The St. Louis Cardinals have one question mark in the infield right now at third base. While there are internal options that could fill the gap in 2027, like Thomas Saggese and Blaze Jordan, there will also be external candidates who could help.

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported back in October that the Cardinals are "open" to the idea of a "short-term answer" at third base. So, the idea of adding a player cannot be ruled out at this time. On Thursday, MLB.com's Will Leitch broke down the third base spot for St. Louis and mentioned an intriguing trade candidate: Ryan McMahon of the New York Yankees.

"Potential trade candidates include the Astros’ Isaac Paredes or the Yankees’ Ryan McMahon, though both have just one season left before free agency, and McMahon posted a .635 OPS this past season," Leitch wrote.

Why Ryan McMahon Would Fit St. Louis

McMahon is a 31-year-old former All-Star who could add some pop to the middle of St. Louis' order. The 2026 season wasn't great for him. He slashed .213/.279/.357 with 11 home runs and 41 RBIs in 124 games played. He was slightly above-average defensively and finished in the 62nd percentile in outs above average at the hot corner.

There are reasons to believe he could be even better in 2027. From 2021 through 2025, McMahon finished in at least the 92nd percentile in outs above average. So, there's reason to believe that the 2026 campaign could've been a fluke in a difficult place to play.

Offensively, McMahon hit at least 20 or more home runs each season from 2021 through 2025. Between 2021 and 2025, McMahon slashed .239/.323/.414 with 106 home runs and 341 RBIs in 763 games played. He was one of the best two-way third basemen in the league at the time. He was traded from the Colorado Rockies to the Yankees during the 2025 season. That's when things took a turn for the worse for him offensively and defensively. The price tag to acquire him shouldn't be very high because of his tough 2026 season, but he very well could be a bounce-back candidate in 2027 if he can get out of New York.

If the Yankees look for a new third baseman this winter, as there already have been rumors about, McMahon is someone who could be a buy-low option with big upside. If he ended up looking more like the guy from 2021-2025, he'd then end up being a great summer trade candidate.