FanPost

A Potential Impact Sneaky NinjaCash Trade

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Over the last few seasons some of the biggest acquisitions the Yankees have made have had the least amount of buzz surrounding them. No one batted an eye when the Yankees added a glove first third basemen named Gio Urshela. The Luke Voit deal was looked over until he put on his best Babe Ruth impersonation for the last two months of the 2018 season. Tauchman and Maybin filled in wonderfully for our often injured outfielders but no one rejoiced when their deals were announced. Even the now-fan-favorite DJ LeMahieu deal was complained about as being the Yankees cheap alternative to Manny Machado and Bryce Harper. LeMahieu in turn had a better season than Machado or Harper at a fraction of the cost. Going back another few years Didi Gregorious and Aaron Hicks saw their stock rise considerably after slipping into the navy blue pinstripes. While the Sonny Gray, Giancarlo Stanton and James Paxton moves got the press, I am not sure the Yankees make the playoffs last season without the lower profile moves. So who could Cashman target next? Look no further than DJ and Tauchmans’ former organization the Colorado Rockies and their infielder Ryan McMahon.

McMahon was drafted as a third basemen by the Rockies in the second round of the 2013 MLB Draft out of Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, CA. Before the draft he was regarded as one of the top high school bats available. Also serving as the starting quarterback for his high school, he never had his full focus on baseball until he signed his deal. Scouts cited his quick bat and power potential as his greatest tools but also lauded his defense and arm as both being plus at third base. Once drafted the Rockies primarily moved him over to the right side of the infield since they already have a certain someone named Nolan Arenado entrenched at third and another stud in Trevor Story at shortstop. Last season he saw major league time at first, second and third base. He graded negatively at second but above average at first and third according to both DRS and UZR albeit small sample sizes. With his athletic ability plus more experience I can see him settling in as an average to above average defender at all three positions.

At the plate in 2019 he showed both promise and flaws. He profiles as a lefty power bat with some swing and miss. His 29.4 K% last season leaves a lot to be desired. However he also posted a strong 10.4 BB% and .329 BABIP in 539 plate appearances. He has always posted strong BABIP numbers due to his ability to smoke the ball when he makes contact. He slugged 24 dingers to go with a .250/.329/.450/.779 slash line good for an 87 OPS+ and 88 wRC+. None of those numbers are particularly good for a power hitter that plays half his games in the Rocky Mountains. However looking a little deeper he ranked in the 90th percentile in terms of hard hit % and average exit velocity. Almost every other ball he made contact with was scorched to the tune of a 47.7% Hard Hit rate. With an average exit velocity of 91.4 mph McMahon would ideally like to see more of his balls go in the air than on the ground. However his his average launch angle of 8.4 degrees lead to a bloated 50.8 ground ball % and a paltry 27.9 fly ball %. If he could create more loft on his swing and increase his launch angle to the 15-20 degree range he could flip flop his gb/fb rates to really maximize his power potential.

McMahon only turned 25 in December and is under team control through the 2023 season so he still has plenty of time to reach his potential before free agency. With the Yankees’ analytical and coaching staffs they could turn him into a 40 home run threat as a lefty bat in Yankee Stadium 2. He is currently blocking Rockies’ top prospect Brandon Rodgers at second base and could be made available. It seems the Rockies could always use pitching and the Yankees’ lower level minor league affiliates are littered with hard throwers that have low floors and high ceilings. The Rockies system also lacks quality catching depth. Maybe a deal surrounding Anthony Seigler, Antonio Gomez or Josh Breaux and a pitching lotto ticket could get it done. I have not seen anything connecting the Yankees to McMahon but he seems like the type of low cost sneaky acquisition Brian Cashman has been known to love in the past.

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