Being in the 2nd percentile in any baseball stat usually means you're headed for the waiver wire.

When that stat is whiff rate or strikeout percentage, it often means a trip to Triple-A. But for Ryan McMahon, those scary numbers are just part of a confusing situation. The New York Yankees have finally settled on a third baseman. After moving Jazz Chisholm to second, watching DJ LeMahieu decline, and hoping Oswald Peraza would improve, they've found their guy.

But he's a complicated player to support.

McMahon is a paradox. He swings and misses a lot, but when he makes contact, the ball goes far. He stepped in at third base after the trade deadline and immediately stabilised the defence while puzzling everyone with his hitting.

The Swing's Power

Let's get straight to the point. The swing-and-miss problem is real. McMahon had a 32.3% strikeout rate last season. That's high. It's almost too high unless you're hitting 40 home runs. He was in the bottom 2% of the league in making contact.

But look at what happens when he does hit the ball:

Exit Velocity: 95th percentile

Hard Hit Rate: 89th percentile

Walk Rate: Almost 12%

This shows that McMahon has great raw power and a good eye, but his swing has weaknesses. He hit .214/.312/.381 with 20 home runs and an 86 wRC+. That's below average.

Still, the Yankees see potential. McMahon tends to hit the ball to the opposite field, but if the coaches can get him to pull the ball just a bit more, the short right field in their stadium will turn long fly balls into easy home runs. He has the potential to hit 30 home runs if he can just stop swinging at air.

Solid Defense

If the offence is inconsistent, the defence is reliable.

That's why he plays every day. The Yankees haven't had this kind of stability at third base in years. McMahon is a great defender. Last year, in 1,265 innings at third, he had:

.976 fielding percentage

10 defensive runs saved

6 outs above average

In the playoffs, pitching and defence are key. It's valuable to have a guy who catches everything hit to the left side of the infield. He saves runs and prevents bad innings. You can accept a .214 batting average when he's preventing hits every night.

A Way to Handle Lefties

There's one big problem that can't be easily fixed. McMahon struggles against left-handed pitchers. He hit .184 against them. It's not good.

Luckily, the team is built to handle this. That's where Jose Caballero comes in. The Yankees don't need McMahon to be great every game. They need him to hit well against righties and play great defence. When a tough lefty is pitching, Caballero can play, keeping the defence strong and giving McMahon a rest.

It's not ideal. Ideally, your starting third baseman wouldn't need a platoon partner. But Ryan McMahon brings valuable skills that the Yankees needed. If he reduces his strikeout rate by just 5%, he could be an All-Star. If not, he's still the best defensive third baseman they've had in a long time. It's a risk worth taking.

With a 2-8 record, the New York Giants clearly need improvement on both offence and defence. They have the 22nd-ranked scoring offence and the 30th-ranked scoring defence in the NFL. Injuries to key offensive players like Cam Skattebo and Malik Nabers definitely don't help.

But on defence? There aren't many excuses to be made.

The team fired defensive coordinator Shane Bowen, possibly making him a scapegoat. You might also say the same thing about former head coach Brian Daboll, who was also fired.

More changes are expected this offseason. Mike Kafka is the interim head coach, but New York is expected to interview other candidates for the permanent position.

NFL insider Josina Anderson reported that Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo is in the mix for the Giants' head coaching job. He's expected to be a top candidate.

Anarumo was the Giants’ defensive backs coach in 2018. The next season, he became the Bengals’ defensive coordinator.

He is recognised for turning around the Colts' defence, improving them from 24th in points allowed last year to ninth this year. Before joining the Colts, Anarumo was let go from the Bengals after they had the 25th-ranked scoring defence. Funny enough, the Bengals' defence has gotten worse without him, dropping to 32nd since he left in 2025.

Many believe the Giants will look for an offensive coach to help develop rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart. Still, the front office might focus on fixing that defence first.