The New York Yankees need a power-hitting third baseman, which makes Arizona Diamondbacks slugger Eugenio Suarez Plan A for general manager Brian Cashman as the July 31 MLB trade deadline approaches.

But if he whiffs on Suarez, who is third in the majors with 35 home runs, Cashman will still have options.

One of them is Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes. The 28-year-old is known more for his fielding after winning a Gold Glove Award in 2023. But the New York Post’s Joel Sherman thinks Hayes’ bat could come alive in the Bronx.

“I think they should do what they can to try to get Suarez. He so obviously fits their needs. My fallback position is Ke’Bryan Hayes,” Sherman said Friday. “I see a Scott Brosius there. First of all, I know I lock down the defense. He’s as good a defensive third baseman as you will find. So I know I have that for a team that sometimes gets weird with the ball.

“And I just think like Brosius in Oakland, where it was, ‘Oh, he was following the Bash Brothers. He’s going to be a middle-of-the-lineup kind of guy, we need him.’ And he failed and it kind of got in his head and whatever. He needed to get out of a place and go bat ninth on a good team,” Sherman added.

“I think if Hayes moved to someplace else, you’d get more, because you’d say, ‘Hey, hit .240 and play the hell out of defense.’ You know what .240 would be for the Yankees at third base right now?” Heyman concluded.

Brosius played seven seasons in Oakland before joining the Yankees. He helped New York win three straight World Series titles, earning MVP honors in 1998.

As for Hayes, he is hitting .237 this season with two home runs and 33 RBIs.

If the Yankees pursue Hayes, who’s the son of former Yankees infielder Charlie Hayes, they won’t be alone. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports the Detroit Tigers and Chicago Cubs have also checked in with the Pirates.

Hayes signed an eight-year, $70 million extension with the Pirates in 2022 and is under contract through 2029. The deal includes a $12 million club option for the 2030 season, according to Spotrac.

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