The New York Yankees said publicly they needed to acquire a third baseman after releasing D.J. LeMahieu and moving Jazz Chisholm Jr. back to second base. The team was heavily linked to Eugenio Suarez of the Arizona Diamondbacks, as were many playoff contending teams. On Friday morning, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that there was a gap in discussions between the Yankees and Diamondbacks.
On Friday afternoon, the Yankees quickly pivoted and acquired Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies. In exchange, New York sent over No. 8 prospect Griffin Herring and No. 21 prospect Josh Grosz, both of whom are pitchers.
Sure, the Yankees provided an upgrade, defensively, at third base, it was quite a bit for a player under contract through 2027 who is an average hitter. The Yankees could come to regret trading Herring, especially if they pan out in Colorado.
Yankees running risk by trading prospect Griffin Herring to Rockies for Ryan McMahon
Herring is the higher ranked prospect heading over to Colorado. Herring is a 2024 sixth-round pick by the Yankees, and he's in the midst of an incredible season at Single-A and High-A.
As a starting pitcher Herring recorded a 1.71 ERA, a 1.08 WHIP, a 7-3 win-loss record, 102 strikeouts, and 36 walks in 89.1 innings (16 starts). Opposing batters are hitting .178 against Herring in his starts. This is just his first season, and he's already showing he has great promise as a starting pitcher.
Of course, Single-A and High-A baseball isn't a true indicator if a prospect will pan out. Plus, Herring is a low velocity pitcher. But the early returns are incredible thus far. He should be a player who factors into the Rockies' future plans, potentially in their rotation if they develop him in the right way.
The Yankees are in win-now mode after falling short in the World Series last year. They are far from a perfect team this year, and they needed a third baseman to ensure they didn't have to start Oswald Peraza every day at third base. But they need to hope McMahon pans out. They can't afford another swing-and-a-miss at third base, especially after giving away a prospect like Herring.