The Rockies do not need a splash at the deadline. They need patience, and maybe the discipline to resist the urge to pretend otherwise.
MLB.com put Colorado’s biggest need in plain terms ahead of the Aug. 3 deadline: “talent all around, but starting pitching in particular.” That diagnosis fits a club that entered the All-Star break at 39-59, sitting last in the National League West and still nowhere near the point where buying makes sense.
The numbers back that up. Colorado’s 5.44 team ERA is dead last in the MLB, and even after bringing in veteran starters, the runs keep coming in bunches. There is no version of this roster that should be chasing short-term fixes as if the finish line is close.
At the same time, the Rockies are not standing still. They have already moved past last year’s 43-win collapse, and there are real signs of life in the group.
Hunter Goodman made the All-Star team. Kyle Karros and TJ Rumfield have flashed enough to look like possible pieces.
Compared with a year ago, the roster has more energy and more reasons to keep watching.
But that progress should not blur the bigger picture.
Colorado’s mistake would be treating a modest step forward as a signal to accelerate the rebuild with deadline rentals. This is still a team in the middle of a long climb, and the front office should act like it. If the Rockies do make trades, the goal should be young, controllable talent - especially arms or hitters who can help soon and still fit the next competitive roster.
That means taking shots on players other clubs have not figured out. A young pitcher with command problems, a raw bat that needs reps, or a former prospect who could benefit from a new setting would make more sense for Colorado than a short-term rental with no real future here.
Even so, most of the answers for the second half have to come from inside the organization. The Rockies need to keep sorting through Goodman, Karros, Rumfield, Charlie Condon, Adael Amador and the rest of the young group that could shape the next core. They also need to learn whether Tanner Gordon, Gabriel Hughes and Sean Sullivan can grow into part of a steadier pitching staff.
The Rockies need talent, and MLB.com is right about that. But the best move at this deadline might be the one that looks the least dramatic: stay the course, keep building, and let the internal evaluation do the heavy lifting.
In Other News...
Rockies Near A Trade Decision That Could Sting Fans Most
The Rockies are heading toward an August 3 trade deadline that could force Paul DePodesta and first-year manager Warren Schaeffer into some uncomfortable calls. With the front office still sorting out what this roster should look like going forward, Colorado has several names that could draw interest, and the club is weighing not just immediate return but how much it wants to keep reshaping a team still in the early stages of a new era.
Jake McCarthy is among the players drawing attention as a possible move after the All-Star break, while veteran right-hander Michael Lorenzen also sits in the mix as a trade chip. For a Rockies club that has spent much of the season evaluating pieces as much as results, the deadline is starting to look less like a routine checkpoint and more like a test of how aggressively DePodesta wants to act in his first summer running baseball operations in Denver. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Suddenly Linked To A Rare Catching Deadline Prize
The Rockies are heading toward the deadline in seller mode, and Hunter Goodman has already become one of the more intriguing names to watch. The All-Star catcher has emerged as one of the best offensive catchers in the game, which is exactly why a team like Boston would be paying close attention if Colorado decides to listen on veteran pieces.
For the Red Sox, the appeal is obvious: catching help is hard to find, and Goodman would fit the profile of a rare deadline prize if he ever became available. Colorado still has every reason to value him as part of its future, though, and if the Rockies keep him off the market, other clubs in need behind the plate would have to pivot to alternatives such as Tyler Stephenson. [Read more 🡒]
Why Rockies Fans May Be Stuck With Michael Lorenzen
The Rockies search for stability on the mound has pushed them into a familiar corner, leaning on veteran arms while the organization waits for younger pitchers to catch up. Michael Lorenzen has been part of that stopgap plan, taking the ball regularly and giving Colorado innings at a time when the system does not have many MLB-ready alternatives. In a rebuild that is being shaped from the top down by new president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta, that kind of placeholder value matters even when the results are uneven.
Lorenzens performance has not exactly made the case for a longer-term fit, and his contract only adds to the sense that this is more necessity than ideal. Still, the Rockies are not in a position to turn away from usable innings, especially with the club focused on long-term improvement rather than a quick fix. For now, the veteran keeps getting the ball every five days, and the bigger question is whether Colorado can eventually build enough pitching depth to make that arrangement temporary. [Read more 🡒]