The Trade Deadline is just a few days away on July 30 and the stove is starting to warm up. Teams on the hunt for the playoffs will begin to assess where they can improve while others on the bubble have to decide if they are in striking distance of the playoffs. Other teams have the easy distinction of being sellers at the deadline but it depends on how willing they are to move pieces for the betterment of their organization. The Colorado Rockies find themselves in the latter camp of obvious sellers but unlike teams in their position, it’s hard to tell how willing they actually are to move pieces.

The Rockies are in the midst of yet another losing season, their sixth consecutive since making the playoffs as a Wild Card team in 2018. The team has made baffling moves and have garnered a reputation of perplexing deadline activity ranging from picking up players they don’t need (like Kevin Pillar and Mychal Givens in 2020) and holding on to players they should trade (Trevor Story and Jon Gray in 2021, Daniel Bard in 2022).

2023 did offer some hope for a change in approach when the Rockies dealt a number of players on expiring contracts for a slew of pitching prospects. General manager Bill Schmidt has show a willingness to make some moves but in a market that doesn’t seem to have many participants, 2024 would be a prime opportunity for the Rockies to capitalize and work on their roster “reconstruction.” The problem is that they are often wary of trading players with control and the expiring contract players don’t exactly have the most value. Package work would likely become a factor but even then you have to maximize the return and not move guys for the sake of moving them.

This brings us to the question: who could the Rockies end up moving at the 2024 MLB Trade Deadline?

Elias Díaz

Many things have gone wrong for the Rockies in 2024 but the one thing that has turned out fantastic is their catching tandem. Elias Díaz has been a staple of the Rockies since joining the team in 2020. He has provided some solid and stable defense behind the plate and has been praised for his work with the pitching staff. What has made Díaz even more valuable is his work at the plate, a less-than-common trait for receivers. Díaz notably struggled in the second half of the 2023 season after being named an All-Star and winning MVP honors in the Midsummer Classic, but 2024 has been a more consistent story.

The veteran 33-year-old catcher has played 70 games this season, 55 behind the plate. He has slashed .283/.333/.402 with a 101 OPS+ thus far with five home runs and 30 RBI. When he gets hot, Díaz has proven a capable power hitter but he’s also a hitter capable of drawing walks and limiting his strikeouts. His 17.8% strikeout rate this season is lower than his career average and shows a propensity for putting the ball in play. His work to provide average to above-average defense behind the dish and provide a solid bat is no doubt an attractive prospect for any inquiring team. He has dealt with some injuries, mainly a left strained calf that sidelined him for a bit, but by most accounts, he’s proving capable on the field.

The Tank fires an absolute missile.

Elias Díaz to Elehuris Montero – with a great tag at first base for the Rockies. pic.twitter.com/e2twEFCdP1

— Patrick Lyons (@PatrickDLyons) February 10, 2024

Jacob Stallings

The Rockies had one main goal during the offseason leading into 2024 and that was finding a backup catcher that could spell Díaz more often to lighten his load behind the dish. The Rockies chose to go with Díaz’s tandem partner in Pittsburgh Jacob Stallings. The veteran catcher had spent the past few years in Miami and struggled at the plate. While he has always maintained his Gold Glove defense, Stallings worked hard to improve his plate approach and literally worked on his vision at the plate once he signed with the Rockies.

The improvement to the strength of his eyes helped Stallings hit the ground running at the plate to produce what could be his best year offensively. His .272 AVG and .822 OPS are the best marks in a full season while he sports a 124 OPS+ in 55 games. The emergence of his bat has allowed the Rockies to use him more often along with Díaz, often hitting them in the same lineup at times this season when other players went down with injuries. Stallings has garnered praise from the Rockies clubhouse and more importantly the pitching staff. He has a mutual option for he 2025 season and while the Rockies could choose to hold on to him with the hope of keeping him as a mentor next season for the likes of Drew Romo, Willie MacIver, or Hunter Goodman, but his value has never been higher and it may be prudent to trade him and perhaps try to reunite in the offseason.

A new bombshell has just entered the villa… pic.twitter.com/EuVFFCcG9n

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) July 24, 2024

Cal Quantrill

There is the cliche that it’s impossible for pitchers to come to the Rockies and find success. After all, the Rockies have struggled to find and/or develop consistent pitching for over 30 years. So, the fact that the acquisition of Cal Quantrill has worked out so well can not be overstated. The Canadian native has been a quality start machine for the Rockies this season. Out of the 21 starts he has made, 13  have been quality starts of three runs or less over six-plus innings. After another one on Wednesday against the Boston Red Sox, Quantrill now owns a 4.09 ERA in a Rockies uniform over 114 1/3 innings.

The key to Quantrill’s success has been his work at Coors Field. In 57 innings in Colorado, he owns a 3.95 ERA in 10 starts compared to the 4.24 ERA in 57 1/3 innings over 11 starts on the road. He has walked more batters at home but across his splits, Quantrill has been undeterred by the confines of Coors Field. He’s the exact type of pitcher the team could benefit from keeping as he is under team control for one more season, but it’s that factor, mixed with the prospect talent on the rise, that makes him an ideal trade candidate to a contender. He’s not going to make or break a rotation, but he will solidify a team aiming for the postseason.

Cal Quantrill, Dirty 87mph Splitter. ✌️ pic.twitter.com/06farX0sBN

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 12, 2024

Austin Gomber

The start of the season was excellent for Austin Gomber before he began to waiver in June and July. Still, the left-hander has a 4.70 ERA over his 19 starts. Should he stay healthy, Gomber could set a career-high in innings pitched as he has never thrown more than 140 innings in a single season of his career. Injuries have hindered in the past but he has found some sort of consistency in 2024 if he has regressed to a median.

Like Quantrill, Gomber has one more year of team control but finds himself as more expendable to the Rockies simply from a performance standpoint. He has often declined in the second half and been hindered by injury the past few seasons and it might be wise to send him to another team if possible to potentially mitigate that decline. Oddly enough, Gomber has been excellent at Coors Field where he sports a 3.83 ERA compared to his 5.61 ERA on the road.

Austin Gomber's 2Ks in the 1st. pic.twitter.com/k8S0F46JiN

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 23, 2024

Brendan Rodgers

There was a time when Brendan Rodgers was going to be the long-term solution at second base for the Colorado Rockies when they drafted him third overall in 2015. Since then, however, injuries have hampered what could have been an excellent career and the bat hasn’t exactly lived up to the hype. He’s been decent when healthy and on the field and even has a Gold Glove to his credit at second base, but with one year of team control left and other prospects on the horizon, moving Rodgers could prove fruitful.

While the power isn’t necessarily there, he fits the same mold as Jonathan India of the Reds who is also drawing trade interest. A decent bat that can make a lot of contact but can also produce some extra-base hits makes him a sneaky good acquisition for teams looking to add a right-handed bat. There are options to replace Rodgers should he be moved and he could bring in a couple of good pieces but it’s a matter of the Rockies willing to part with him.

BRod 💣 pic.twitter.com/joGJktQy9e

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) July 21, 2024

Ryan McMahon

Unless something drastic changes (like three ghosts visiting Rockies owner Dick Monfort in the night) the Rockies will not be trading Ryan McMahon. The third-baseman is signed to a team-friendly contract for a few more seasons and was named the team’s lone All-Star in 2024. He is one of the premier third basemen in the league defensively and ranks among the best in most offensive categories. McMahon provides big-time power and he has shown a much better plate approach in 2024 to increase walks and keep strikeouts in check.

McMahon would be a coveted piece on the trade market and the Rockies could easily get a nice return but the team loves him too much. It has been reported that they wouldn’t move him because Monfort loves him and the team truly does view him as one of their leaders. Despite the historical drop-offs in the second half and peaks and valleys with his power, the Rockies have been saying McMahon is due for a massive breakout since he debuted in 2017. Once he does they can say they have made a great bargain deal for his services. Sadly, McMahon still hasn’t put to get a complete season in his career and though his value is at an all-time high right now, he will stay put after the deadline comes and goes.

Ryan McMahon goes the opposite way for his 15th homer of the season. pic.twitter.com/2IXkeVOV3u

— MLB (@MLB) July 24, 2024

If the Rockies were serious about trying to build back to contention, they would be willing to listen in on most everybody not named Ezequiel Tovar and Brenton Doyle. This trade deadline seems like a great opportunity to move not just expiring contracts but some players that are still under control. It would then allow the club to focus on the new generation of players while saving some money and just clearing out the log jam of veteran players that deserve a chance somewhere else to try and win.