Rockies High Leverage Relievers Named as Targets in Trade Proposal With Mets

The Colorado Rockies could be strong partners with the New York Mets at the trade deadline.

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The Colorado Rockies are on pace for the single-season record for losses in MLB history, entering play on June 24 with an 18-60 record.

Despite that, the Rockies will be a team to watch ahead of the trade deadline as assured sellers.

Contenders looking to solidify a World Series run could change their trajectory with the right trade, and that makes Colorado an intriguing player in the postseason race.

Several teams in the league are in need of pitching help, from the starting rotation to relievers, and the Rockies have valuable assets in their bullpen.

Relief pitcher Jake Bird is the team’s best trade chip, both due to his performance and him being under team control through 2028.

Bird’s 2.06 ERA through 43.2 innings pitched entering play on June 24 is the best on the team and No. 27 in baseball in qualified relievers.

While Bird will garner plenty of intrigue, teams also covet young talent with high upside, and Colorado has that in righty reliever Seth Halvorsen.

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Halvorsen was selected to the 40-man roster in August of 2024 after beginning his campaign with Double-A Hartford and later with Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes, where he posted a 4.47 ERA in 44.1 innings.

He only pitched 12.1 innings in 2024 but carried a 1.46 ERA with 13 strikeouts to 2 walks.

Entering play on June 24, Halvorsen has a 4.31 ERA across 31.1 innings with 29 strikeouts to 14 walks.

Halvorsen’s ceiling pairs well in a package with Bird’s metrics, and Jim Bowden of The Athletic (subscription required) names the duo in a trade with the New York Mets for two of their top prospects.

In exchange for Bird and Halvorsen, the Rockies would receive outfielder Drew Gilbert and catcher Chris Suero, who also can play first base and left field.

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“In return, the Rockies get a future everyday outfielder in Gilbert, who can play all three outfield positions. He has 18- to 22-home run power and the ability to be a table-setter (.356 OBP in his minor-league career). The Mets acquired Gilbert from Houston two years ago in the Justin Verlander deadline trade. The 24-year-old has batted .230/.343/.376 this season, mostly at Triple A,” Bowden wrote.

The 24-year-old played six games while rehabbing at Low-A St. Lucie after missing three months last year for Triple-A Syracuse with a right hamstring strain.

Since his promotion to Triple-A, the No. 9 prospect has slashed.213/.332/.337 with four home runs, 26 RBI, and 40 strikeouts to 32 walks in 55 games.

Suero is the Mets’ No. 20 prospect who was recently named South Atlantic League Player of the Week for his performance on the High-A Brooklyn Cyclones.

The 21-year-old is slashing .253/.390/.468 with 10 home runs, 43 RBI, and 67 strikeouts to 30 walks in 58 games for the Cyclones.

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Both New York prospects share a critical trait: versatility. Colorado needs to start acquiring future everyday position players, and they get that in Gilbert and Suero.

They have assets many contenders are coveting in their bullpen, and this proposal would set the Rockies up long-term, as much as it would sting to trade away a player like Bird.

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