The Rockies are receiving trade interest on starter Chad Kuhl and reliever Carlos Estevez, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com (Twitter link). Feinsand suggests both pitchers could find themselves on the move before this evening’s deadline.
It’d be a bit surprising if the Rockies followed through on a Kuhl deal, as reports from over the weekend suggested they were optimistic about their chances of keeping the right-hander on a contract extension. Whether Colorado fielding trade interest is a matter of simple due diligence on the front office’s part or an indication they’ve not as close as hoped on an extension isn’t clear, but it seems general manager Bill Schmidt and his staff are at least open to offers over the coming hours.
Kuhl, who signed a $3MM guarantee over the winter, had excellent numbers early this season. He carried a 3.56 ERA through the end of May. He’s hit a major rough patch of late, though, allowing five-plus runs in three of his last five starts while failing to work into the sixth inning on any occasion. Since tossing a complete game shutout against the Dodgers on June 27, he’s allowed 22 runs in 20 2/3 innings. That has brought his season line up to a 4.59 ERA with a personal-low 16.6% strikeout rate.
Like Kuhl, Estévez is an impending free agent. The 29-year-old has made 41 appearances this season, pitching to a 4.79 ERA through 35 2/3 innings. He’s striking out a below-average 21.9% of opponents against an elevated 11.6% walk rate. Those aren’t great bottom line numbers, but the 6’6″ hurler still has 95th percentile fastball velocity and can limit damage. His hard hit percentage is in the 55th percentile and his barrel percentage in the 61 percentile. For a pitcher who plays his home games at Coors Field, that’s certainly important.
The Rockies are 46-58 and ten games out of a playoff spot, making them sellers on paper. However, that’s also been the case in the past and they have still avoided trading obvious candidates. Last year, they held onto C.J. Cron, Trevor Story and Jon Gray, despite all three heading into free agency. With Kuhl, there have been rumors of his interest in signing an extension, much like Cron did last year. Whether the club would pivot and strike a deal including him or Estévez remains to be seen.
See here’s where the Orioles shoot a mid-tier prospect over for Kuhl and show the team and the fans they’re not giving up
Instead they quit on the season and trade for a few mid tier prospects that probably won’t work out
Uh no. Elias is too smart to blow his prospect load this early. He’s not a premature trader
You have to remember the Rockies are the Rockies. They likely won’t trade Kuhl for anything other than a significant overpay.
Chad Kuhl doesn’t do anything to improve Baltimore’s pitching staff. He has a 5.45 ERA, 5.16 FIP, and 1.70 WHIP since his fantastic month of April. In that time, he’s striking out just 15.9% of batters faced while having a 10% walk rate and 1.45 HR/9. If the Orioles have the option between a guy who has had a mid-5’s ERA since May, or a mid-tier prospect, you might as well save the money and resources and go with the mid-tier prospect.
You’re not going to be able to function when the Santander and Jordan Lyles trades are announced later.
I don’t understand how teams keep giving Jordan Lyles opportunities. The dude has an ERA+ of 100 or greater once in 12 seasons. Is he really even an innings-eater? He has reached the 150+ innings mark once in his career.
This yeah he’s serviceable as a #5 on a rebuilding team at least. He leads the league in starts at 21 and has 118.1 innings. He has 0.4 WAR which boost his career total is above -2 now.
I DON’T understand the Orioles AT ALL.
Best season in a decade & they ship Mancini AND Lopez. Loser moves , Baltimore!
You are short sighted.
Selling off rentals? Hiflew isn’t going to like this very much. He has his heart set on trying to win this year despite having no shot
I am so done reading your garbage. Have a good life.
@hiflew
You want to keep Kuhl and Estevez and go for it despite LA, SD, and SF all having much better teams? Even Arizona is selling off rentals
crickets…
I love Kuhl, but I don’t see how he improves any team. He had that great April, but has had arguably his worst season yet. Since the start of May, he has a 5.45 ERA, 5.16 FIP, and 1.70 WHIP. He is striking out just 15.9% of batters while having a 10% walk rate and 1.45 HR/9. Any team competiting is going to go after a bigger fish on the trade market and if they’re stuck between Kuhl and a minor leaguer, they’re going to go for a minor leaguer. Maybe a rebuilding team would take him on to eat innings, but they’re not going to give up anything because again, there’s probably a Triple-A starter who could produce what Kuhl has done this year.
Wait…..The Rockies have Charlie Sheen? You can’t trade Wild Thing!
Was wondering who would be the one to say it. Props, sir!
Why not extend them like everybody else.
Somehow Kuhl gets a contract extension.
Not the Range Rovers!
Hard to see Estevez helping any contender’s bullpen. Colome is the reliever they should be shopping; he could bring back somebody’s #25 prospect instead of just salary relief.
Rockies have become the punching bag of the NL and the butt of jokes on MLBTR. I know how rockie fans feel. it sucks to have delusional owners,
the Angels fan
Seconded from the O’s fan
Right now is a great time for the Rockies to cash in on the arms race.
I’d be putting Marquez, Kuhl, and Gomber on the market right now.
I’d be placing Blackmon, Cron, Grichuk, Iglesias, and Rodgers on the market right now! I’d also be taking fliers on Colome, Gilbreath, Stephenson, Bard, Chacin, etc.
Prospect haul man!
If the Marlins could get a Top 100 MLB Prospect for Bass, Pop, and PTBNL – the Rockies could get a Top 100 Prospect for Bard, another for Colome, and some young, controllable MLB Ready players for the rest.
I remember Carlos Estevez when we still used his stage name… Charlie Sheen.
Wait a minute. The Giants got Machado. Oh, oops, they got Dixon Machado. Does that make a difference?
The sad part about this is if you are a Giants fan is that Padres and the Dodgers are relatively young teams. Giants are cooked.
I think the Orioles should trade for Kuhl, and fix him.
Estevez for Soto straight up.
Estevez for Soto. Straight up.
The Rockies management, Black excepted, are a Yugo in a Mercedes/Rolls Royce world.