Yankees Fit Rockies Most Interesting Trade Candidate

Brian Cashman could find himself between a Rockie and a hard place ahead of the MLB trade deadline.

It's no secret the New York Yankees general manager could be in the market for a third basemen before the July 31 deadline passes. Adding a third basemen makes a lot of sense, since it would allow Jazz Chisholm Jr. to slide over to second base.

ESPN's Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel wrote Tuesday the Yankees would be a good fit for several third basemen possibly on the trade market, including the Boston Red Sox's Alex Bregman, St. Louis Cardinals' Nolan Arenado, Arizona Diamondbacks' Eduardo Suarez and Colorado Rockies' Ryan McMahon.

Of those four, McMahon makes the most sense.

Bregman, 31, comes with a potentially high salary (he signed a three-year, $120 million contract with the Red Sox which contains an opt out) and injury concerns (he's currently sidelined with a sore quad).

Arenado, 34, is in the midst of an eight-year, $260 million contract and any team trading for him likely will be asked to take on a big chunk of the remaining money on his deal. On top of that, he's two years removed from his last All-Star appearance and three years removed from his last Gold Glove Award.

Suarez, 33, is fourth in the majors this season with 25 home runs and second with 67 RBI. That type of production means he could cost the Yankees a top prospect, even though Suarez will be a free agent after the season.

That brings us to McMahon, who has a fan in MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, calling him the Rockies' "most interesting trade candidate." Feinsand noted that McMahon is cost controlled with the infielder slated to make $16 million each of the next two seasons.

"McMahon has 10 home runs and a .901 OPS since the beginning of May, overcoming a sluggish start," Feinsand wrote. "There are teams in need of a third baseman including the Yankees and Tigers, so if the Rockies are willing to part with McMahon, they should be able to get a solid return."

But here's the silver lining: McMahon is just 30 years old. So from the Yankees' perspective, McMahon would be cost-controlled while still in the prime of his career. Paying $16 million a year for his age 31 and 32 seasons should give New York a good return for its investment.

On top of that, McMahon's resume doesn't match up to that of the other third base trade candidates, meaning the Yankees wouldn't have to surrender a premium prospect in a potential deal. McMahon has made just one All-Star appearance (Arenado has eight and Bregman two) and has never hit more than 23 home runs in a season (Arenado topped out at 42, Bregman 41 and Suarez is on pace this year for 52).

So if Cashman is looking for a third base trade target which won't require giving away the kitchen sink or crushing the team payroll, McMahon could be his best option.

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