Grading Rockies MLB Trade Deadline Moves

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With being three days removed from the MLB trade deadline, the Rockies did the complete opposite of last year and became sellers at the deadline.

The decision to move on from impending free agents might be the best move they could've made at this year's deadline. The Rockies were able to move on from guys who were likely to not return and instead were able to rejuvenate the farm system by acquiring young pitching to the organization.

This year, the Rockies have been one of the worst teams in baseball with a record of 42-66.

Despite having one of the worst records in all of baseball and not making the playoffs since 2018, the Rockies owe it to their fans to build a young, promising team that they can grow with in the future. By doing so, the obvious move is to acquire youth and develop those players. This year, we have had a small sample taste of that youth movement in Colorado with names like Nolan Jones, Ezequiel Tovar and Brenton Doyle. The Rockies also had a pretty successful draft this year as well by acquiring guys like RHP Chase Dollander in the first round and Catcher, infielder and outfielder Cole Carrigg from San Diego State University.

Teams like the Texas Rangers, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Baltimore Orioles have taken this route in recent years and now, the success is starting to show as all three teams should be playing meaningful games in October this year. The Rockies are following this path and are now starting to build the foundation of what this organization can be in the future.

This year, the writing on the wall is very obvious in Colorado and that is the team lacks quality pitching. I decided to go through each move General Manager Bill Schmidt has made over the past week and grade each move individually.

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1. Pierce Johnson for Victor Vodnik and Tanner Gordon

Atlanta Braves Photo Day / Julio Aguilar/GettyImages

A week before the deadline, the Rockies were able to flip former closing pitcher Pierce Johnson for not one, but two minor league prospects from the Atlanta Braves. This move is exciting to me when you consider the success the Braves farm system has produced in young quality pitchers over the years.

Both prospects were ranked in the top 30 of the Braves farm system with Vodnik ranking in at 10 and Gordon ranking at 26.

Victor Vodnik

Vodnik has been a great pitcher for the Braves during his minor leage career with a 3.42 ERA. What was originally going to be a starting pitcher, Vodnik has now transitioned into a reliever role and could end up becoming a closer or a quality set up man in the future. This year, he has a total of five saves.

The red flag on Vodnik is he has had issues on staying healthy and that has affected his development as a pitcher and why he hasn't cracked a major league roster. The ruling also shows that he has struggled with command issues in the past. But, when healthy and in the zone, Vodnik is a great strikeout pitcher who will excel when everything is clicking for him.

Tanner Gordon

During his four year professional career, Tanner Gordon has proven he can be a decent back end rotation starting pitcher one day in the major leagues. Gordon transitioned up to AAA for the Braves earlier this year. After being traded to the Rockies, Colorado decided to opt him to AA Hartford Yard Goats. This year, he has a record of 6-9 with a 5.69 ERA in the minor leagues with 82 strikeouts. In his debut with Hartford, Gordon pitched in a total of 5.2 innings and gave up only two runs and struck out six batters.

According to FanGraphs, Gordon is a pitcher who will strikeout hitters almost 30% of the time, and hitters have an average of .292 against him with a WHIP of .152. Gordon does have some things he needs to work on, but as time goes on, he could develop into a nice pitcher for Colorado. He will need a few more years in the minors to really put it all together.

Grade: B

2. C.J. Cron & Randal Grichuk for Jake Madden and Mason Albright

Cincinnati Reds v Colorado Rockies / Kyle Cooper/Colorado Rockies/GettyImages

Late Sunday night, the Rockies made their second move of the year with the Los Angeles Angels and sent veterans C.J. Cron and Randal Grichuk back to the team that originally drafted them in 2009 and 2011.

In exchange, the Rockies received two starting pitchers in RHP Jake Madden and LHP Mason Albright.

Mason Albright

Albright was a 12th-round pick for the Angels in 2021 and was ranked as the number eight prospect in the organization. Albright, 20, is currently in the Rockies single A affiliate, Fresno Grizzles. My guess is he will most likely be on the major league roster in three to five years.

So far in his minor league career, he has pitched in a total of 36 games with a 12-8 record a 5.18 ERA and 162 strikeouts in 147.2 innings pitched. Despite having a high ERA, Albright has brought it down in the 2023 season as it currently sits at 3.40. The scouting report on Albright according to MLB.com, says that he is not your typical pitcher as he looks for the feel of pitching rather than relying on raw talent. He has a pitching arsenal of three pitches and currently has a fastball that reaches in the low 90's. With that being said, I would expect to see the velocity increase as he develops into a major-league player. The biggest red flag surrounding him is his command and how much he can control it. The prediction for him is to be a back-end rotation pitcher in the future, potentially a reliever if needed.

Jake Madden

Madden, 21, was a fourth round pick by the Angels in the 2022 MLB draft. Unlike Albright, he has not had a great start to his professional career. Right now, he has pitched in a total of 14 games with a 2-6 record, 5.46 ERA and 66 strikeouts.

He has a total of three pitches that he utilizes which is his fastball, slider and changeup. Madden's change up might be his strongest pitch overall as it can reach into the high 80's and low 90's. His fastball can also reach into the mid-90's. Sam Blum of The Athletic reported that Madden is an excellent pitcher for the Rockies system and he would like to see Colorado turn him into a relief pitcher and see what they can do to get his fastball to reach in the 100's.

Grade: B

3. Brad Hand for LFP Alec Barger

Philadelphia Phillies v Colorado Rockies / Dustin Bradford/GettyImages

Just hours before the deadline, the Rockies made another move with the Atlanta Braves and that was dealing relief pitcher Brad Hand to Atlanta for another young arm. The decision to move Hand to Atlanta should've been a no-brainer for Colorado as the team needed to remember the deadline motto and that is SELL SELL SELL.

Alec Barger

Barger is another pitcher that I love for the Colorado system. In his MILB career, Barger has plenty of experience and might be a name we see playing on the major league roster within the last two months of the season.

Right now, his resume includes a total of 111 games which also has a 10-10 record, 4.51 ERA and 239 strikeouts. Barger is a young relief pitcher and has pitched in a total of 30 games in 38.1 innings this year. Right now, he holds a 3.29 ERA with 48 strikeouts in the minor league. According to Skyler Timmins of Purple Row, he has been known to be a pitcher who throws strikes consistently and his pitch types include two breaking balls along with a sink and a four-seam fastball.

This move could give Colorado instant help in the major league as Barger should be a no brainer to make the major league roster after spring training next year.

Grade: A

4. Rockies acquire Justin Bruihl from Los Angeles Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers v St. Louis Cardinals / Scott Kane/GettyImages

The last move Colorado made before the deadline was quickly trading with the Los Angeles Dodgers for cash considerations.

If their is one thing in baseball that is true, it is to acquire any pitching you can from the Dodgers as they have traditionally become a pitching factory amongst all of baseball.

Justin Bruihl

So far in his young career, Bruihl has pitched in 65 games for the Dodgers. He has a career ERA of 3.65, 43 strikeouts, and a 2-2 record. Bruihl is another relief pitcher for the Rockies. The thing that stands out to me is the fact that he is a lefty and can help provide pitching disadvantages for Colorado.

Bruil throws a total of three pitches which are a fastball that reaches 93-95 MPH, a cutter, 85-88 MPH, and a slider that goes between 78-81 MPH. Due to the low velocity, it is important for Bruihl to be perfect with his command when he is trying to get batters out.

Grade: C

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