Let’s Talk About the Colorado Rockies at the Trade Deadline — Pitchers

Do the Rockies have any viable pitchers to trade?

Renee Dechert

20 Jun 2025 — 6 min read

The Colorado Rockies are not known for being active at the trade deadline. They tend to overvalue their prospects and either attempt to move them too late or expect an excessive return. In recent years, they’ve been more successful with modest trades that generally involve a free-agent pitcher they pick up on a one-year contract and flip at the deadline.

Here are some examples of trades under Bill Schmidt’s leadership:

Some of Schmidt’s trades have been successful (e.g., Victor Vodnik); some are pending (e.g., Tyler Freeman, Bradley Blalock); and some are unknown (e.g., Connor Van Scoyoc and Mason Albright).

However, all of these trades, save Sam Hilliard, were free agents the Rockies were able to flip.

Last week, Ken Rosenthal reported, “People briefed on the situation said the Rockies’ historically bad start isn’t expected to alter their way of handling the trade deadline, which typically has meant little activity for them.” Specifically mentioned as unavailable was reliever Jake Bird.

I mean, maybe.

Yes, the Rockies have historically been resistant to change, but I think folks saying that do not fully appreciate how bad the Rockies are this year, and how difficult this season is for everyone in the organization. Plus, no one expected Dick Monfort to fire Bud Black in early May, but it happened. (I will also be surprised to see Bill Schmidt survive the end of the year, but that’s a topic for another day.)

I may be an outlier here, but I expect the Rockies to move some players at the deadline who, typically, they would not in the past because desperate times call for desperate measures — and being under 20 wins heading into late June qualifies as “desperate.”

With that said, here’s my best attempt to divine the Rockies’ thinking in terms of their pitching staff.

First, who’s not gone? All the young pitchers: Ryan Feltner, Chase Dollander, Carson Palmquist, Zach Agnos, Seth Halvorsen, Juan Mejia, and Victor Vodnik. Schmidt has dedicated his front office time to building up the Rockies pitching inventory, and those players will not be moved. Simply put, they’re the future.

Also not moving is Antonio Senzatela.

I realize the Rockies get a great deal of (deserved) ridicule over the Kris Bryant contract, but folks really should consider Senzatela’s a bit. He’s under contract with the Rockies until 2026 with a salary AAV of $10.10 million. (The entire contract is five years for $50.5 million.) There is little evidence that Senzatela has MLB stuff — his numbers defy logic in today’s game. (Last week against the Washington Nationals, he had one swing-and-miss in 83 pitches.) Currently, he has a 6.72 ERA, and strikeouts are just not part of his game. I expect the Rockies to move Senzatela into long relief, but no one is taking that contract.

Now to pitchers who may be dealt.

• Jake Bird — I wrote about Bird last week, both in this newsletter and for Purple Row. (That piece includes an interview with Bird on the evolution of his sinker). With the exception of Ryan McMahon, he is the Rockies most valuable trade asset, and if there’s something they are learning this season, it’s that they need a more robust roster. Trading Bird can help that happen. Respectfully, Mr. Rosenthal, I think Bird is gone (though not to any team in the NL West because the Rockies will not want years of facing him).