With trade deadline approaching, Rockies start dealing

The Rockies likely won’t be trading All-Star third baseman Ryan McMahon, but that didn’t keep them from joining the action as Tuesday’s 4 p.m. MDT trade deadline approaches.

And they started on Saturday by making the type of deal that defined their work last year — trading for pitching prospects.

Colorado stepped into the deadline pool by sending right-handed reliever Nick Mears to the Milwaukee Brewers in exa range for minor-league pitchers Bradley Blalock and Yujanjer Herrera. Both are right-handers; Blalock is currently at AA Biloxi in the Southern League, while Herrera is currently at the High-A level with the Midwest League’s Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.

Mears ranked fourth on the Rockies in appearances this season, working in 41 games. His ERA of 5.56 wasn’t impressive, but it was weighed down by two appearances — both of which came in games when the Rockies were already trailing by multiple runs — in which he allowed 6 runs (2/3 of an inning at San Francisco on May 18) and 5 runs (1/3 of an inning at Minnesota on June 12).

The 2.59 FIP — fielding-independent-pitching — shows that Mears was also the victim of some defensive issues behind him.

In 14 appearances since allowing 5 runs to the Twins, Mears notched a 2.65 ERA and a 0.882 WHIP.

Blalock made a brief major-league cameo last month, pitching one inning for the Brewers in a June 20 game at San Diego before going back down to the Southern League. He ranked 17th on the Brewers’ prospect list, according to MLB Pipeline.

Herrera has a 1.294 WHIP and a 3.18 ERA in 12 appearances — including nine starts — at the high-A level. He earned a promotion from low-A Carolina, where he made 30 appearances spread over 30 seasons before moving up. He was not listed in the top 30 Brewers prospects as rated by MLB Pipeline.

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