The importance of the trade deadline has increased for the Detroit Tigers in recent weeks. Losers of 10 of their last 11 games, the Tigers have fallen back to the pack in the American League standings, and they’ll need to add an impact player at the deadline in order to keep their playoff push alive.
One of their top targets is Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suárez. The 33-year-old is third on The Athletic’s trade deadline big board, and several teams have been lining up to add his bat for the run to the playoffs.
Fortunately for the Tigers, the path to trading for Suárez got a little easier as one of his potential suitors made a deal of their own on Friday afternoon.
Yankees Seemingly Step Aside in Eugenio Suarez Sweepstakes
According to MLB Network’s Mark Feinsand, the New York Yankees have acquired third baseman Ryan McMahon in a trade with the Colorado Rockies. McMahon adds some power to the Yankees’ lineup with a .217/.314/.403 batter’s line to go with 16 homers and 35 RBI this season, but more importantly, it solves their deadline quest for a third baseman and allows Jazz Chisholm Jr. to move back to second base.
Breaking: The Yankees are acquiring 3B Ryan McMahon from the Rockies, per source. Colorado will receive two prospects in return.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) July 25, 2025
This is relevant for the Tigers as they continue their pursuit of Suárez. Detroit was another team looking for a third baseman as Jace Jung has seemingly fallen out of favor with the organization, and an addition to the hot corner could allow All-Star Zach McKinstry to serve in a bigger utility role for the stretch run.
If the Tigers are looking for a dream scenario, landing Suárez may be it. A former Tigers prospect who made his major league debut with the team, Suárez is in the middle of a career year, hitting .252/.325/.593 with 36 home runs and 86 RBI. While his defense is questionable with a minus-6 in Baseball Savant’s outs above average metric, his bat may be of more value to Detroit in a wide-open pennant race.
That makes McMahon’s trade to the Yankees a positive development for the Tigers, but there are still a few more hurdles to clear. The Seattle Mariners, Chicago Cubs, and Milwaukee Brewers are also teams that are looking for an offensive upgrade at third base ahead of the deadline, and Arizona is still five games back of the San Diego Padres for the final wild card spot in the National League entering Friday.
The Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen also added that the Tigers “aren’t totally ruling out trade discussions for Suárez. But they don’t seem intent on going all out to get him either.”
Still, the Tigers have the most to give with MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 prospect pool featuring shortstop Bryce Rainer and catcher/first baseman prospects Thayron Liranzo and Josue Briceño as potential trade pieces. Detroit also may feel pressure considering its latest cold streak and could be more incentivized to make a big splash at the deadline.
It’s one of the biggest storylines for the Tigers in the next week, and had a major obstacle removed on Suárez’s potential path to Detroit.