The Rockies, more open to dealing at this year’s deadline than in seasons past, have been open to offers on controllable young relievers in their bullpen. The Rox have several power arms who could appeal to bullpen-needy contenders, and two teams that have been eyeing them recently are the Rangers (per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News) and Mariners (per Daniel Kramer of MLB.com).
Grant reports that the Rockies are under the impression that right-handers Jake Bird, Victor Vodnik and Tyler Kinley are all available via trade. As a veteran in the final guaranteed season of his contract, Kinley is a fairly straightforward trade candidate. But Bird, who’s controlled three years beyond the current season, and especially Vodnik, who’s controlled for an additional four years, stand as the types of player Colorado wouldn’t even consider moving at prior trade deadlines.
Kinley, 34, is making $3MM in 2025 and has a $5MM club option with a $750K buyout. He’s sporting an ugly 5.66 ERA but more appealing secondary marks. The 6’4″ righty is averaging 95.2 mph on his four-seamer but uses his slider as his primary offering (60.1%), which has surely contributed to a hefty 14% swinging-strike rate. That’s a well above-average mark and could portend an uptick in Kinley’s 23.8% strikeout rate, which is only a bit better than average. Kinley’s 12.6% walk rate needs work, but he’s shown better command in the past. Metrics like FIP (4.14) and SIERA (4.15) both feel he’s been better than his ERA, and other clubs might be intrigued to see what he could do with more analytical input than the Rockies provide.
Bird, 29, was excellent through the end of June but has had a brutal month in July. He’s been rocked for 15 runs (14 earned) in just 6 2/3 innings since the calendar flipped, ballooning his once-terrific 2.63 ERA all the way to 4.73. He has roughly average velocity but makes good use of a sinker/slider/curveball repertoire to miss bats and keep the ball on the ground at above-average levels. In 53 1/3 innings — Bird frequently works more than one inning per outing — he’s fanned 26.3% of his opponents against a 9.7% walk rate. Bird’s 48% ground-ball rate is well above average, and he’s done a nice job avoiding home runs both in 2025 (0.84 HR/9) and in his career (0.90).
The 25-year-old Vodnik would be valued most highly of the trio mentioned by Grant. He’s in just his second big league season and is sporting a tidy 3.19 ERA with an above-average 23.9% strikeout rate and a massive 56.6% ground-ball rate in 31 frames. Vodnik averages a blistering 98.6 mph on his fastball and just under 92 mph on his “changeup.” However, Vodnik doesn’t quite miss bats at the level one might expect from someone with such a powerful arsenal. The results have been strong nonetheless, though Vodnik’s 4.12 FIP and 4.11 SIERA (driven by his shaky command) point to some potential regression.
Vodnik and Bird, in particular, seem like they’d hold appeal to a Rangers club that has some reluctance to exceed the luxury tax threshold. Neither has reached arbitration yet, so neither would add to the club’s luxury obligations. Kinley would have just $951K left on his contract by the time the deadline rolls around, though the $750K buyout on his 2026 option would also come into play.
Bird is also on the Mariners’ radar, per Kramer, who notes that Seattle has “heavily” scouted him and bullpen-mates Juan Mejia and Seth Halvorsen. Mejia is a particularly obscure trade candidate, given that he just made his MLB debut earlier this year. He’s pitched 36 innings and logged a 4.50 ERA but with a 3.78 FIP and 3.60 SIERA. He’s set down 23.7% of his opponents on strikes and walked 8.6% of the hitters he’s faced.
Mejia is a pure two-pitch reliever with a four-seamer that averages 96.2 mph and a slider sitting 82.9 mph. He’d be controllable for a full six years beyond the current season and is in the second of two minor league option years. That’d give Seattle plenty of long-term control and flexibility.
Halvorsen, 25, is arguably the most appealing of the whole group. His 4.99 ERA is pedestrian, but he’s averaging 100 mph on his four-seamer, inducing chases off the plate at an above-average rate and sporting a 13.2% swinging-strike rate. The flamethrowing young righty has punched out just 20.9% of his opponents but fanned batters at a 28.9% rate during last year’s debut (albeit in a smaller sample of innings). His 11.6% walk rate is too high, but his 54.4% grounder rate is excellent.
Halvorsen only briefly got a look late last season and hasn’t been optioned since first being selected to the big leagues. As such, he has a full slate of three option years. He’s controlled for five more years beyond the current season. Pitchers who average 100 mph or better and keep the ball on the ground at such high rates are rare breeds, and Halvorsen’s chase rate, swinging-strike rate, minor league numbers and 2024 results all suggest there could be more strikeouts in the tank as well. His command has never been great, and that’ll be the challenge for the Rockies or another club to unlock, but the raw tools in Halvorsen’s arsenal are tantalizing.
Whether the Rockies actually bite the bullet and trade any of their controllable relievers is an open question, but there’s a relatively limited supply of relievers controlled beyond the current season and a large number of teams hoping to acquire such pitchers. Beyond the Rangers and Mariners, each of the Phillies, Tigers, Yankees, Dodgers, Mets and Cubs have been linked to relievers with multiple years of club control. One long-shot possibility, Cleveland’s Emmanuel Clase, was removed from consideration earlier this week when he was placed on administrative leave amid MLB’s ongoing gambling investigation.
While there are plenty of bullpen arms available on the market, many of them (e.g. Ryan Helsley, Raisel Iglesias) are free agents at season’s end. Teams like the Pirates (David Bednar, Dennis Santana), Guardians (Cade Smith) and particularly the Twins (Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax) have set lofty asking prices on the bullpen arms they control beyond the current season. The Rox will surely have a hefty asking price on relievers like Vodnik and Halvorsen, but the demand for controllable bullpen help could present them with an opportunity to provide a jolt to a weak farm system.
Our pitching lab can turn halvorsen into Ryan Helsley so I hope we acquire him while his ERA is still high
Rangers could also fix him and turn him into their closer
I’d really like Jax. We gotta go for it. We’re already seeing cracks in the starting pitching with the injuries this year. Luis is getting older. Brash, Jax, Munoz would be great much like the 2001 Ms with Rhodes, Nelson, sazaki. And if we can get Castro. Pay the price to go for it. Or don’t bother with any of it. Gotta take a risk eventually or it’s were gonna be the AL west Rays for tue next 20 years. I’ve been an Ms fan since 96 and other than 2001, 2003, and 2022, this is the best chance we’ve had in a while, but this window is closing, we gotta take a risk now.
Luv Jax, agree, a must. Figure it out and get him.
I just worry you don’t have enough time to fix in season. Also, the difference from pitching in Colorado where pitches don’t break to in Seattle where they move more than normal feels like a recipe for control issues.
Funny feeling this will be a quiet deadline with teams overvaluing their rentals.
I mean they have to trade their rentals no matter what if they aren’t contending
But i see what you mean because teams like the rays aren’t that far out and might just try to hold on to everyone and make a Hail Mary attempt
Seattle will have a weak trade deadline but in other non-MLB Trade Rumors news the Seattle Mariners are calling up Tyler Locklear for the Wednesday game against The ……. A’s
But why
How do those guys help the Mariners that much? I get that they are cheaper than Jax or Duran from the Twins but the M’s need a 8th/9th inning shutdown closer type and those are not examples of that. Wouldn’t Santana or Bednar be better and perhaps cheaper? The M’s need two relivers so maybe one of those are from the Rockies but the other needs to be nails.
They need middle relief too. Thorton and Legumina should be DFA’d immediately
We have a Closer, you don’t trade away 3 solid future positional players for an ADDITIONAL CLOSER… SMH
You can never have enough pitching and specifically you can never have enough 8th or 9th inning type relievers. Makes a huge difference and I never said trade three players for one. Never. That would not be good.
Mariners are in a Competing REBUILD, that trade isn’t happening…
This site is starting to sound like a singles bar.
Sure hope the Mariners don’t have serious interest in Bird. Took a look at his home/road splits and it was like staring directly into the sun.
Bird in Colorado – .212 BA against
Bird in away games -.330 BA against
@marinersfan1977
every Colorado pitcher and hitter has home/road splits like that. Its normal. Once they no longer play in Colorado, the home/road splits disappear. They likely won’t be as good or bad as those extremes, but somewhere in the middle, more consistently.
Wait till you see his game logs from 13 June onward–and especially this month.
Would be cool to pick up the switch pitcher from Seattle.
He’s really cool so I hope they DONT trade him
I understand your feelings on that as well. I just want the Rox to get him so I can find out the pronunciation of his name.
I’m predicting right now, the Rockies will trade: Seth Halverson, Jake Bird, Victor Vodnik, Tyler Freeman and Thairo Estrada.
They will acquire 2-3 prospects for Bird, Vodnik, and Halverson (with every deal, they’ll receive 2 prospects with 45+ rating ratings with 4 new 50 plus rated prospects being added to the farm system.
You’ve got a new mandate, and while the organization is not mentioning it; Dick Monfort’s oldest son is the one calling the shots now.
I don’t look for them to trade Halvorsen AND Vodnik, but I could easily see one or the other moving.. I doubt Freeman gets moved either. I hope Bird gets moved because I think he is losing it.. Estrada probably will be moved if anyone wants him. Same with Kyle Farmer and Orlando Arcia. Hopefully they can get something out of Senzatela and Gomber as well.
I kind of hope they keep Mickey Moniak because I have really taken to him this season. I hope they keep Kyle Freeland too just because I feel he should be a lifer for Colorado. He’s from Denver and was born only a month after the Rockies first game.
I’ve known Kyle since he was 9 years old, I coached him in little league and his mom worked with my ex for years.
The game at altitude is difficult to play at all levels. I believe Kyle will be a life-long Rockies pitcher, and I believe the upcoming wave prospects will change the franchises future.
I can’t wait to see Kyle Karros at 1B, Charlie Condon in LF, Warming Bernabel at DH, Ethan Holliday at 3B.
We don’t need to be trading away Jordan Beck, Brenton Doyle (unless Cole Carrig can perform offensively better without giving up the defense), Ezequiel Tovar, or Hunter Goodman.
I believe Brenton Doyle is the best CF’er we’ve ever had. This season has been incredibly difficult on he and his wife; so I can only imagine what it’s been like coupled with the losing. I do believe he’ll finish strong and set himself up for a big year next year!
Real Rockies fans exist?
Agreed on Doyle. Juan Pierre and Dexter Fowler are a distant second and third, but still worth mentioning.
If you still speak to Kyle, tell him he has a huge fan in Kentucky. Now that Charlie has retired, Kyle is my #1 fave current Rockie and probably in my top 5 of all time. I am not usually a big prospect guy, but I have followed Freeland since day one just hoping he could be the guy that could solve Coors.
I don’t think we should trade Beck or Doyle for peanuts, but if the right deal came along, I would be okay simply because of the number of outfield prospects that are close. You cannot play them all even with the DH.
Hunter Goodman I am torn on. Part of me says you don’t trade away a guy like him so early in his career. Another part is still on the fence on whether this is an illusion or not. I don’t want to trade away a superstar, but I also don’t want to watch another Wilin Rosario happen and just watch his value wither away to nothing. It’s a tough call either way, but I think I would rather sell a little less than peak value instead of keeping him until the value is nil like we did with Atkins, Hawpe, Rosario, and really too many others to name.
It really is cool to find another Rockies guy on here. Most of the time I am just trying to explain to non-Rockies fans that H/R splits are truly meaningless for Colorado players or why players aren’t necessarily going to hit 80 homers a year just because they play at Coors and other moronic stuff. So it is nice to actually talk baseball with another fan.
Hiflew – what part of KY are you in? I’m in Lancaster. I just relocated a month ago. I will let him know as well.
If Cole Carrig turns out to be a strong offensive and defensive weapon; I’d say you can trade Brenton Doyle for pitching. If Zac Veen can take a bigger step forward and get himself past all the injury history you could trade away Jordan Beck once again for MLB-Ready pitching.
As for Hunter Goodman, this is the first real chance he was given to play regularly, and unlike Wilin Rosario, Goodman has really shown his offensive chops and been serviceable defensively behind the plate. He’s only going to improve, the key to every baseball team is to build your team up the middle: Catcher, Pitcher, Shortstop, Second Base, Center Field.
In theory: we’ve got a serviceable core in Goodman, Tovar, Amador (or Ritter), Doyle.
Jake Bird hasn’t pitched that well into July.
How about the White Sox relievers since June 1st:
Tyler Alexander (L) – 29IP / 2.12 ERA / 0.30 HR/9
Steven Wilson – 17IP / 3.57 ERA / 0.00 HR/9
Mike Vasil – 19IP / 0.92 ERA / 0.00 HR/9
Tyler Gilbert (L) – 18IP / 1.93 ERA / 0.48 HR/9
Not a single rumor on any of them, Vasil is a rookie, Wilson and Gilbert have multiple years of team control too – Alexander is on a veterans minimum.
Id think all four would be in demand. Booser too. He should be back soon.
Is Tyler Alexander now in the NBA? MLB doesn’t have a veteran’s minimum.
Those are Jerry’s kinda guys
Seth Halvorsen Is who Texas needs to get out this group put him with Mike Maddox and watch out.
Seth Halvorsen is who Detroit need to get out of this group. Put him with Fetters and watch out!
Okay, I’ve seen a few of these Kids pitch and the One the Mariners should target is Mejia… they shoukd abke to get him for something reasonable and not hurt the ML furure team(2yrs)… if they take Morales straight up or even with a Single A on top30 reliever I’d so go for it… 💯 otherwise pass and forget all this FILLER they’re trying to Pawn off on People…