In an active seller’s market, the Colorado Rockies dipped their toes in the water once again sending left-handed reliever Jalen Beeks to the Pittsburgh Pirates for southpaw prospect Luis Peralta.

The move is the second involving a reliever for the Rockies at this 2024 Trade Deadline after they had sent Nick Mears to the Milwaukee Brewers for a pair of pitching prospects. Unlike Mears, however, Beeks was destined for free agency after the season so he was a natural candidate to be moved by the Rockies.

Colorado initially claimed Beeks off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays over the winter after he had been non-tendered in his final season of arbitration. The Rockies took a flier on him and his 5.95 ERA in 2023 to sign him for $1.675 million for the 2024 season.

Beeks was slated to enter the backend up the bullpen, likely to serve as a lefty specialist and setup man. However, nagging injuries to Lucas Gilbreath and presumed closer Daniel Bard forced the Rockies to figure out a way to settled the bullpen. Justin Lawrence initially took over the closer role while Tyler Kinley also got opportunities but as both relievers struggled, Beeks found himself in the role more often than not.

Over his first two months of the season, Beeks posted a 2.93 ERA in 27 2/3 innings over 25 appearances. However, over 20 games in the following two months, he has earned a 7.06 ERA in 21 2⁄3 innings while recording four blown saves. Although he did record nine saves with the Rockies, he also recorded seven blown saves.

On the season, Beeks is 6-4 with a 4.74 ERA in 49 1/3 innings over 45 games with 38 strikeouts against 18 walks and a 1.358 WHIP. He carries a career-low 18% strikeout rate and 9.2% swinging strike percentage while maintaining a league-average 8.5% walk percentage and 44.7% grounder rate. He’s not going to blow the ball past batters as evidenced by the .261/.325/.388 slash against him, but he has proven capable in the right context.

In a bizarre turn of events this season for the Rockies, many pitchers have found success at home while struggling on the road and Beeks is one example. Pitching at Coors Field, Beeks has maintained a 3.81 ERA in 28 1/3 innings with 18 strikeouts and seven walks and also allowed just two home runs. On the road, he had a 6.00 ERA in 21 innings and have up four home runs with 20 strikeouts and 11 walks. So, despite what some of his numbers may look like, he’s been better than what the stat line may suggest and a reliable piece for a bullpen.

While he isn’t likely to step into the extremely high-leverage situations for the Pirates, he slots in nicely to bolster a team that is trying to make a run for the postseason. The Pirates rank 25th with their bullpen and their 4.31 ERA but have some decent arms in there still, including hard-throwing lefty Aroldis Chapman. Beeks slots in as another veteran arm that stabilizes the pen and gives them a lefty specialist thanks to the .182/.274/.255 slash line against southpaws.

In return, the Rockies nabbed a solid lefty prospect. Peralta is the younger brother of Milwaukee’s ace Freddy Peralta. The 5’11” southpaw signed with Pittsburgh out of the Dominican Republic in 2017. In 2024 he’s split his season between High-A and Double-A, turning in a 0.91 ERA over 39 2/3 innings.

Utilizing a fastball that sits in the 94-96 mph range with some sink and a low-80s slider that misses bats, he’s striking out nearly 41% of batters faced against an elevated 11.5% walk rate. Baseball America had Peralta as the No. 24 prospect in the Pittsburgh system and MLB Pipeline now places him as the No. 30 prospect for the Rockies. The fastball shows a good life at the top of the strike zone and the full-time move to the bullpen this season has truly allowed him to take off and find success. He’d be eligible for the Rule 5 draft this winter if Colorado doesn’t select him onto the 40-man roster, giving the Pirates incentive to trade him as he would likely be snagged in that draft.

Peralta fits a mold of pitcher the Rockies continue to seek out, namely arms that can get strikeouts with the potential to work on their command. A heavy fastball at the top of the zone has proven successful at Coors Field and as the team continues to reconstruct and rebuild for the future, arms like Peralta could prove valuable for the bullpen in the coming years.