Yankees acquire Ryan McMahon from Rockies, fill key need at third base

The New York Yankees addressed their third base deficiency by acquiring Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies at the trade deadline. They sent pitching prospects Griffin Herring and Josh Grosz to Colorado in exchange for the 30-year-old McMahon.

McMahon, who is under contract for the rest of this season ($12 million salary) and two more seasons (owed $32 million), is considered one of the top 10 defensive third basemen this season. His offense has been consistently below league average throughout his career (since 2017 debut), even accounting for playing half his games at hitter-friendly Coors Field, and he has never posted an above-average wRC+ season. This season, he is hitting .217 with 16 home runs, 35 RBIs, and a .717 OPS in 100 games. However, his defense is highly valued by the Yankees, who have struggled on the left side of the infield. Yankees manager Aaron Boone praised McMahon as an All-Star caliber defender and noted recent improvement in his bat.

McMahon is expected to provide stability at third base, with a scout comparing him defensively to DJ LeMahieu. He is the most prominent player traded by the Rockies since Nolan Arenado. While his offensive performance significantly drops away from Coors Field (just .589 OPS on the road this season), making him potentially only slightly above replacement level outside of Colorado, his contract is manageable. He brings veteran experience and motivation, having not played in the postseason since his 2018 rookie year.

Rockies GM Bill Schmidt stated the difficult decision was made to build for the future, expressing excitement about adding Herring and Grosz. The Yankees traded two young pitchers not close to contributing soon. Griffin Herring, 22, a 2024 6th-round pick, has impressed with a mid-90s fastball, a sweeper, and stellar minor league stats (1.21 ERA in Low-A, 2.62 ERA in High-A). Josh Grosz, 22, a 2023 11th-round pick, was seen as a solid prospect by the Yankees as a starter in High-A (4-8, 4.76 ERA) but is projected by scouts as a future reliever.