The New York Yankees have dealt with many issues during their rough stretch. For a while, Aaron Boone's offense was unable to live up to the high expectations they set at the beginning of the season. More recently, Brian Cashman and the front office's main concern is their infield defense. After moving Jazz Chisholm Jr. to second base to replace DJ LeMahieu, the latter was unhappy.

According to MLB's Bryan Hoch, Boone and LeMahieu had a discussion about the decision that sent the veteran to the bench. The 36-year-old wanted to fill the hole at third base, but Boone determined that he could not hold his own physically in the hot corner.

After the talk, Cashman and New York decided to designate him for assignment. The Yankees are sending $22 million with him, according to MLB Insider Jon Heyman.

The move comes a couple of weeks before the 2025 Major League Baseball trade deadline. With Chisholm Jr. moving over to second base, the Yankees' top priority is clear. New York has many targets, including Ryan McMahon of the Colorado Rockies.

Parting ways with LeMahieu is a tough pill for the Yankees to swallow. Throughout his six and a half seasons in pinstripes, the infielder became one of Boone's favorite players. His presence in New York's locker room gave the coaching staff a player through which to send messages to the team. Now that he is gone, even more pressure lies on Aaron Judge.

Boone's slugger continues to dominate at the plate for the Yankees. Despite the fact that he is the favorite to win another MVP award, Judge is at risk of falling short this season. New York's fanbase expects a title after last year's embarrassing World Series. Without LeMahieu on the roster, making it to that point is much more difficult.

LeMahieu is near the end of his career. However, there are teams across the league that could use him at third base.

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