The Rockies have a decision to make before Monday’s deadline, and Tomoyuki Sugano looks like the kind of player who can bring back something useful if Colorado acts now.
Friday only strengthened that case. Sugano gave up one run over 6 2/3 innings in a 3-1 win over the Kansas City Royals, moved to 11-4, became Colorado’s first 11-game winner since Germán Márquez in 2021 and helped the Rockies match their entire 2025 win total before August.
That kind of production is exactly why general manager Josh Byrnes has a real trade chip on his hands.
Sugano’s appeal goes beyond the wins. The 36-year-old has logged 102 2/3 innings in 19 starts, issued just 24 walks and kept forcing hitters to earn everything in the strike zone. He isn’t blowing anyone away, but his command and mix of pitches have allowed him to work deep enough into games to take pressure off the bullpen.
Against Kansas City, that version of Sugano was on full display. He threw 52 of 83 pitches for strikes, didn’t walk a batter and pitched into the seventh inning. For a contender, that kind of dependable fifth-day starter has real value, even if it doesn’t come with a ton of sizzle.
But Colorado’s best move is to deal him while the market still sees the steady results more than the warning signs underneath them. As of Saturday, Sugano had a 4.47 ERA, while Statcast put his expected ERA at 7.27.
The deeper numbers are even rougher. Opponents are batting .268 against him, but his expected batting average sits at .314.
His .515 slugging percentage is still below a .575 expected mark. He’s also carrying a 44.9% hard-hit rate, a 14.2% barrel rate and a 13.8% strikeout rate, all of which point to plenty of quality contact even when the damage hasn’t fully shown up yet.
Sugano has done enough to limit the fallout. His low walk rate matters, because it keeps him out of bigger jams and makes hitters string together hits instead of being handed baserunners.
Experience and command help explain why the gap between the surface stats and the expected numbers exists at all. They just don’t make that gap disappear forever.
Colorado signed Sugano to a one-year, $5.1 million deal in February. He can become a free agent after the season, and at 36, he doesn’t fit the long-term timeline of a last-place club. Holding him for the final two months would keep the rotation steady, but it would also mean passing on the chance to turn a short-term signing into a younger piece.
His stuff is still hittable, and the risk of regression is sitting right there in the numbers. That’s why the Rockies should move him now, while contenders are still buying the version of Sugano that has delivered wins instead of the one Statcast says may be coming.
In Other News...
Rockies Just Turned The Brenton Doyle Deal Into A Bigger Question
The Rockies decision to move Brenton Doyle was already one of the more notable developments of their recent roster churn, and the return only adds another layer to how theyre trying to reshape things. Doyle, a two-time Gold Glove winner, had gone through a difficult season marked by injuries and a low batting average before Colorado dealt the center fielder, signaling a willingness to make a major change even with his defensive value still intact.
In return, Colorado brought in Mason Adams, a right-handed pitcher who was working back from Tommy John surgery and had reached Triple-A Charlotte, along with Venezuelan infield prospect Carlos Vielma, a recent international signee playing in the Dominican Summer League. It is the kind of trade that can look very different a year or two down the road, depending on whether the pitching recovery holds and the young infielder develops, which is what makes the next chapter of this deal worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Rockies Just Made A Brenton Doyle Move Fans Feared
Brenton Doyles name has been a familiar one in Colorado for the wrong reasons this season, with the center fielder battling injuries and trying to find his offensive footing after establishing himself as one of the games best defensive players. A two-time Gold Glove winner, Doyle was still drawing attention for his range and reliability in center even as his bat lagged behind the level he set earlier in his career.
Now the Rockies are moving on, with Chicago stepping in to add Doyle to a White Sox outfield that needed help on the defensive side. The appeal is obvious from the White Sox perspective: a slick glove in center and the hope that a new environment can get the offense back to where it once was, while Colorado is left to sort out what comes next in the middle of its outfield. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox May Have Found A Center Field Fix With One Catch
The White Sox appear to be close to addressing a lingering need in center field by targeting Brenton Doyle, a move that would lean heavily on his glove rather than his bat. Doyle has had offensive struggles in recent seasons, but his defensive reputation has kept him in the mix, and Chicago seems ready to use him as a backup option and platoon partner as it tries to stabilize the position.
For Colorado, the return would bring back pitching depth in Mason Adams and Carlos Vielma, though the swap is still sitting in medical review and not yet complete. Until the paperwork clears, there is still a bit of uncertainty around the deal, but it is the kind of transaction that could reshape both clubs depth charts if it goes through. [Read more 🡒]