Yankees-Rockies trade idea sends $70 million All-Star to New York after scary injury

The New York Yankees saw something no one ever wants to see on a baseball field on Monday night. Now, they have to start thinking about backup plans.

Oswaldo Cabrera had been the Yankees' most frequent starting third baseman all season, but he had to be taken off the field in an ambulance after fracturing his ankle on a play at the plate. It was a scary moment, as Cabrera was in obvious pain and several players were visibly shaken up.

The Yankees already had to be considering other options at third base this year, because Cabrera has been a bench player for most of his career. Oswald Peraza and DJ LeMahieu will attempt to fill the void for now, but neither inspires a lot of confidence based on recent performance.

To that end, one baseball writer is calling on New York to make a splash on the trade market.

On Tuesday, Zach Kaplan of Athlon wrote that the Yankees "must trade" for Colorado Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon, a 2024 All-Star who has made sense as a left-handed infield bat for New York for quite some time.

"The Yankees reportedly called the Rockies about McMahon prior to the 2024 trade deadline, and the Rockies declined a trade, listing McMahon's desire to stay in Colorado after welcoming a daughter with his wife Natalie last February," Kaplan wrote.

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"However, the Rockies, amid their atrocious start to 2025, could entertain calls on McMahon, who represents one of the only players teams could express interest in."

McMahon, 30, is off to a mediocre start with a .735 OPS so far this season, but he's always been somewhat punished by playing at Coors Field, because he's not a true power threat and struggles to adjust to the change in conditions on the road. He's in year four of a six-year, $70 million extension.

If the Rockies have any baseball sense, they'll trade McMahon this year, assuming he's putting up even half-decent numbers by the deadline. But there's seemingly a new deep dive story written every day now about how the Rockies have no baseball sense to speak of.

The Yankees will have to hope Colorado finally sees the writing on the wall and moves McMahon while they can still get decent value for him. He'd be a great fit for Yankee Stadium in particular with his pull-oriented lefty swing.

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