Rockies trade Tyler Kinley to the Braves, net minor league relief pitcher in return

The Colorado Rockies traded relief pitcher Tyler Kinley to the Atlanta Braves in return for a minor league pitcher on Wednesday

BY TRENT FINNEGAN

Jul 30, 2025, 11:21 AM Updated: 11:42 am

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The Colorado Rockies are staying active with just under 30 hours to go until the MLB trade deadline, as it was announced on Wednesday that they dealt relief pitcher Tyler Kinley to the Atlanta Braves.

The Braves are acquiring RHP Tyler Kinley from the Rockies for a prospect, per source.

— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) July 30, 2025

In return, they netted Austin Smith, a 26-year-old prospect who has played in high A and AA for the Braves organization this season. This doesn’t have the same magnitude that the Ryan McMahon trade had on Friday, but it is another deal that shows that the front office trying to build for the future.

Kinley, 34, was one of the pitchers in the bullpen the Rockies have been taking phone calls on recently. In 47.2 innings pitched for the Rockies this season, he’s posted a 5.66 ERA with 51 strikeouts and 27 walks. He’s been with the organization since 2020 and has been a fine bullpen asset for the better part of six seasons, but has never posted breathtaking numbers.

The reliever has a four-pitch arsenal, with the slider being his go-to. He throws that pitch 60% of the time, while a four-seam fastball (26%), curveball (12%) and changeup (1%) make up the rest of his toolkit. He is in the 80th percentile in the league in terms of breaking ball run value, but just the 20th percentile in fastball run value. His fastball sits in the middle of the pack with an average speed of 95.2 MPH.

For Smith, his numbers aren’t exactly the greatest thing in the world. In high A this season, he posted a 2.38 ERA with 13 strikeouts in 11.1 innings pitched. In AA, his ERA ballooned to 5.40 with 21 strikeouts in 20 innings. He’s allowed 9.0 hits per nine innings pitched, which is something the Rockies don’t need from a minor league pitcher who they want to be tossing the leather at Coors Field in the future.

Smith was an 18th-round selection for the Braves back in 2021, and has a career ERA of 5.10 in the minor leagues.

There is still plenty of time for general manager Bill Schmidt and the rest of the Rockies’ front office to make some moves with the other guys in the bullpen, as the trade deadline is Thursday at 4:00 p.m. MDT.