Skraxx | July 31, 2026
After 2025, the Rockies were forced to accept reality. Three straight 100+ loss seasons and nothing to show for it. In response, the Rockies did something that many pessimists thought they would never do: make changes to the front office. Paul DePodesta was hired as President of Baseball Operations, Josh Byrnes was hired below him as GM, and many staff changes were made in support of the new Rockies era. The FO would then go on to make player moves in the offseason.
Not all of them have worked. But some of our brightest pieces this year have been a direct result of trades and signings. A willingness to make moves has put the Rockies in a better spot for the future, and at this deadline we should see the same. Dare I say: Don’t tune out of this deadline. This one seems like it will actually be worth our time.
Methodology: What makes a trade candidate?
It’s easy to point to the Rockies record and say that everyone should be on the table. Or maybe some of us are tired of losing and think we shouldn’t trade anyone at all. I would be strongly against either, especially because the logic has been clear for most teams by now. A player that is currently in ARB2 or greater should be a trade candidate for a selling team. It is largely not worth trading pre-arb players, while ARB1 players are more nuanced.
So, most players listed in this article will be mostly players in arbitration. I will, however, make one exception for being such an elephant in the room.
Players that won’t net much or are DFA candidates
Michael Lorenzen (RHSP), José Quintana (LHSP)
Lorenzen is 34, and Quintana is 37. Lorenzen’s FIP is much more forgiving of his ERA, but he is still not performing well and won’t net much. Quintana is currently injured and not performing much better anyway. The important part here is that the Rockies need to move on. We may not have too much SP depth, but we still have options whether acquired externally or promoted internally. We can’t send someone down like Gabriel Hughes just because we need to play Jose Quintana. The roster spot is more important than the return.
Jimmy Herget (RHRP)
I’ve separated Herget from the other two since he does have one more year of Arbitration. As much as I love The Human Glitch, the same logic applies. Herget is performing poorly at the age of 32, which is no guarantee of rebounding at 33. The Rockies will be shedding a lot of their relievers this deadline, including a trade or DFA of Herget.
Jordan Romano (RHRP)
Romano is in a really weird spot as one who has been fantastic on the Rockies in a small sample. This may be intriguing to some teams! However, it’s more likely that he hasn’t built enough value for the Rockies to get anything notable for him.
Tyler Freeman (UTIL)
To the dismay of some, Freeman is likely closer to a DFA than he is to anything else. There may be a team that could throw something towards him for his contact skills, but for now he is a below-average hitter with a glove that doesn’t make up for it regardless of his versatility. We may need the roster spot anyway.
Due Diligence
Kyle Freeland (LHSP)
It is a somewhat controversial opinion in itself to shop Freeland to begin with, but the Rockies should, regardless, gauge interest. While KFree will forever be a franchise icon, he could find himself of use as a lefty SP5 on some contenders. You never know, and you don’t refuse if you can get anything for a 7+ ERA pitcher on a $16m contract. But unlike Lorenzen and Quintana, I am totally fine if we keep him to finish 2026.
Ezequiel Tovar (SS), Willi Castro (UTIL)
Tovar has, suffice to say, been pretty rough this year. If the Rockies can find a way to unload him without too big of a sacrifice, they should do it. I will note that this is quite unlikely and would require the Rockies to take on money to do so.
As for Willi Castro, it’s more about his contract. He could find himself of use as a bench bat on some contenders, but the Rockies may find it easier to trade him next year with better stats. Yes, he can play shortstop, which is barren on the market, but he isn’t likely to be viewed as a genuine starting option.
Ryan Feltner (RHSP), Brenton Doyle (OF)
Feltner has been talked about as a breakout pick for a while. This has not happened, but I could see some teams still see the potential in him. Doyle is in a similar boat: has clearly flashed potential but hasn’t quite put it together. You could squint and see a team “buy low” on these candidates, but the offseason is likely a better time to have this discussion.
Mock Trades
With trade concepts!
COL Trades: Tomoyuki Sugano (RHSP)
MIN Trades: Zebby Matthews (RHP)
As much as I’d like to say Sugano would get a lot, he is still ultimately 36 and putting up “fine” numbers. So in this case I’ve decided to look for upside candidates who need a change of scenery.
In this case, the Twins find themselves contending, and they find themselves with a shaky rotation. The top is fine: Joe Ryan and Taj Bradley bring about quality appearances. Beyond that, they just can’t find consistency. This is where I think a straight swap between flawed but former interesting chip Zebby Matthews can simply be traded for Tomoyuki Sugano.
Zebby Matthews at his best was a prospect with great control but needing to find better strikeout pitches. It’s a profile that remains to this day, but the patience for the Twins is wearing thin. This would be a very easy way for the Twins to both stabilize their rotation as well as free a spot next year for pitchers like Abel and Quick.
COL Trades: Brennan Bernardino (LHRP)
ARI Trades: Jose Fernandez (INF) and Brian Curley (RHP)
You might hesitate to trade a player within division, but it’s something that really shouldn’t be off the table. While with the Dodgers, current Rockies GM Josh Byrnes witnessed many trades between them and the Padres that resulted in key playoff pieces. Of course, this one isn’t nearly as consequential, but regardless, I am not hesitant to trade with the DBacks.
This will seem pretty weak of a haul for Bernardino, but we just saw AJ Minter go for only the #21 and #29 prospects despite a strong ERA. He is an upcoming FA, but is younger and with a better track record. This translates to the Rockies acquiring Brian Curley, a mid-level prospect in the DBacks system with a high 90s fastball and mid 80s slider combination. We also acquire Jose Fernandez who made a very strong debut this year (.819 OPS in April/March) but is rather infield depth added.
COL Trades: Antonio Senzatela (RHRP)
PIT Trades: Hunter Barco (LHP) and Rafael Flores Jr. (C/1B)
Unfortunately, the Rockies may have waited just a tad too long to trade Antonio Senzatela. The pitches, while still good, have started to lose their surprise, and it comes at a significant $12m price tag for 2026.
Nonetheless, I do still think there’s value to be had. Barco regressed from his 2025 form as a prospect but still retains his funky delivery and is a seemingly great fit for Coors. Daniel Flores is a classic power prospect with whiff concerns, but I like him to add catching depth at our AAA/MLB levels. We lament that we could’ve gotten better before, but what’s done is done.
COL Trades: Mickey Moniak (OF)
TB Trades: Ty Johnson (RHP) and Joe Boyle (RHP)
No trade asset is as platoon-oriented as Mickey Moniak. While you may think this is cause for concern for trade value, some teams won’t hesitate nearly as much to add a platoon bat. One of these teams is the Tampa Bay Rays.
Ty Johnson, standing at 6’6” and 205 lbs, is a name that I’d be on the lookout for. Although 24, he is pitching to a very strong level at AAA and does so with a nasty fastball and slider combination. Joe Boyle is the most throw-ins of throw-ins to make the 40 work, but maybe the Rockies can try to get something out of him like they’re trying with Frasso.
COL Trades: Jake McCarthy (OF)
HOU Trades: Ethan Pecko (RHP) and James Hicks (RHP)
Last but not least is a pretty difficult trade evaluation in Jake McCarthy. While, yes, he’s a functional CF who hits at an above-average rate, his career is known for inconsistency. But it is nonetheless a profile that should translate outside of Coors and one with no platoon concern at all. So I’ve landed on a value that is a bit less than Moniak’s, though more balanced in its return.
The headliner of this deal is Ethan Pecko. A 6’2” righty with a mid-90s fastball, slider with some bite, and a nice mix of other pitches (cutter, curve, change). With pretty solid numbers at AAA, he could find himself added to the 40 and onto the Rockies soon. James Hicks has a very similar profile, also being a 6’2” righty with a nice variety of pitches, but has more mediocre results at AA. His pitches are more balanced across the board, but here I look to add more depth at AAA.
Elephant in the Room: Hunter Goodman
In most circumstances, it’s not really worth trading your pre-arb catcher who *could* be a part of your future core.
We are currently in circumstances that make you strongly consider it. Those circumstances being:
- Hunter Goodman projects to be a free agent in 2030, a tad earlier than the projected contention window
- The current catcher market is VERY barren, with Tyler Stephenson and Jonah Heim considered the top options (upcoming FAs with OPS+ in the 90s).
The former typically just results in the Rockies having this debate every year until he moves on or is extended. The latter is what makes trading him now very much on the table. It’s no coincidence that he’s one of the most talked-about trade candidates in the league, with reported interest from the Red Sox, Rays and Yankees. I would not be surprised if more teams were interested.
This all results in this being likely Goodman’s highest trade value ever. Pre-market I would’ve set his trade value at 2 top-100 prospects and a lottery ticket. The adjustment would net us a top-30 prospect or the equivalent of to replace one of those T100s. This may be too good to pass up.
What does that look like?
COL Trades: Hunter Goodman (C) and Willi Castro (UTIL)
BOS Trades: Anthony Eyanson (RHP), Marcelo Mayer (INF), Blake Wehunt (RHP) and Carlos Narvaez (C)
I know I said I wouldn’t trade Willi Castro before, but I do think he may be necessary to make it work. From the Red Sox perspective, this is about as realistic as I could get without adding in Franklin Arias. As much as we’d like him, the Red Sox have understandably said no to trading a top-10 prospect in all of baseball on a team with a questionable SS situation. In response, we have the Red Sox bailing on former top prospect Marcelo Mayer early.
Mayer has been a top-100 mainstay since being drafted 4th overall in 2021 and was most recently the 12th-ranked prospect to begin last year. Although he struggled to start this year, he is still ultimately only 23 and puts up good exit velos and fields well. As he continues to adjust to the MLB level, he should be a SS mainstay for the Rockies, one especially needed with the regression of Tovar.
The other big headliner in this is Anthony Eyanson. The 49th-ranked prospect in baseball comes with a mid-90s fastball and nasty slider/curve combination. For a team that needs more pitching depth with upside to match Dollander, Eyanson is a strong candidate. Blake Wehunt ranks 19th in the Red Sox system and is more so additional depth to be added. He’s 6’7” with the potential for a very strong fastball, something the Rockies have shown an early liking to. Finally, we have the Rockies taking back Connor Wong, who is ultimately there to be our catcher option until Daniel Jackson or Jack Natilli are ready.
It would take a lot for the Rockies to consider trading Goodman now rather than debating this later. This is the package I think both sides would be comfortable with.
Written by guest writer, Skraxx.
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