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COLORADO ROCKIES

Rockies deal Ryan McMahon to the New York Yankees

The Colorado Rockies traded third baseman Ryan McMahon to the New York Yankees on Friday in exchange for a pair of prospects

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After endless talks of the Colorado Rockies trading away Ryan McMahon to a contender, the deal finally happened on Friday. McMahon, who has played for the Rockies since 2017 and been with the organization since 2013, was dealt to the New York Yankees in exchange for two prospects.

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Griffin Herring and Josh Grosz are the two young players making their way to the Mile High City in the deal.

McMahon, 30, made one All-Star team in his nine seasons in the big leagues in Denver (2024) and was a contributor on the 2018 team that won 91 games and made the playoffs. In his career, he’s slashed .240/.323/.420 while holding down the hot corner on Blake Street. He has the 11th-most home runs in franchise history (140) and has drawn the sixth-most walks (402) of any Rockie in the club’s 33-year history.

The move makes it so just three players from the 2018 playoff team are still on the roster: German Marquez, Kyle Freeland and Antonio Senzatela.

With the writing on the wall for the Rockies this year, it was clear that McMahon was no longer on the right timeline for the club, as there are plenty of young guys ready to usher in the next era of Rockies baseball. It was now-or-never for Bill Schmidt and the rest of the front office to capitalize on what trade value McMahon had left, and they finally went ahead and pulled the trigger on a deal.

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The trade is an interesting one for the Yankees, as McMahon’s numbers away from Coors Field have not been good this season. In 185 at bats on the road, he’s slashing just .189/.265/.324. Maybe the Yankees think that the short porch in right field will help the left-handed batter?

While McMahon’s best years coincided with some of the organization’s worst years, he will still be remembered as a good player who did good things for the club. Now, he gets a chance to go out and compete for a championship, an opportunity he was never going to have in Denver.

Herring and Grosz are two pitchers who have been playing for the Yankees’ High-A affiliate this season. Herring, 22, is a left-hander who has posted a 2.22 ERA with 44 strikeouts and 20 walks in High-A this season, while Grosz, 22, is a right-hander who is just 4-8 with a 4.14 ERA. He’s thrown 94 strikeouts to just 35 walks.

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While neither prospect is projected to be in the big leagues before 2027, they still have solid value. Herring is the No. 8 prospect in the Yankees’ system, while Grosz is No. 21.

This is likely not the only move the Rockies will make, as reports have indicated that the club is listening to phone calls for relief pitchers Victor Vodnik and Seth Halvorsen. Jake Bird is another name who can be dealt as well.

This is another move that can be added to the long list of outgoing trades for the Rockies with names like Nolan Arenado and Troy Tulowitzki. While nothing will top the incompetence of the Arenado trade, it’s just another example of the organization not capitalizing on good talent before letting it leave town.

The MLB trade deadline is at 4:00 p.m. MDT on July 31.

Trent Finnegan Sports Writer, Denver Sports

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