ARLINGTON, Texas — A third baseman is gone from the Yankees’ trade deadline wish list.
Ryan McMahon is a great fit for the Bronx.
This is his first All-Star appearance and he has been solid on both offense and defense (.797 OPS, 14 home runs in 95 games).
The left-hander’s exploits came with the Rockies, a team that went 29 games under .500 during the break and was effectively out of the running for an October game.
McMahon is 29 years old and under contract through 2027, and is owed a reasonable $44 million over the three seasons remaining on his deal.
The Rockies could jumpstart their rebuild by trading for a valuable player, especially one who would be valuable to the Yankees after getting very little out of an aging DJ LeMahieu this season.
But McMahon is confident a trade won’t happen before the deadline, no matter how much sense it might make.
McMahon said he tried to grab Colorado general manager Bill Schmidt for a chat before batting practice one day in the past week or two.
“We had a good discussion and came to the conclusion that I’m staying with the Rockies,” McMahon said Monday at Globe Life Field, where he was scheduled to play off the bench in Tuesday’s Midsummer Classic.
McMahon said he has a four-month-old daughter and a wife who “needs to clean up the house.”
He wanted peace of mind, and he got it, because the Rockies want to build a team around him, not through the prospects he can command.
The Yankees would need to look elsewhere if they want to upgrade from LeMahieu, but Jon Berti is nearing a rehab assignment and could be an option.
Another option for the Yankees could be Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who plays primarily as a first baseman for the fading Blue Jays.
Guerrero said he will “never sign with the Yankees” in 2022.
A year later, he said his anger toward the organization was “personal and goes back to my family.”
Guerrero recently told Virus Deportivo that he plans to play professionally for any team even if he is traded.
Asked again Monday about a possible Yankees move, Guerrero declined to say whether he had softened his position.
“I spoke with my father about this and told him I’ve decided to close this chapter,” Guerrero said through a translator. “I no longer want to talk about the Yankees situation.”
AL manager Bruce Bochy has deployed Aaron Judge to the cleanup spot, meaning there’s no guarantee Judge will face off against top NL starter Paul Skenes.
National League manager Torey Lovullo said he “probably wouldn’t” ask Skenes to pitch a second inning, even if the first inning was short.
Skenes, a 22-year-old rookie who has already developed into a superstar, may have to put runners on base.
“I’m excited about it,” Skenes said of the possibility of facing Judge, who he has never faced in his 11 major league starts.
The Pirates phenom’s fastball averages 99.1 mph, but a diving pitch he calls “The Sprinker” may be his best pitch.
“He’s a special talent,” Judge said. “You can talk about his velocity, but he’s a pitcher.”
Judge will only look at the pitcher if Steven Kwan, Gunnar Henderson or Juan Soto are on base.
“We have a good group of guys,” Judge said with a smile.
What approach will he take with Skenes?
“Don’t blink,” Judge said, “because the ball is coming at you pretty fast.”
