At 36-63, the Colorado Rockies will undoubtedly enter the trade deadline as sellers. But when it comes to Ryan McMahon, the Rockies are prepared to take a different approach.
McMahon has received assurance from general manager Bill Schmidt that he won't be dealt away at the trade deadline, via Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Teams will likely continue to send in offers up until the final minutes of the deadline. But Schmidt is prepared to turn them down and continue building the Rockies around McMahon.
Which makes sense considering the infielder was just named to his first career All-Star Game. Through 97 games, McMahon is hitting .271 with 14 home runs, 45 RBI and three stolen bases.
With a career .247 batting average, McMahon has been much more consistent at the plate in 2024. However, he hasn't lost his power stroke, only 10 home runs away from tying his career-high. Over his eight-year career, McMahon has 20+ home runs and 67+ RBI in every season in which he played 100+ games.
After making a name for himself in Colorado, the Rockies decided they didn't want McMahon to leave anytime soon. They signed him to a six-year, $70 million contract extension back in 2022. Because of his new deal, McMahon is under team control through the 2027 season.
Over his 854 total games with the Rockies, McMahon has hit .247 with 118 home runs, 397 RBI and 27 stolen bases. Coming off of his first All-Star nod, McMahon's squad is only expecting those numbers to go up. More importantly, they're expecting that rise to come in Colorado.
Ryan McMahon is crucial piece of Rockies' future lineup
With McMahon locked in at third base – although he can play around the infield – the Rockies are now focused on building out the rest of their offense. Joining him on the infield are a number of intriguing prospects.
Shortstop Ezequiel Tovar was the team's No. 1 overall prospect in 2023, via MLB Pipeline. Through 9 games in 2024, he is hitting .278 with 16 home runs and 46 RBI. While he needs to cut down on the strikeouts, Tovar is only 23-years-old. Oozing with potential, Colorado will give him every opportunity to stake his claim as their shortstop of the present and future.
Brendan Rodgers was expected to fill that role at one point before being moved to second base. While injuries have held him back, he has still maintained his spot at second and is hitting .263 with six home runs and 29 RBI in 2024. Colorado's new No. 1 prospect Adael Amador is waiting for his full-time opportunity at the major league level.
In the outfield, Brenton Doyle was one of the hottest hitters in baseball at one point during the first half. Overall, he is hitting .279 with 16 home runs, 45 RBI and 20 stolen bases through 94 games in 2024. While Doyle is now locked in at center, Colorado is loaded with outfield prospect capital. Six of their top 10 prospects play outfield.
Eventually, the Rockies will need to stop thinking about potential and starting thinking about string together wins. But when they do, they still want Ryan McMahon on their roster. While he would be one of – if not – Colorado's hottest commodities at the deadline, the Rockies aren't prepared to trade him away.
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