MLB trade grades: How much do Friday's trades help Yankees, Mets?

Alden Gonzalez discusses the MLB trade season, including the Mariners acquiring Josh Naylor and updates on the Diamondbacks and Eugenio Suarez, as part of ongoing coverage with ESPN experts evaluating deals.

ESPN analysts Bradford Doolittle and David Schoenfield are grading all trades as they occur, with grades updated in real-time leading up to the July 31 deadline, providing a central resource for analysis and insights.

In a specific trade, the Yankees acquired third baseman Ryan McMahon from the Rockies in exchange for left-handed pitcher Griffin Herring and right-handed pitcher Josh Grosz, receiving a grade of B. McMahon's performance includes a .217/.314/.403 slash line with 16 home runs and a high strikeout rate, which disappointed fans hoping for Eugenio Suarez. However, positives include his contract through 2027, excellent defense (91st percentile in outs above average), strong walk rate (86th percentile), high exit velocity (98th percentile), and hard-hit rate (87th percentile), along with potential improvement away from Coors Field, similar to DJ LeMahieu's success with the Yankees.

The Rockies received a grade of C for the trade, as it was surprising given their history of rarely trading significant homegrown players like McMahon, but the move is seen as a sensible decision for the team.