Just when it seemed like it might be Eugenio Suarez or bust for the New York Yankees at the MLB Trade Deadline, Brian Cashman pulled the rug out from under fans on Friday by trading for the Pinstripes' upgrade at third base, just with another NL West team. The Yankees are acquiring veteran infielder Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies. Per Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Rockies are getting two minor league pitchers, Griffin Herring and Josh Grosz as the return.
McMahon was long perceived as a backup plan for the Yankees with Suarez. However, amid reports of an expensive price tag for a rental of Suarez, they instead pivoted to McMahon, who's under club control through the 2027 season at $16 million per year. Meanwhile, the Rockies finally moved an asset at the trade deadline, getting McMahon out for two Top 21 prospects in the Yankees' system.
But did each team make the right move? Let's hand out a grade for both the Yankees and Rockies in this deal.
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MLB trade grades: Yankees land Ryan McMahon in shocker with Rockies
Yankees Grade: C
If you're Brian Cashman, it's ultimately somewhat of a failure for the Yankees to end up with the consolation prize at third base to Suarez before the Diamondbacks have even made a deal for their home-run mashing third baseman. There's no doubt that most New York fans were thinking that Suarez was their best hope at pushing into World Series contention, and this is going to give the perception of settling instead of Cashman acting like he's the aggressive GM of the Yankees.
While Suarez is hitting over .250 with 36 home runs this season and a .918 OPS, McMahon is clearly a lesser option, despite the club control still remaining. He's hitting only .217 this season with a .717 OPS, despite 16 home runs. What's worse, the 30-year-old has a .589 OPS with only five of his home runs away from Coors Field. That's a buyer beware tag if I've ever seen it.
The only reason I'm not being harsh and grading this as an abject failure for the Yankees is simply because they didn't have to give up a king's ransom and McMahon should solidify what's been pretty abysmal third-base defense. Having said that, it doesn't lessen the fact that New York is getting a worse player than Suarez in this deal that doesn't elevate the team's ceiling in nearly the same way. And if McMahon's splits away from Coors continue for the Yankees, the years remaining of club control could end up being more burdensome than a plus.
Rockies Grade: A
By god, the Rockies are actually operating with an ounce of sense at a trade deadline. Colorado has been notoriously stubborn, despite their futility, when it comes to selling on trade assets and it's one of the reasons that they've been unable to formulate any kind of sustainable future. Just for even one sign that those things might be changing, I'm going to grade the Rockies quite favorably for making a deal such as this, especially with a player who, as mentioned when talking about the Yankees, is a bit flawed in McMahon.
More importantly, the Rockies found a potential foundational piece for their pitching staff by landing Herring as the prized piece in this trade. The Yankees drafted him in the sixth round out of LSU in 2024 and he's done nothing but dominate the lower minors, graduating from Low-A to High-A earlier this season but continuing to shine with a 2.22 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in High-A across eight starts so far this season. Given Colorado's woes on the mound, that's a massive get with a long enough timeline to help the Rockies keep rebuilding.
Grosz, who came to the Yankees by way of East Carolina in the 11th round of the 2023 draft, is less enticing. Also in High-A, he has a 4.14 ERA across 15 starts and 16 appearances, but does have a 1.16 WHIP and has struck out more than a batter per inning. There's upside there, and he could be formulated into a nice pitching piece as well for Colorado, but it seems less of a sure thing than Herring.
It certainly seems like the Rockies were trying to get out from a relatively sizable contract with McMahon that wasn't benefitting a losing team right now. Getting two enticing arms, even if one is more so than the other, is a big get and a smart bit of business that, hopefully, signals a new direction for Colorado.