Colorado wanted to trade us
Ryan McMahon, this was their offer:
We had hoped that
Josh Kasevich (9th best prospect according to mlb.com for 2024) would develop in to an infield option for us, but that was not the case.
In order to get some salary retention, they really wanted a 27yr old
"catcher" (45/50/45 ratings)
Robert Brooks.
McMahon has been around a .725 OPS hitters (Coors Field home field too) the last couple seasons, but he is a strong defender.
McMahon will be our starting 3B for 2026 & (theoretically) 2027.
We also needed a new 1B, but we decided to move the platoon of
Addison Barger & Orelvis Martinez to 1B and slide
George Springer in to the DH spot (hopefully keep him healthy).
We noticed that the Athletics had
Ian Happ (acquired from Chicago before the 2025 season) on the trade block.
He is owed $18m for 2026 and then he will be a free agent.
One player they were interested in was
Yariel Rodriguez.
He is owed $15m over the next two seasons and has a player option in 2028 for $6m (so likely $21m total).
After some considerations, we decided to pull the trigger on this 1 for 1 swap.
Here is Ian Happ:
Happ has a lifetime .779 OPS, but is coming off a .682 OPS season where he played over 150 games.
Here is Yariel Rodriguez:
With
Trey Yesavage & Juaron Watts-Brown both close to MLB ready and starting the season in AAA, we will have options to replace Yariel in the back end of the rotation.
Also -
Jamie Arnold (our 1st rounder from 2025) will be in AAA very soon:
We are going to sim ahead to opening day and check back in with a new team update!