Rockies Sending Veteran Reliever Tyler Kinley to Braves in Surprising Move

The Colorado Rockies have traded Tyler Kinley to the Atlanta Braves.

Jul 25, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Colorado Rockies pitcher Tyler Kinley (40) delivers a pitch during the eighth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards / James A. Pittman-Imagn Images

The Colorado Rockies are getting ready to ship out multiple pieces of value before the trade deadline passes, and they have just made their second move.

After sending Ryan McMahon to the New York Yankees in exchange for two pitching prospects, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com first reported the Rockies are set to send reliever Tyler Kinley to the Atlanta Braves.

Thomas Harding of MLB.com later added that right-handed pitcher Austin Smith was the return for Colorado, someone who was not in the top 30 of the Braves' pipeline.

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Kinley, a 34-year-old right-hander, has struggled the past three years with the Rockies, owning a 5.98 ERA from 2023-25 across 134 appearances and 128 innings pitched.

However, much of that could be attributed to the flexor tear in his right elbow that he suffered in the summer of 2022, an injury which forced him to undergo surgery in the midst of a season where he had posted a 0.75 ERA in 22 outings.

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Since he's returned, he hasn't been the same, although, his strikeout rate has still been high with well over a K per inning.

Sending him to the Braves is interesting because Atlanta is seen as sellers themselves, drastically underperforming on the year compared to preseason expectations.

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Kinley has a club option for 2026 at $5 million, so perhaps the Braves view the righty as a cheap option who could pitching innings for them next year if he's able to perform well during the remainder of this campaign. With an expected ERA of 3.62 compared to his actual ERA of 5.66, there's a chance that's the case.

The Rockies will continue trading their relievers to contenders around the league, and with Kinley now on the move to an unlikely suitor, it's anyone's guess who could be next.

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