Getty Ryan McMahon
The New York Yankees are in the market for one more bat and they “would love to get their hands on Colorado third baseman Ryan McMahon,” USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported on June 9.
The only problem is that the Rockies have no interest in trading him, Nightengale wrote.
“McMahon is beloved in the organization and is in the third year of a six-year, $70 million contract,” Nightengale wrote.
McMahon, 29, has been a below-average hitter in his career, based on his OPS+ (career 93), but is putting up solid numbers in 2024. In 64 games, he’s hitting .263 with 10 home runs and an OPS+ of 114.
Defensively, McMahon has been more consistent as a three-time Gold Glove finalist at third base. Thomas Harding, the Rockies’ beat writer for MLB.com, went in-depth on McMahon’s defense, as the third baseman went from error-prone to elite as he worked his way through the minor leagues.
“My teammates used to mess around, telling me, ‘If it’s hit right at you, we wait — to make sure you make the play,’” McMahon told Harding. “If it was a hard play, they’d start coming in [to the dugout] because I would make great plays. I couldn’t make the routine play.
“I’m just really happy because it’s something I had to work on a lot,” he said, according to Harding.
State of the Yankees Infield
With a 46-21 record headed into play on June 10, the Yankees’ roster doesn’t have many weaknesses. They could, however, use some infield depth.
Shortstop Anthony Volpe is the only infielder who has had a strong season at the plate for the Yankees, breaking out in his second year with a .280 average and 12 stolen bases.
Meanwhile second baseman Gleyber Torres has gone from phenom to potential trade chip as his struggles at the plate and in the field have continued. Oswaldo Cabrera got off to a scorching start to the season but is hitting under .200 since April 22, and Anthony Rizzo has somehow been even worse (.192 since May 1). It would be unfair to judge DJ LeMahieu through only 10 games back from injury, but the early signs aren’t great.
Fortunately for the Yankees, their outfield has been other-worldly, led by Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, with the latter expected to return to the lineup Monday night, June 10. That has toned down the urgency for the Yankees to add another infielder, but expect them to be aggressive next month if the pieces they already have don’t turn it around.
The Other Ryan McMahon Trade Suitor
Given the heat that Colorado took for trading fan favorite Nolan Arenado four years ago, it will take a lot to get them to move his successor. With the Rockies likely in full sell mode, however, the Yankees and others will try.
Jon Morosi reported on May 29 that the Blue Jays — potential sellers themselves — are among the teams interested in McMahon. Toronto is still in buy/sell limbo, 1 game below .500 but only 2 games out of a wild-card spot. With a young, talented core in place and a number of big-money free agents around them, the Blue Jays may be tempted to go for it if they’re still in contention at the July 30 trade deadline.
The question is whether Toronto has the pieces to put together a compelling enough offer for the Rockies. MLB.com ranked the Blue Jays’ farm system as 24th in baseball in the preseason, with just two top-100 prospects, and none in the top 75.