Rockies have two of the MLB’s top trade candidates ahead of deadline

The Colorado Rockies have two players who have good trade value ahead of the upcoming deadline, and ESPN has them listed as some of the league's best trade candidates

BY TRENT FINNEGAN

Jun 24, 2025, 9:30 AM

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The MLB trade deadline is just over a month away, and the Colorado Rockies are in a prime position to sell high on a pair of older players to get some return back to attempt to start a rebuild. This is a concept that general manager Bill Schmidt and the rest of the front office have failed to capitalize on in recent years, but there’s no better time to start than the present.

In ESPN’s top 50 trade deadline candidate rankings, the Rockies found two of their veterans on the list in Ryan McMahon and Jake Bird, who slotted in at 16th and 38th, respectively. McMahon was given a 60% chance to be traded while Bird didn’t have a chance listed.

Ryan McMahon – 3B

McMahon, 30, is in his ninth season with the Rockies after he started his big league career at Coors Field in 2017, the first year the purple and black had made the playoffs in eight years. He only played in 17 games that season, but had a much larger role on the 2018 team that won 91 games (second-best mark in franchise history) and went into Wrigley Field and won the Wild Card game in 13 innings.

The third baseman’s best season in Colorado came in 2021, when he had a 3.9 WAR and slashed .254/.331/.449 with a career-high 86 RBIs for the 74-87 Rockies, the best rendition of the club since the 2018 squad. He was nominated as Colorado’s All-Star in 2024, but has had a down year in 2025, a result that could potentially diminish his trade value somewhat. His .222 batting average is one of the worst numbers of his career, and his 30.7% strikeout percentage isn’t a number that many contenders want to add to their roster and potentially swing and miss on.

He has two years and $32 million left on the contract that kicked in ahead of the 2022 season. ESPN listed his top fits as the Seattle Mariners, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers and Milwaukee Brewers.

Jake Bird – RP

Bird, 29, is also ahead of the Rockies’ timeline, and has put together a 2025 campaign that should have plenty of contenders calling the Rockies over the next month. He was getting shouts early in the season as the best candidate to be the club’s All-Star this season, but a couple of human-like performances and an explosion from Hunter Goodman have put that nomination in jeopardy with just a few weeks to go until the Midsummer Classic.

In just his fourth season of major league action, Bird has tossed a 2.06 ERA in 43.2 innings with a 1.19 WHIP, both of which are the best mark on the team among qualified pitchers. His 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings is also the top number on the pitching staff. He has put together a phenomenal season and become one of the few bright spots in this abysmal 2025 season on Blake Street.

Any contender would be a good fit for Bird, as he would be able to give them a shutdown inning or two in every playoff game. Schmidt just needs to make sure he’s getting the proper return for his best arm.

While it’s not fun to trade away some of the team’s best or longest-tenured players, it’s what’s best for the future. With young talents like Goodman and Brenton Doyle all over the roster, this team needs to sell now to prepare to be better when those guys get a little older. As long as the trades aren’t mismanaged like the Nolan Arenado deal, this is the right move for the Rockies organization to make.

The MLB trade deadline is July 31 at 4:00 p.m. MDT, giving Schmidt plenty of time to work the phones. As long as he doesn’t pull a Chris MacFarland and trade away one of these guys early before getting deep into the conversations, the Rockies should be able to get a good return on one of, if not both, these players.