Generally you simply can’t watch for the weekend. On Friday afternoon, the Rockies traded longtime third baseman Ryan McMahon to the Yankees in alternate for pitching prospects Griffin Herring and Josh Grosz. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand first reported the deal, whereas Jorge Castillo of ESPN was first to report Herring’s inclusion and Bob Nightengale of USA Right now was first to call Grosz.
McMahon was drafted by Colorado in 2013 and has spent his total nine-year profession with the Rockies; he ranks ninth in franchise historical past in video games performed. He’s within the fourth 12 months of a six-year, $70 million extension, and the Yankees will tackle the remainder of his remaining contract. He’s owed a tad lower than $4.2 million this season, and $16 million a 12 months in each 2026 and 2027. On the time of the commerce, the Yankees have an 88.8% likelihood of creating the playoffs, however they’re 4 1/2 video games again of the Blue Jays within the AL East after dropping two of three in Toronto earlier this week. New York might use a lift, and to say that McMahon has the potential to fill a place of want can be an understatement.
When Jay Jaffe wrote up the Yankees’ third base scenario in his Substitute-Stage Killers Sequence, he led off by saying, “Areas of want don’t get extra obvious than this.” Oswald Peraza has spent extra video games at third than another Yankee, and amazingly, his season wRC+ of 24 drops to 10 for those who simply take a look at his time as a 3rd baseman. Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit like loopy whereas spending the month of June at third base, however he’s now again at second, the place he began the season. The Yankees launched DJ LeMahieu just a few weeks in the past. Oswaldo Cabrera has an 83 wRC+ and suffered an ankle damage in Might that can preserve him out till no less than late September. Jorbit Vivas is batting .164 over his first 65 main league plate appearances.
Put all of it collectively, and the Yankees have obtained simply 0.6 WAR from the third base place, which ranks twenty third in baseball (although it does put them forward of fellow playoff contenders the Phillies and Cubs). In the event you low cost Chisholm’s time at third, New York would fall all the way in which to -0.7. It is a group in dire want of an improve. That mentioned, the Yankees should not getting Eugenio Suárez. Let me hit you with a put up from former FanGraphs editor Jon Tayler:
Jon unnoticed McMahon’s usually nice protection, which has pushed him to 1.4 WAR, however his level remains to be clear. McMahon hasn’t hit significantly better than the Yankees third basemen this season. It’s stunning, however in eight full main league seasons, McMahon has by no means as soon as put up even a league-average batting line. He hits the ball laborious and takes his walks, however he’s hanging out almost 32% of the time and he’s by no means surpassed 24 residence runs in a season. His greatest 12 months got here in 2022, when he ran a wRC+ of 97 and put up 3.1 WAR. Clearly, the Yankees see the potential for extra, so let’s speak causes for optimism.
We now have to start out with exit velocity. McMahon has all the time hit the ball laborious, however he’s ascended to a brand new airplane this season. He’s tied for sixth amongst all certified hitters in common exit velocity. The one gamers forward of him are Oneil Cruz, Aaron Choose, Shohei Ohtani, Kyle Schwarber, and Juan Soto. That is rarefied air (in rarefied air). McMahon’s Ninetieth-percentile exit velocity is roughly the identical because it’s been for the previous couple of years, however even when he hasn’t accessed a completely new gear of top-end energy, it’s stunning that each one that further laborious contact hasn’t resulted in elevated manufacturing. He’s operating profession highs in barrel charge, pulled air ball charge, and launch angle on hard-hit balls. That’s not often a recipe for a career-high 63-point hole between your anticipated slugging share (.466) and your precise slugging share (.403).
McMahon additionally has the very best xwOBA (.343) and greatest DRC+ (93) of his profession. His luck ought to change in some unspecified time in the future. Furthermore, a left-handed hitter who simply raised his pulled air ball charge from 11.1% to 18.8% appears more likely to do fairly nicely in Yankee Stadium. Leaving Coors Subject could harm, however on the danger of being cynical, heading to a unique group and new teaching workers might be going to assist. The scenario isn’t precisely analogous, however I’d refer you to Chisholm, who ran a 102 wRC+ with the Marlins and to this point is at 135 with the Yankees. For that matter, LeMahieu represents one other former Rockie who joined the Yankees on the age of 30 and instantly blossomed on the plate.
Over the course of his profession, McMahon has actual platoon splits. He’s obtained a 95 wRC+ in opposition to righties, in comparison with 75 in opposition to lefties. This season, he’s all the way in which right down to 58 in opposition to lefties. Nonetheless, if any group can soak up that concern, it’s the Yankees, whose 120 wRC+ in opposition to lefties is the very best in baseball. Supervisor Aaron Boone expressed pleasure about McMahon throughout his pregame press convention on Friday. “I do know there’s actual offensive potential in there,” he mentioned. “I do know he’s had offensive success, in addition to some struggles there over the past calendar 12 months too. It looks as if over the past month, he’s actually began to swing the bat like he’s able to. As a result of he can impression the ball, he can management the strike zone. He’s had some swing-and-miss that in all probability harm him slightly bit, however then he can actually defend over there. Simply the handful of instances that we’ve performed in opposition to them that I watch him, you’re like, ‘That’s what it ought to appear like over there.’”
Boone’s estimation of McMahon over the past month just isn’t fairly correct, although the third baseman has been swinging a sizzling bat over the past two weeks. In 9 video games since July 11, he has a 197 wRC+ throughout 36 plate appearances. From June 25-July 9, the earlier two weeks, McMahon had a -27 wRC+ over 14 video games and 51 plate appearances.
For the remainder of the season, McMahon has a reasonably low bar to clear to signify an enchancment. If all he does is preserve taking part in the way in which he has on either side of the ball, he’ll be higher than what the Yankees would in any other case have gotten at third. If his luck adjustments and some extra of these hard-hit balls discover grass (or the quick porch), unexpectedly, he’s up round league common on the plate and a large improve for New York. If the Yankees can assist him to benefit from his pull energy, he may very well be a difference-maker going ahead. McMahon has put up 10.7 WAR since 2021, making him a reliably wholesome, reliably barely above-average third baseman, and he’s below contract by 2027.
As for the Rockies’ portion of the commerce, dealing a favourite like McMahon with two and a half years left on his contract alerts an actual departure. As Darragh McDonald famous at MLB Commerce Rumors, the Rockies are keen on extending less-productive homegrown gamers, and have additionally let gamers like Trevor Story and Jon Grey stroll in free company reasonably than buying and selling them on the deadline. It could be an acknowledgement of simply how deep a gap the group has dug for itself.
That is the primary time we’ve written about both Herring or Grosz right here at FanGraphs, so after this paragraph, the whole lot you learn was written by Eric Longenhagen. The Yankees drafted the left-handed Herring out of LSU within the sixth spherical in 2024, and Eric at present has a future worth of 40 on him. The 22-year-old has been dominant in his first skilled season, and in accordance with MLB Pipeline, he slots in because the group’s fifth-ranked prospect. Josh Grosz, who can be 22, jumps to the very prime of the listing of gamers most certainly to be confused with Josh Sborz. The Yankees drafted the righty Grosz out of East Carolina within the eleventh spherical in 2023, and though his outcomes have been diversified as far as knowledgeable, he’s operating a 3.38 FIP in Excessive-A and hanging out almost 10 batters per 9 innings. Eric has a future worth of 35+ on him. With that, listed below are Eric’s breakdowns:
Griffin Herring
Herring spent two years as LSU’s most constant lengthy reliever (working as many as 5 innings) and was a draft-eligible sophomore in 2024. The Yankees made a number of adjustments to his supply and pitch utilization, which helped him dominate Low-A and earn a promotion after simply eight begins. He had a 1.71 ERA mixed at each ranges on the time of the commerce, although his Okay% dipped fairly a bit after he was moved as much as Hudson Valley. Herring’s fastball solely averages about 90 mph however lives off deception and driving life. Since turning professional, his arm slot has been raised, however his stride down the mound has gotten greater and longer, and his extension was simply shy of seven ft on the time of the commerce.
His free, whippy arm motion prevents hitters from seeing the baseball till launch, and regardless of missing something near MLB common fastball velocity, Herring’s heater has generated above-average chase-and-miss to this point this 12 months. With the Yankees, Herring additionally emphasised the usage of his slider, which has develop into his most-deployed pitch. It ranged from 80-85 mph in his remaining Yankee outing previous to the deal, and has tight late motion however lacks large depth. It’s taking part in like an above-average pitch in professional ball. Herring didn’t actually have a changeup in faculty, however he’s added one as a professional and is throwing it about 14% of the time. His really feel for it isn’t dangerous contemplating he’s simply begun utilizing it, however it typically cuts on him or finishes too excessive. A clean on-mound operator, Herring appears the a part of a starter regardless that he isn’t particularly bodily due to his mechanical grace. It’s spectacular that he’s maintained his glorious faculty strike-throwing regardless that his supply has been modified, and he tasks as a high-floor backend starter.
Josh Grosz
Grosz began for the higher a part of his final two years at ECU, and although his strike-throwing backed up throughout his draft spring, he nonetheless entered professional ball with a shot to start out based mostly on the depth of his repertoire and the misleading cadence of his supply. It is a pitcher with dangerous fastball form, however the jerky cadence and quick actions of Grosz’s supply make him powerful for hitters to time. He’s added a couple of tick and a half of velo to his fastball since turning professional, although this seems to be extra a results of power coaching than attributable to a mechanical overhaul. Grosz sits 92-95 with equal elements rise and run, successfully giving him a sinker from his three-quarters arm slot. His slider is tough, 83-86 mph on common, and lives on the glove facet half of the plate as extra of a flinch-inducing, strike-getting pitch than a nasty bat-misser. The largest change for Grosz in professional ball has been the make-up and utilization of his changeup. It appears like Grosz is utilizing a splinker-style grip, and it has extra constant sink now than when he was in faculty, although it nonetheless is usually a tailing pitch. That is producing essentially the most constant chase-and-miss of Grosz’s three pitches, regardless that it’s his first 12 months of utilizing it repeatedly. With out a plus providing, he appears like a constant, low-variance depth starter.
Affiliate editor Matt Martell contributed reporting to this text.