After a presumably mundane trade deadline, many Rockies fans were left confused with the lack of trades made on deadline day. It seemed to follow the trend of Colorado being notoriously reluctant to know their situation; not trading away veterans on contract years despite a record that has them in the cellar. The frustration from this deadline is similar to previous seasons, where we didn’t trade the likes of Trevor Story, Jon Gray, C.J. Cron, Daniel Bard, etc.
The two trades the Rockies did make this season weren’t exactly close to the season prior (four), but again, that doesn’t mean it was a bad deadline. The willingness to trade away a contract-friendly reliever in Nick Mears shows the Rockies genuine desire to gear up for a potential window in a couple of years. He wasn’t necessarily future plans for Colorado, so they traded him for two eventual MLB arms (let’s not forget how quickly fortunes turned on Jake Bird and Justin Lawrence this year).
As for Jalen Beeks, trading him gives younger guys opportunities in the later innings while also bringing back a promising lefty prospect.
Although MLB veterans Elias Diaz, Jacob Stallings, Austin Gomber, and most notably Cal Quantrill weren’t traded, it doesn’t leave Colorado without options. If players like Diaz or Gomber continue their poor pace of play, they could be candidates to be placed on waivers. There will still be a chance to provide new opportunities to young players, even though trades didn’t manifest.
To follow will be grades for each Rockies trade and the deadline overall, as well as an extensive look at each player either traded away, traded for, and everything noteworthy in between.
Table of Contents:
Nick Mears Trade
The Rockies acquired RHP Nick Mears, 27, in January 2023, claiming him off waivers from the Texas Rangers. He played sparingly in the 2023 campaign, only appearing in 16 games while tossing 19.1 innings, registering a 3.72 ERA and a strong 134 ERA+ (adjusted for ballpark with 100 being average).
Impressed by his performance, the Rockies included Mears on their Opening Day roster for the 2024 season. In total, he made 41 appearances with Colorado this season, pitching to a 5.56 ERA with 57 strikeouts over 45 1⁄3 innings. Oddly enough, he performed better at Coors Field, allowing just nine runs in 25.2 innings at home (3.15 ERA), compared to 19 earned runs in 19.2 innings on the road (8.69 ERA).
As manager Bud Black continued to search for a reliable closer, he gave Mears a shot at the role. However, Mears struggled, going 0-for-2 in save opportunities in 2024, making him 0-for-7 in such scenarios in his career. Mears also faced difficulties in the 8th inning, where he posted an 11.00 ERA over 16.1 innings. Outside of the 8th and 9th, Mears thrived, boasting a supreme 1.89 ERA in 19 innings pitched. These numbers suggest that high-pressure situations did not suit Mears during his time with the Rockies.
The Brewers sought out Mears because he has unique traits on his mid-90s fastball and a high quality pair of breaking balls to match. With some polish in an organization known for developing pitching, Mears could be seeing late innings for one of the National League’s best teams.
With Mears, no longer on the team, the Rockies must replace a pitcher who ranked in the 97th percentile for hard-hit rate and the 89th percentile for barrel percentage. Although Mears avoided barrels and had an impressive strikeout rate (11.3 K/9), he did have issues with control, ranking in the 23rd percentile for walk rate, and underperformed in clutch situations.
Who Did The Rockies Get in Return?
The Rockies received a pair of right-handed arms in 23-year-old Bradley Blalock and 20-year-old Yujanyer Herrera. Blalock, already on the 40-man roster since the offseason, made his debut for Milwaukee earlier in the year, recording a scoreless inning.
While not an overly flashy arm, Blalock sits roughly 92-95 with a quality fastball from a deceptive overtop arm slot that helps him get the fastball downhill to create groundballs. Blalock also slings a curveball that has consistently gotten results and matches the steep qualities of his fastball. The intrigue here lies with a recently developed splitter that’s already a third average or better pitch.
Blalock was drafted out of high school in 2019 by the Red Sox before the pandemic wiped out 2020. The Georgia native pitched 86.1 innings in 2021 before undergoing Tommy John and missing all of 2022 before pitching sparingly in 2023. Blalock thus entered 2024 with a low mileage arm and one that’s only gotten 236 pro innings to develop.
There’s a chance Blalock has room to grow but already has the stuff and strikethrowing ability to pick up some MLB starts down the stretch with a fallback option as a long reliever in the future should his progress stagnate.
As for Yujanyer Herrera, he is an interesting pitcher in nearly all aspects. He doesn’t have an uber-athletic presence on the mound nor does he have a true “elite” pitch for a prospect. However, he possesses a strong, repeatable delivery that keeps everything consistent about his game. He throws two mid-90s fastballs (4-seam & 2-seam) that have distinctly different movements. Herrera carries a wipeout slider that has dominated all levels of competition, he also owns a cutter and has an undeveloped changeup.
Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Yujanyer Herrera was signed internationally by Milwaukee for a $10,000 signing bonus. He made his professional debut in the Arizona Complex League in 2021, carrying a 9.00 ERA. However, his advanced fastball/slider combination has had him fly through the minors ever since.
At just 20 years old, Herrera made it all the way to High-A before being traded to Colorado. His 2024 numbers have been nothing short of impressive. Across 68.0 innings, Herrera owns a 2.91 ERA with 77 strikeouts, just 23 walks, and has given up just a single home run.
Herrera’s fastball sets up his slider well enough that it consistently fools batters. That dynamic will carry throughout the rest of his career, so strikeouts will remain at the forefront of his game and be crucial to Herrera’s long-term success. He’s already shaping up to be one of the top starting pitching prospects in the organization. Colorado may have found gold in Herrera.
Trade Grades: Isaac: B+ | Noah: C+ | Tyler: B
Overall: For a controllable reliever like Mears, it seemed the price could’ve been higher but the organization is very high on Blalock and Herrera. Blalock is already on the 40-man and it’s likely Herrera will join him this winter.
Jalen Beeks Trade
The Rockies acquired Jalen Beeks this off-season, claiming him off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays. In 2023 with the Rays, Beeks bounced back and forth between the Majors and Tampa’s Triple-A squad, the Durham Bulls. Ultimately, Beeks made 30 MLB appearances that season, including eight starts.
His 2023 totals were a bit underwhelming, as he tossed 42.1 innings, earning a 5.95 ERA with 47 strikeouts. However, his 3.82 FIP–more in line with his career figures from year’s past–suggested perhaps he was a victim of some bad luck.
The Rockies, needing a late-inning lefty, took a chance on Beeks, 31, inking him to a one-year, $1.68 million contract to avoid arbitration. In 45 games with Colorado, Beeks was a mixed bag. He totaled a 4.74 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 49.1 innings out of the bullpen, but was variable in the late innings.
In save situations, Beeks was just 9-for-16. Additionally, in 21.2 innings considered save situations, he allowed 17 earned runs, good for a 7.06 ERA. Outside of save situations, Beeks allowed just nine runs in 27.2 innings, good for a 2.93 ERA.
However, Beeks performed well at Coors Field, which the Rockies will miss. At home, he had a 3.81 ERA compared to a 6.00 ERA on the road. He also excelled against lefties, limiting them to a .182 batting average.
Now with Pittsburgh, it will be interesting to see what role the Pirates elect to utilize him in.
Who Did The Rockies Get in Return?
Fellow left-handed pitcher, Luis Peralta came back. Brother of Brewers pitcher, Freddy Peralta, success on the mound falls in line with the family. The younger Luis offers a low-launch mid-90s fastball, topping at 97.
He then offers a true slider that is devastating to lefty bats. Peralta hides the ball extremely well, and tunnels his fastball and slider well so batters are fooled for longer, creating a guessing game at the plate.
Peralta was born in the Dominican Republic, and signed internationally in July 2017. He will be Rule-5 eligible this off-season and with his performance this year, will be a likely player added to the 40-man roster. Peralta’s outings in 2024 have been some of the best in all of minor league baseball. His 0.91 ERA across High-A and Double-A ranks as the 3rd lowest in ALL of the minors of pitchers with 39 IP or more. Peralta not giving up runs is great, but he also ranks 3rd in Minor League Baseball in K% at 41.0% (min. 39 IP).
While projecting the roster for 2025, Peralta is looking to join Lucas Gilbreath, Evan Justice, and Antoine Kelly as the only lefties in the bullpen. With elite strikeout numbers, and an ability to limit walks, Peralta could be an impact arm in the pen as soon as next year.
Trade Grades: Isaac: A | Noah: A+ | Tyler: A+
Overall: Beeks was on an expiring contract and the return is a legit relief prospect with a chance to contribute next year.
Final Thoughts
Tyler’s Input: The running joke around the Rockies is that they won’t make any trades at the deadline. It’s now been two years of activity at the deadline with 9 pitching prospects added in return for marginal short-term pieces. Instead, the goal posts have moved and fans are now dissatisfied the Rockies didn’t have a yard sale and ship out every tradeable player.
There are questions as to who even had legitimate trade interest outside of Cal Quantrill–though Quantrill’s recent struggles are no secret around the league. Austin Gomber has a 7+ ERA since early June, Elias Diaz has a sub .600 OPS since late May, Jacob Stallings was a below replacement catcher for two years before joining Colorado, Brendan Rodgers has never found any sort of ballplayer identity in his career, and the list goes on with marginal veterans. Going back to the yard sale analogy, the Rockies had a dusty assortment of undesirable goods that nobody would jump to buy, even if practically for free.
All this is to say, we didn’t miss out on much. In the case of Quantrill, he should’ve been traded. The Rockies likely wavered on trading him after the market price dropped dramatically, but that doesn’t mean the Rockies should have held off on a trade. In terms of the rest, it’s hard to say any real offers manifested on deadline day–I’m not saying they didn’t but we certainly cannot say they did. Not seeing Quantrill dealt as the cherry on top leaves this deadline somewhat disappointing but the Rockies still cashed in on two former waiver claims and received three new top 30 prospects in return.
Noah’s Input: Look, the Rockies losing 90+ games consistently in recent years has not been fun. Like many fans, I would have loved to see a full overhaul of our older players, as well as the ones who have failed to perform to expectations.
The problem is, that’s not realistic.
Above, Tyler did a great job of outlining various reasons describing why certain players were not traded. As frustrating as it is, the same reasons that made Rockies fans wary of certain players also made them unappealing to contending teams’ front offices.
Personally, I was surprised by the decision to move reliever Nick Mears. Given the returns for other relievers around the league, I believe the Rockies could have received more for him. However, I believe Colorado scored big by acquiring Luis Peralta in exchange for reliever Jalen Beeks, hence the B- grade.
Isaac’s Input: The adrenaline after seeing the Rockies make a trade is one of the better feelings to get as a fan, and seeing it only twice this deadline was certainly disappointing. Disappointment as a result of high expectations does not equate to a bad deadline, however. The positive outlook is that we got three top 30 prospects for two bullpen arms with ERAs over 4.50; how can that be a bad deadline?
The Rockies are also faced with the challenge of only 165 Minor League players per organization. So choosing that certain number of players is an entire process and throwing names into the bunch comes with a cost. Trading an aging Jake Cave for a fringe prospect with a .700 OPS would take away another prospect’s opportunity, for example. So doing a rapid fire sale simply has other considerations.
While I believe that the two trades made were great, it’s just hard not to be disappointed when young guys’ spots are still being occupied after the trade deadline. The assumption was that the Rockies were gonna get a new regular catcher in Drew Romo, though that’s on pause for now. Then if Quantrill or Gomber were traded, we would’ve seen opportunities for other starters. Therefore, there is a definite sour taste in my mouth after only two trades but they were two good/great trades at least.
Deadline Grades: Isaac: C+ | Noah: B- | Tyler: B-
By no means did the Rockies hit this deadline out of the park. But also, nobody can sit here and assume they had viable offers for other players on the table. The biggest drawback was not clearing spots for Drew Romo and for young players to get more experience in the rotation and outfield.
However, just because a player wasn’t moved at the deadline does not mean they’ll be on the team the rest of the way. There’s more pieces to the puzzle; stay tuned as they fall into place.
Leave a Reply