Colorado Rockies trade anniversary: The Mike Tauchman trade

One year ago today, the Colorado Rockies traded outfielder Mike Tauchman to the New York Yankees for pitcher Phillip Diehl.

It probably seems like it has been longer than a year since the Colorado Rockies traded Mike Tauchman to the New York Yankees for pitcher Phillip Diehl but it has only been one year since the trade.

To put it nicely, it is not shown to be a good deal for the Rockies thus far.

Diehl, 25, made his MLB debut with the Rockies last season and he appeared in 10 games (all in relief). He pitched to a 7.36 ERA in 7 1/3 innings pitched. His peripheral numbers, though, painted a better picture as he had a FIP of 4.03 and a 4:1 strikeout ratio.

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Tauchman, on the other hand, had an excellent season with the Yankees. In 87 games (296 plate appearances), Tauchman .277/.361/.504 with 13 home runs, 47 RBI, and an OPS+ of 128. He also had 18 bDRS in 86 games in the outfield, which was a big contributor to his 3.8 bWAR. He, like most of the Yankees, though, was injured for part of the season with a calf strain.

In parts of two MLB seasons with the Rockies, Tauchman hit .153/.265/.203 in 53 games (69 plate appearances) with an OPS+ of 20. Obviously, he flipped a switch after joining the Yankees. Whether that was because he got more consistent playing time, an adjustment from him, coaching, or a combination of the three is something that we may never know.

Unless the Rockies are able to carry more than 26 players (and therefore, more than 13 pitchers) due to roster expansion, Diehl will likely have a hard time finding playing time for the Rockies in 2020.

Even with Tauchman’s 2019 season, he will likely find himself on the Yankees bench due to their plethora of outfield options as long as they are healthy (Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, Brett Gardner, Aaron Hicks, Clint Frazier, and they are also thinking of possibly converting Miguel Andujar to an outfielder).

As more time passes, we will obviously be able to determine how well the trade turns out for both teams better but at least thus far, the Yankees look to be the that has fared better.