With a depleted infield, should Buster Posey be looking to put Ryan McMahon in a Giants uniform?
One of the San Francisco Giants’ division rivals is reportedly listening to trade offers for one of their most proven players. The Colorado Rockies are open to trading third baseman Ryan McMahon, according to a report by Jon Heyman of The NY Post. Heyman’s report listed McMahon as a top target for the New York Yankees, who are looking for a third baseman to enable them to shift Jazz Chisholm back to his best position (second base).
In the ugliest era of Rockies baseball since the franchise’s inception, McMahon has been one of the few consistent and solid contributors since becoming an everyday player back in 2018. McMahon is hitting just .213/.314/.382 with 12 home runs so far this season, a dip below his .240/.323/.419 career line. However, his numbers are still being held down by an abysmal start to the season. His production has rebounded over his past 200 plate appearances.
Of course, serious questions remain surrounding how McMahon will fair at the plate playing in a less favorable home stadium than Coors Field. By Baseball Savant’s expected home runs (xHR) model, McMahon would only have 97 career home runs if he had played every game at Oracle Park, a massive drop from his actual total (136).
An elite defensive third baseman, McMahon’s fit in San Francisco is less valuable than other potential suitors. Given the imminent return of Matt Chapman and hopefully Casey Schmitt soon after, the Giants do not have a long-term need at third base. However, McMahon also has extensive experience at second base (244 career MLB games) and has graded out as an average defender.
McMahon is making $12 million this season and is owed $16 million in 2026 and 2027. While those numbers are more than reasonable given his track record of production on both sides of the ball, it’s much harder to envision the Giants committing that long-term salary to him. A significant portion of McMahon’s value comes from his exceptional defense at the hot corner, which is simply redundant for a squad that already has Chapman locked up long-term and Schmitt under team control. Perhaps that calculus could change if the Giants are willing to trade Schmitt in a separate deal, but that seems unlikely.
If McMahon were on an expiring contract, it would be easier to see the Giants making an aggressive play for their division rival. A more immediate move could solve their current third base problem until Chapman returns while offering a steadying veteran presence at second base down the line. However, with a long-term contract and multiple contenders eyeing third baseman, it’s hard to imagine the Giants making Colorado the best offer.