This Rockies lefty bat might be Yankees’ next bench steal

If you enjoyed Mike Tauchman, perhaps you’ll also love the Yankees’ next trick!

If they listen to us, that is.

For years, the Yankees have taken ex-Rockies and turned them into big-city centerpieces, from Adam Ottavino to DJ LeMahieu to Tauchman. Of course, Troy Tulowitzki also happened, but that … that quite simply doesn’t count, you understand that.

With New York’s offseason nearly finished, they still remain in need of a lefty bench bat who can play multiple positions (outfield in particular), and have about $5 million left of wiggle room before they hit the luxury tax threshold/de facto salary cap.

On the contrary, the Rockies’ offseason could only be just beginning. After shipping off Nolan Arenado to St. Louis on Friday, Colorado is kidding itself if it thinks it’ll be competing over the next several years. Therefore, this team should be aiming to trade anything that isn’t tied down — especially since the roster is comprised mostly of low-ceiling starters anyway.

Well, what about the Yanks and Ryan McMahon? We covered seemingly every other Rockies trade fit over the weekend, but we forgot about this 26-year-old lefty bat who’s hovered between “breakout” and “middling” since 2018. And yet he could slot in perfectly in the Bronx.

McMahon, the Rockies’ No. 2 prospect entering the 2018 season, got some significant shine in 2019, hitting .250 with 24 home runs in 141 games. Still freshly 26, his breakout was belied a bit by his shortened 2020, in which he hit nine homers, but accompanied by just a .215 average (still worth 0.6 WAR, though, for the pop and glove work).

In 2020, he played every infield position at least once, slotting in mainly at first and second while showcasing the versatility the Yankees truly could use in Tyler Wade’s stead. As any fan can tell you, the infield mix wore quite thin quite quickly last season, and the first line of defense wasn’t terribly impressive.

Accounting for injuries would be wise this time around — after all, isn’t that what they did when they acquired Tauchman on the eve of the regular season in 2019?

The Yankees’ “finished” offseason shouldn’t truly be sealed up until they give the Rockies a call and try to pry someone loose to insure either the rotation or bench.

The undervalued McMahon could be just as good a fit as any.

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