Three relievers the Rockies will trade before the trade deadline

With the second half of the season set to begin, the Rockies are seeing their season quickly come to an end as they are dead last in the National League with a record of 34-57 and 15.5 games back in the wild card. It would take a miracle for the Rockies to make the playoffs in 2023.

Even though the Rockies are having a disappointing year, there's still hope for fans. General Manager Bill Schmidt may give them a glimmer of hope for the future by the end of July if the team becomes sellers at the MLB trade deadline on Aug 1.

According to a report by Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post, the Colorado Rockies are planning to trade some of their pitchers and are open to offers for their position players. The team has experienced a string of injuries among their starting pitchers, with Kyle Freeland being the latest member of the inured list after dislocating his shoulder in a game against the San Francisco Giants before the All-Star break. Although Freeland was not expected to be traded, the Rockies could potentially trade some of their other pitchers as their bullpen has been performing well this season. This move would allow the team to focus on developing young players for the future.

For that, I thought it was important to list down two relief pitchers who will be on new team's before the month ends.

Pierce Johnson

Pierce Johnson likely makes the most sense for any pitcher on the Rockies staff to be moved as he recently was revoked from his role as the team's closer last month and is on an expiring deal and is unlikely to be resigned by the team during the offseason.

Before being removed, Johnson was doing very well as the Rockies closer, he was once 11-13 in save opportunities for the Rockies. However, due to having a 7.50 ERA and allowing some close ball games, Rockies manager Bud Black had to make a move at the position for the sake of the team.

Unfortunately for Johnson, his June struggles have not gone away as he is 1-3 in his last 15 games with a 6.92 ERA and has walked eight batters while allowing 16 hits. For Johnson, a change of scenery is probably needed. Before arriving to Colorado this year, Johnson had two great years in San Diego with the Padres. In 2021, he had a 3.22 ERA in 63 games pitched and gave up 47 hits and 21 runs.

Johnson is an experienced pitcher with a history of playing in the postseason. It's certain that any team aiming for the playoffs will be interested in acquiring him. The Rockies could potentially trade him for a player of equal value who hasn't lived up to expectations or wants a change of scenery. Alternatively, they could trade him for some promising prospects who are expected to be MLB-ready in the next one or two years.

Brent Suter

Currently on the Rockies 15 day injured list, Brent Suter might've been one of the biggest snubs in the All Star Game had he not been injured.

This year, Suter has been arguably the best pitcher on the Rockies staff and without a doubt the best arm in the bullpen. Suter recently was claimed on waivers by the Rockies this past offseason after spending seven years with the Milwaukee Brewers

This year, Suter has been lights out for Colorado as he is pitching with a 2.81 ERA in 41.2 innings pitched. Suter has also strucken out 33 batters already. In 2018, he had a career high of 84 strikeouts for the Brewers, who made it all the way to the NLCS and were eliminated in a seven game series to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Suter is an experienced pitcher who could attract interest from teams looking for top prospects to bolster their bullpen before the deadline. As a valuable trade asset, Suter should be considered by any team looking to make a deal. Once he returns from the injured list, the Rockies should consider trading him.