Should Astros Look to Grab Ryan McMahon From Rockies at MLB Trade Deadline?

The Houston Astros are red-hot, winners of 7 of their last 10 contests and just a half-game behind the Seattle Mariners for first place in the American League West division.

After a slow start, the Astros are back to looking like possible contenders despite some brutal injury luck.

Slugging designated hitter Yordan Alvarez's status has gone from bad to worse, and pitcher Ronel Blanco was recently lost for the season with an elbow injury.

Those two were just added to a pile of already-existing pitcher injuries that have left the team seriously shorthanded.

Pitching will be a clear area of need at the trade deadline, but general manager Dana Brown should look to add to the lineup, too.

Ryan McMahon Makes Perfect Sense for Houston Astros

If he does pick up a hitter, Colorado Rockies infielder Ryan McMahon would be a perfect candidate.

With Kyle Tucker gone to the Chicago Cubs and Alvarez on the injured list, the current Astros lineup skews extremely right-handed.

Against righty pitchers, Houston ranks 24th in MLB in slugging percentage at .381, while they mash lefties to the tune of a .455.

McMahon is a natural splits hitter. For his career, he owns a .765 OPS against righties with a .686 against southpaws.

His hitting output is down this year compared to his career norms, but that could easily be chalked up to having to play in the environment that has resulted in a 9-50 record in Colorado.

McMahon has solid defensive experience at every spot in the infield aside from shortstop, which would make him a valuable asset for manager Joe Espada to deploy on a team that ranks 18th in defensive runs saved according to Fangraphs.

Acquiring McMahon would come with a reasonable financial commitment since he is under contract for both 2026 and 2027 for a price tag of $16 million apiece.

Any team that trades for him could improve the offer in exchange for the Rockies to retain some of that salary, or they could take the full deal to likely acquire him at a discount in terms of prospect capital.

The Astros are unlikely to shop at the very top of the trade market given the state of their farm system, but McMahon's decline in performance and remaining salary makes him an option the team could put together a package to acquire.

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