Yankees Reportedly Concerned About Eugenio Suarez's Defense amid MLB Trade Rumors

Eugenio Suárez's defensive value, or lack thereof, is a consideration for the New York Yankees as they weigh a possible trade for the Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman, according to The Athletic's Jim Bowden.

Bowden reported Monday the Bronx Bombers have been "linked" with Suárez but that "there is concern about his defense."

The 34-year-old is tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers' Max Muncy for the lowest fielding run value (minus-four) among qualified third basemen at Baseball Savant. He has also committed 11 errors.

This is a bit of an outlier for Suárez, though. Going back to the start of Baseball Savant's defensive data in 2016, he has generally been a good defender at the hot corner.

That shouldn't be a dealbreaker, either, when factoring in how well he's performing at the plate.

Suárez is slugging .601 while leading the National League in home runs (35) and all of MLB in RBI (85). Even when projecting a little bit of regression over the final few months, he's a proven hitter in a market without a lot of power bats.

When it comes to the two-time All-Star, there's the classic dilemma of questioning how much to give up for a player who's a half-season rental. Because of his age, Suárez isn't somebody you immediately forecast for a big extension this winter, either.

But there's no doubt he'd be an upgrade over the Yankees' current options at third base. Assuming general manager Brian Cashman could settle on a reasonable price, a Suárez trade would be a huge boost to New York.