Rockies Stockpile Organizational Depth in Antonio Senzatela Trade

The Colorado Rockies continues to add young players to the organization.

Mark Manfredi | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Going into the trade deadline, one team that was a big question mark was the Colorado Rockies. Under first-year president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta, there were a handful of teams that would be interested in some players that the Rockies could move.

Catcher Hunter Goodman was at the top of that list, and despite a lot of rumors floating around him, it was no surprise that Colorado held onto him. DePodesta would have had to be blown away to trade his best power hitter. The veteran starting pitchers that Colorado has didn't draw the interest that they had hoped for from other teams, but one pitcher did: veteran starter turned bullpen arm Antonio Senzatela.

Leading into the deadline, it wouldn't have been surprising to see DePodesta cash in on one of his best arms and that was the case with less than an hour remaining before the deadline. Colorado sent Senzatela to the Milwaukee Brewers for a pair of prospects, left-handed pitcher Mark Manfredi and shortstop Juan Martinez.

Rockies Collect Some Pitching Depth From Brewers

Mark Manfredi | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

A team like Colorado, which is in for a long rebuild that they hope could be quicker than originally thought, adding pitching depth was a must. That's what DePodesta did with Manfredi. The 26-year-old was a ninth-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft by Milwaukee and is 4-2 this season in the minors with a 3.35 ERA in 34 games in 45.2 innings with five saves for the Nashville Sounds.

Manfredi, who played his college baseball at Dayton, has a 90s-plus fastball and has a mixture of four pitches that he can go to. It wouldn't be surprising to see the Ohio native make his debut with the Rockies at some point this season.

As for Martinez, he is a very young player at just 19 years old and there is still some development that he needs to make before making an impact in the Mile High City. After beginning in rookie ball, he has made the jump to Single-A and, in 18 games, is slashing .209/.321/.269 with a home run and six RBIs.

There was a clear direction for DePodesta at the trade deadline: sell some veterans and get what you can in return in terms of young players who they can develop. Manfredi is much closer to the majors than Martinez, but for an organization that is rebuilding and looking for young players to develop, this move was one that they hope works out down the line, rather than in 2026.