The Biggest 2026 Yankees Upgrade Didn't Fully Happen This Offseason

While fans worry about "running it back," the true boost to the Bronx Bombers lies in a full season of the McMahon-Rosario platoon.

Sep 16, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; New York Yankees third baseman Ryan McMahon (19) celebrates with third baseman Amed Rosario (14) after scoring a run against the Minnesota Twins in the third inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

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The Yankees have kept much of their 2025 roster the same going into 2026. While noise has grown this offseason about the Bombers "running it back", that's not fully the case.

People don't want to hear it, but some of the Yankees' big trade deadline additions in 2025 are slated to make a big impact, having a full season for the Yankees -- that being the third base platoon of Ryan McMahon and Amed Rosario.

Last Season's Third

Entering last season, the Yankees did not have a steady third baseman. They had Oswaldo Cabrera take a lot of the reps early, until he suffered a season-ending injury in May.

The Yankees handed the reins over to former top prospect Oswald Peraza, but he had a very hollow bat. While his defense was very good at third, he was nothing at the plate, and it cost the Yankees a lot. And who can forget Pablo Reyas getting the occasional start?

The story is there was no consitancy or performance coming from third base. Even with a complete hole in the Yankees' lineup, they put up the best offensive numbers in baseball.

Prior to the trade deadline, the Yankees acquired McMahon from the Rockies and Rosario from the Nationals. The impact was felt down the stretch as both players manning third compared to what the Yankees previously had.

Timeframe	Primary Player(s)	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Before July 25	Oswaldo Cabrera/Oswald Peraza	.215	.292	.308	.600
After July 25	Ryan McMahon/Amed Rosario	.255	.305	.409	.714

The Future Platoon

McMahon is under team control for the next two seasons, and Rosario is on a one-year contract. The Yankees will surely feel the impact of having a true platoon at third base.

While it might not be drastic, for the Yankees to have a league-average bat at third base with McMahon's insanely good defense, the Yankees will benefit in a big way.

McMahon is not the best offensive player, but there is potential. The Yankees have been working with McMahon this offseason to see if they can unlock something further in the bat. At the least, McMahon is a threat to go deep at Yankee Stadium. Facing mostly righties in 2026 should help McMahon's numbers overall, which is an asset to the Yankees.

Rosario, to put it plainly, is a lefty killer. Having him at third base and in the lineup for a full season against tough lefties will only help the Yankees. Rosario batted .303 against lefties for the Yankees when he came over at the trade deadline. More than that, Rosario is a role model for the younger players and is a fantastic clubhouse leader.

The Yankees have been trying more in recent years to create platoon opportunities like some of their AL East counterparts, and the 2026 platoon at third base might be their best yet.