The Rockies are interested in a variety of players on their roster. Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic report that the club is getting calls Kyle Freeland, Michael Lorenzen again Tomoyuki Suganoall are up-and-coming free agents, as well as controllable position players Mickey Moniak, Jake McCarthy again Willi Castro. The liberator Antonio Senzatelawho has a team option on his 2027 contract, also earns interest. The report also mentions that some controllable relievers are on the radar of other clubs, but without specifying the names.
No wonder phones are busy. The Rockies are clearly one of the clubs in the sales camp. They haven’t had a winning record since 2018 and have lost at least 101 games over the past three seasons. This year, they have the worst record in the majors at 41-62. Baseball America recently ranked his farm 28th out of 30. Not only is it not good now but it is unclear when it will be competitive again.
That makes more sense for them to invest in their upcoming free agents, even though they won’t be able to get much return. Freeland has a 7.28 ERA on the year and Lorenzen 6.53. Both deserve better, as they’ve been unlucky in terms of consistency and batting luck, but their adjusted numbers aren’t very exciting either. Lorenzen has a 4.93 FIP and 4.78 SIERA, Freeland has a 4.90 FIP and 4.14 SIERA.
Even if some clubs consider them as viable defenders, the contracts are useless. Freeland made $16MM this year. There is a $17MM conditional player option for next year but it’s unlikely he’ll trigger that, as he’ll have to reach 170 innings pitched this year and he’s only 94. He will be considered a recruit but that salary and his ERA don’t leave him with much value. Lorenzen’s salary is a bit lower at $7.75MM, with a $250K buyout for a $9MM club option, but that’s not that attractive anymore.
Sugano’s ERA is excellent at 4.76 but he is in the opposite position of his fellow rotation, as he has been lucky, with a .264 batting average on balls in play and a 73.6% strand rate. His 5.39 FIP and 5.11 SIERA are slightly north of his actual ERA. His $5.1MM salary is the heaviest of the three, but there shouldn’t be any trade value here.
Outfielders are a different story. McCarthy is hitting .307/.351/.513 on the year with a 121 wRC+. He got help from a .347 BABIP but is a capable center fielder with 17 stolen bases on the year. He will have a great season even if his offense regresses a bit. He’s making just $1.525MM this year and is out of control for two more seasons. He should have good traction and teams like the Astros, Guardians, Phillies, Rays and others may be looking for center field help. Houston has already been linked to both McCarthy and Moniak this year.
Moniak doesn’t quite have McCarthy’s defensive chops or wheels, though his speed is above average. At the plate this year, he has a .280 / .325 / .569 line and a 126 wRC+. His .309 BABIP is much closer to average, so his bat is more legitimate than McCarthy’s, even though he’s a team guy. He hit just .227/.261/.364 against lefties this year and .197/.238/.284 in his career. He’s making $4MM this season and can be settled through 2027 as well. He may have a similar market to McCarthy’s, although his striker profile may open him up to other clubs looking for a bat, regardless of position.
Sennzatela is a player who has been starting to shine in that role for a long time but has resurfaced as an assistant. His four-seamer averaged 97.3 miles per hour, a big jump from last year’s 94.9. He threw 50 innings in 31 appearances with a 3.60 ERA. His 21.3% strikeout rate is below average but his 7.7% walk rate and 43.1% ground ball rate are solid stats.
He makes $12MM this year and has a $14MM club option. Those numbers are probably the highest of the numbers he posted. Teams will likely consider him a rental. The Rockies should be willing to spend some of this year’s money to increase their chances of a comeback.
As for the rest of the bullpen, the Rockies have recently shown a willingness to deal manageable trades. Last season, they dealt with each other Angel Chivilli to the Yankees when he had just over a year in the service and was therefore manageable for at least five seasons. Recently, they sent Seth Halvorsen for the Dodgers, another guy with a little over a year. Juan Mejia again Victor Vodnik they don’t have great results but both have high 90s speed that can attract attention. Brennan Bernardino it’s not a flamethrower but a lefty-on-left right arm.
The Rockies have one more controllable player who might garner interest as a catcher Hunter Goodman. He hits hard but has a lot of power. He hit 31 home runs last year and has already matched that mark in 2026. Despite playing at Coors Field, he actually has better numbers on the road.
Goodman is under contract for three more seasons and does not need to be traded. But that being said, it’s unclear how long it will take for the Rockies to compete again. If it takes a few years, he may be at or close to freelancing by the time that happens. An extension could make him last longer but that has always been a problem for the team. They extended many players over the years instead of trading them, saw those players go down, and left their contracts underwater.
The front office has recently changed. The club parted ways with general manager Bill Schmidt after last season and hired Paul DePodesta as president of baseball operations. Maybe that will lead to a different approach in these cases. DePodesta already pulled the trigger on the Chivilli and Halvorsen trade. Sam Blum of The Athletic reports that Goodman is open to an extension but the club has yet to contact him about one.
Photo courtesy of Christopher Hanewinckel, Imagn Images
