ORLANDO — Raise your hand if you’ve lost track of the overflow of left-handed hitters in Aaron Boone’s lineup.

Opponents see it. Pitchers exploit it. The question is what the Yankees intend to do about the unbalanced lineup.

The answer isn’t as simple as general manager Brian Cashman going on a shopping binge. Off-season roster construction is a three-dimensional game. The moving parts are rarely in sync.

You want it streamlined, you say?

Fine. Here goes.

*The Yankees need closure on the negotiations with Cody Bellinger, a left-handed hitter, before tackling the rest of the batting order.

*Step Two would be identifying the No. 1 vulnerability from the left side. My vote goes to Ryan McMahon, the human strikeout machine.

*Step Three would be looking for a suitable replacement. That’s easy.

Free agent Alex Bregman would check virtually every box, assuming the Yankees are looking for experience, maturity, a winning pedigree, and, of course, enough right-handed muscle to convince them to move on from McMahon.

But it bears repeating: The odds of the Yankees leaving the lineup intact in 2026 are much greater than pulling off a series of bold moves.

Chances are that Cashman will stick with McMahon, which would stop the Bregman fantasy dead in its tracks. The GM issued his current third baseman a strong vote of confidence on Sunday.

“I think he was a good (acquisition),” Cashman said. “But are there areas to improve upon? Sure. And we look forward to seeing if we can.”

McMahon’s value to the Yankees is all about his defense. One American League scout said McMahon’s skills are “off the charts” in terms of range, arm strength and reaction time.

But strikeouts are a problem for McMahon and the franchise alike. It’s why we’re having this discussion in the first place.

With a 32.3 percent strikeout rate, no one in the major leagues whiffed at a higher rate than McMahon in 2025. That might’ve been marginally tolerable if he could at least get on base.

But the .214 average and .693 OPS were dreadful. Ironically, McMahon wasn’t much better than the washed-up DJ LeMahieu, who the Yankees released in July.

Throw in McMahon’s $16 million salary for 2026 and 2027 and it becomes fair to ask: What was Cashman thinking in acquiring McMahon from the Rockies?

Nevertheless, Boone went out of his way to pump up McMahon while speaking to reporters at the Winter Meetings on Monday.

“I think there’s a lot more in there offensively than we saw from Mac,” the manager said. “He’s a tremendous athlete, real power, feel like he knows the strike zone pretty well.

“There are some things he does in his swings that get him in trouble a little bit, but it would not surprise me at all to see him go to a different level offensively.”

There are times when a manager’s praise is nothing more than a smokescreen. I remember how Boone was solidly behind Josh Donaldson in 2023, at least when speaking publicly.

But behind closed doors, everyone in the front office knew the veteran infielder was at the end of his career; he was batting .132 before being released in August.

But the Yankees’ support for McMahon appears to be real, if for no other reason than the large portion of the contract they’d have to swallow to trade him. Either way, McMahon is staying put.

So it’s worth asking how the Yankees will address this lopsided batting order. They could theoretically trade Jazz Chisholm, move Anthony Volpe/Jose Caballero to second and sign Bo Bichette for shortstop.

But I don’t see Chisholm being moved. He’s moody and periodically immature, but the home-run power and overall athleticism are too intoxicating for the Yankees to surrender.

That doesn’t leave much room for Bregman, who opted out of his deal with the Red Sox, if any at all. Too bad. I’m certainly not the first person to propose this acquisition. Social media has been aflame with Bregman rumors for months.

Last season, at 31, Bregman batted .273/.360/.462 with 18 home runs and 62 RBIs. His strikeout rate was 14.1%.

As of now, there are three contenders to sign Bregman. The Cubs and Tigers are at the top of the list. The Red Sox shouldn’t be counted out to bring him back.

It would be a problem for the Yankees if Bregman decides he loves Boston after all. The Sox will be stronger than anyone thinks in 2026, now that they’ve acquired Sonny Gray and will have a healthy Roman Anthony back in the lineup.

What the Yankees would need in response are affirmative answers to two pressing questions.

*Can Bellinger be re-signed?

*Can the bottom third of the Yankees’ lineup — McMahon, Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells — improve enough to no longer be a black hole?

Answer No. 1: The odds are 60-40 “no.” I’ve been pessimistic since October.

Answer No. 2: Possibly.

The key, believe it or not, is Volpe, the only righty in this trio. His failure to develop in 2023 has been a shock to the Yankees. They love the kid, but the organization’s patience is not limitless.

Volpe will have one more (one last) season to establish his value on both sides of the ball. If Volpe continues to struggle after returning from shoulder surgery, then say hello to the next shiny new toy.

His name is George Lombard Jr.

Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here.