday, as they swung a deal with the Colorado Rockies for Ryan McMahon. Even though McMahon may not have been a perfect fit for the Cubs — he's been struggling with the bat this year and has a few years of moderately expensive control left on his contract — he was one of the few third base options obviously available on the market this summer.

Given that their trade deadline needs are almost identical, the Yankees jumping the gun for McMahon may have the Cubs scrambling to execute a few deals before crunch time.

Yankees, Cubs positioned to be trade deadline rivals

Quick, rattle off the Cubs' three biggest needs at the trade deadline this year.

Was your answer "starting pitching, relief pitching, and third base"? If so, congratulations, you have a pulse on what the team is planning to do over the next few days.

Unfortunately, that answer is identical to the one Yankees fans would have given if you asked them the same question, at least prior to the McMahon trade.

Longtime trading partners, the Cubs and Yankees will now be jockeying for some of the best pitchers on the market as the trade deadline nears. Sure, New York's exit from the third base market removes one more suitor for Eugenio Suarez, but it also removes a backup plan (McMahon) if the Cubs fail to land the Arizona Diamondbacks' slugger. Any leverage gained here is marginal, at best.

Plus, with the Yankees filling their biggest offensive need, they can turn their full attention to pitching, whereas the Cubs will need to keep juggling things until they can actually move a deal across the finish line. That won't preclude Jed Hoyer, Carter Hawkins, and the rest of the front office from swinging a multitude of deals — remember the insanity of the 2021 deadline? — but it does make things a little more stressful as the deadline draws near.

Sure, the Yankees aren't the only team the Cubs are directly competing with in the pitching market, but, realistically, how many other teams are in position to be as win-now as they are? The Dodgers are one, but their needs are as fluid as their health allows. The Mets and Blue Jays are division leaders in need of some pitching help, but do either have the financial flexibility or farm system surplus to swing a deal in the magnitude the Yankees and Cubs are targeting?

The point is: it's worth monitoring the Yankees over the next few days, since they might as well be the American League analogue of the Cubs. If they strike first in the pitching market, too, the North Siders are going to have their work cut out for them as the options dwindle before the trade deadline.