10 Rockies make ESPN’s top 100 trade candidates

The Colorado Rockies might be making progress this year but they’re still in last place with no hope of making the playoffs this fall. But they are improving, and to a point where several players on the current roster may be attractive to other clubs, which could in turn speed up the purple’s re-build.

ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan released their updated top 100 trade deadline candidates list Monday, and there were 10 Rockies players on it — tied for the most of any club. With the Aug. 3 deadline exactly four weeks away, Colorado’s roster is essentially a buffet line for contending teams, according to the insider’s.

The question now is, will the new front office led by Moneyball man Paul DePodesta act unlike many Denver executives before him and not ship out Rockies ahead of the deadline? Colorado started operating like a more usual franchise in recent years by trading parts away and anything that could help the Rockies future, is likely more beneficial.

Here’s who made ESPN’s cut, and where they landed:

No. 23: Mickey Moniak, OF

The highest-ranked Rockie on the board. ESPN gives him a 60% chance of being traded with a “moderate” rest-of-season impact and one more year of team control beyond 2026. Moniak missed a month with an ankle injury but came back swinging, cracking three home runs in three games against Miami. He has an OPS of .935, with 15 homers and 37 RBI in 195 at-bats.

The catch? His OPS is more about 400 points higher at Coors Field than on the road. Teams will be wary of that. But with outfield options scarce on the trade market, rookies Cole Carrigg and Troy Johnston playing well and Brenton Doyle’s longterm future at the position, McDaniel and Passan write that “moving Moniak makes sense” for DePodesta.

ESPN lists the Padres, Braves, Diamondbacks, Cardinals, Yankees, Rangers and Rays as best fits.

No. 43: Jake McCarthy, OF

Acquired from Arizona for righty Josh Grosz in January, McCarthy is putting together a career year at the perfect time for the team on this side of the Rocky Mountains in the NL West: .303 with nine homers, 51 RBI and 14 stolen bases. He’s a classic trade deadline spark plug piece.

No. 48: Antonio Senzatela, RHP

This might be the easiest call on the entire list. The failed-starter-turned-shutdown-reliever is pitching to a 2.93 ERA with an 8-0 record and a 1.17 WHIP across 46 innings. He’s a free agent after the season. There is no reason to keep him. As Passan wrote in his early deadline preview last month, Senzatela “is as good as gone.”

No. 56: Willi Castro, UT

The versatile infielder/outfielder signed a two-year deal this past offseason and is drawing interest as a utilityman who can play multiple positions. ESPN lists him as a top trade candidate at second base, shortstop and utility. The former All-Star was also traded last year at the deadline from the Twins to the Cubs.

No. 73: Brennan Bernardino, LHP

A solid lefty with a track record, who is having a decent year in the bullpen.

No. 84: Jaden Hill, RHP

A young reliever with good stuff and a few years of experience but has lacked success.

No. 87: Tomoyuki Sugano, RHP

The 36-year-old signed a one-year deal last February and has been a steady hand in the rotation. He’s on an expiring contract, making him a low-cost depth add for a contender needing innings.

No. 90: Juan Mejia, RHP

No. 93: Michael Lorenzen, RHP

Another veteran arm on a one-year deal. Lorenzen’s numbers (3-9, 6.93 ERA) aren’t pretty, but he has been on this ride before and contenders often see back-end starters differently than the box score suggests.

No. 100: Ryan Feltner, RHP

Feltner rounds out the list at the very bottom, giving the Rockies representation from wire to wire. A younger starter with good stuff, he sometimes lacks control and throws a lot of balls.

The bigger picture

Ten names. That’s a lot of trade chips for a franchise that, as ESPN’s David Schoenfield wrote in a companion piece, “always felt as if the Rockies were scared to make deals.”

This is the first real test for the new regime of Walker Monfort, DePodesta and general manager Josh Byrnes. The old front office treated deadlines as optional.

What’s notably absent from the list: All-Star Hunter Goodman. The catcher leads the club with 27 home runs, and ESPN separately recommended the Rockies trade him — comparing it to the White Sox dealing Garrett Crochet to jump-start their rebuild. But with three years of team control remaining, Goodman didn’t make the trade candidates list. A position player with that much control is “basically never traded at the deadline,” McDaniel and Passan wrote.