Rockies Seeking New Future at Third Base After Trading Ryan McMahon

The Colorado Rockies made a trade at the deadline this year, and it put a massive hole in their lineup.

Jul 20, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon (24) hits a double in the seventh inning against the Minnesota Twins at Coors Field. / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

The MLB trade deadline always has winners and losers. The Colorado Rockies made a few trades, but there is one that stands out among the rest. Colorado traded away their All-Star third baseman that still had two years left on his contract. Doing this left a massive hole in their lineup.

Ryan McMahon was an All-Star in 2024, but started 2025 extremely slow. The left-handed hitter slashed .217/.314/.403 with 16 home runs, 35 RBI and 42 runs scored in 100 games played with the Rockies this season. The power was always going to be there with McMahon, especially at Coors Field, but there were some strikeout problems and his average dipped in a big way.

Because of those struggles, the Rockies felt the return they would get on a trade is better than what their veteran third baseman would produce. However, Colorado may not have been thinking about the future as much as they should have. There is not a massive hole at the third base position and there are not many players for the team to turn to.

Rockies Do Not Have Depth At Third Base

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Besides McMahon, the Rockies had seven other players spend at least one game at third base. Kyle Karros and Orlando Arcia played the second and third-most games at the hot corner. Kyle Farmer (9), Warming Bernabel (2), Aaron Schunk (2), Tyler Freeman (1) and Owen Miller (1) each had a shot at the position, as well.

As a team, the Rockies' third basemen had the second-highest strikeout percentage, the seventh-lowest batting average and the sixth-lowest wRC+. With those numbers in mind, it is going to be hard for Colorado to slot any of their remaining third basemen into the lineup in 2026. Bernabel would be their best bet, but he played mainly first base in 2025.

Looking at the minor leagues, Colorado has one player in their top prospect list that is a primary third baseman. That player is Ethan Hedges, their third round pick out of USC in this year's draft. The right-handed batter slashed just .195/.303/.234 in High-A in his first taste of pro ball, so there is still a long way to go until he is ready for the big leagues.

The Rockies Have to Fix This Problem in Free Agency

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The Rockies have this massive hole and it is one of the more important positions on the field. Of cours every team wants their position players to be solid at the plate, but a good defensive third baseman can go a long way towards putting the team in a position to succeed. Colorado should be looking at the free agent class to fill this hole.

Now, it is more than reasonable to expect top free agents like Alex Bregman and Eugenio Suarez to pass on the Rockies. However, there are other players that would slot in nicely with the team. The new general manager is going to have a lot on his plate, but figuring out who is going to man the hot corner should be a top priority.

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