The New York Yankees have officially made their first major move ahead of the 2025 MLB trade deadline next week. New York is sending prospects Josh Grosz and Griffin Herring to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for third baseman Ryan McMahon.

McMahon had been linked to the Yankees in the past few weeks as a “backup” option if they weren’t able to ink a deal for Arizona Diamondbacks’ third baseman Eugenio Suárez. Though Suárez is a rental and would likely be a more budget-friendly option, the addition of McMahon (and, yes, the remaining two years on his six-year, $70 million contract) make sense for the Yankees.

While McMahon has a career batting average of .240, he’s slashing .292/ .393/ .750 in his last seven games, and is a solid glove in a position where the Yankees desperately need more consistency. His hitting record away from home during his time in Colorado is certainly not as strong as it was at Coors Field, but the Yankees have a proven track record for getting veterans to some of their career-best numbers.

Furthermore, making a trade for McMahon gives the Yankees more long-term stability at third. Jorbit Vivas and Oswald Peraza have been doing a decent job splitting reps at the position, but neither have the hitting power the Yankees need to return to the World Series. While Suárez may have better batting numbers than McMahon, a slew of embarrassing defensive errors have plagues the Pinstripes’ recent play. Those errors haven’t happened at third base, but shoring up the infield certainly doesn’t hurt their chances.

The Yankees still have two major needs ahead of next week’s trade deadline: a starting pitcher and a more consistent bullpen arm. Getting McMahon is just the beginning of big deals New York is expected to make, and they’ve made it clear: the Yankees are looking ahead to this October and beyond.

Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more!