DENVER (AP) — Third baseman Ryan McMahon was acquired by the Yankees from the Colorado Rockies on Friday for a pair of minor league pitchers in an effort by New York to stop its slide down the AL East standings.
New York sent Colorado a pair of 22-year-old pitchers in the low minors, right-hander Josh Grosz and left-hander Griffin Herring.
“A really good defender. Has had some ups and downs offensively this year,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “I know there’s real offensive potential in there.”
An All-Star a year ago, the 30-year-old McMahon was hitting .217 with 16 home runs and 35 RBIs for last-place Colorado. His 127 strikeouts entering Friday were second to the 137 of Detroit’s Riley Greene, but McMahon was hitting .300 with three homers and seven RBIs in six games following the All-Star break.
He is owed about $36.2 million from the remainder of a $70 million, six-year contract through 2027.
McMahon moved from a Rockies team that is a major league worst 26-76 to the Yankees, who had a seven-game AL East lead and 35-20 record through May 28 but began Friday 19-26 since then. They started the weekend 4 1/2 games behind Toronto.
“I was acquired at the deadline, so it’s something that I’m very sensitive to and try to be really understanding to,” Boone said. “Everyone’s different and you’re leaving a place maybe where you’ve been your entire career. So hopefully the environment is a great thing for him.”
New York moved All-Star infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. back to second base from third in early July and released two-time batting champion DJ LeMahieu, who was batting .266 with two homers, 12 RBIs and a .674 OPS.
Oswald Peraza, who got most of the starts at third, was 3 for 30 with no RBIs since taking over as the primary third baseman on Aug. 6.
McMahon had spent all nine of his seasons in the majors with the Rockies. He is a career .240 hitter with 140 home runs and 452 RBIs.
“He’s been a big part of what we’ve done for a while, so it’s sad to see him go,” Rockies interim manager Warren Schaeffer said. “He’s going to have a really good opportunity to get to the postseason, and I’m happy for him for that.”
McMahon is due $4,193,548 for the remaining portion of his $12 million salary this year and $16 million in each of the next two seasons. He projects to add $4.6 million to the Yankees’ luxury tax bill on a tax payroll that started the season third in the major leagues at just under $311 million.
Herring was 7-3 with a 1.71 ERA, 102 strikeouts and 36 walks over 89 1/3 innings innings for Hudson Valley and Tampa.
Grosz was 4-8 with a 4.14 ERA and 94 strikeouts and 35 walks in 87 innings at Hudson Valley.
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AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum and AP freelance writer Larry Fleisher in New York, and AP Baseball Writer Noah Trister in Baltimore, contributed to this report.
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