Brewers' trade deadline pitching staff reinforcement continues with deal for Rockies' veteran right-hander

The Milwaukee Brewers were expected to target additions to their pitching staff ahead of this year's midseason trade deadline, and in the last two hours, they've added three arms to their major league squad.

After trading two intriguing outfield prospects to the St. Louis Cardinals for right-handed starter Dustin May and lefty reliever JoJo Romero, the Brewers have struck a deal with the Colorado Rockies for right-hander Antonio Senzatela, who recently converted from a starting pitcher to a reliever. The Brewers are sending minor league reliever Mark Manfredi and shortstop prospect Juan Martinez, neither of whom ranked in the MLB Pipeline's list of the Top 30 prospects in the Brewers' farm system, to the Rockies in the trade, as initially reported by Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

Brewers acquire starter-turned-reliever Antonio Senzatela from Rockies as trade deadline nears

Senzatela is an interesting arm -- one who has had the unfortunate experience of spending his entire career in Colorado. The now 31-year-old Senzatela made his MLB debut back in 2017 and was a staple, when healthy, in the Rockies' rotation for the next nine years. However, Senzatela missed most of the 2023 and 2024 seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery during the summer of '23. In the seven seasons prior to his injury, Senzatela averaged nearly 20 starts per season and posted a 4.88 ERA despite half of his starts coming at the hitter's paradise of Coors Field.

With a high ERA in late August of last year, the Rockies decided to convert Senzatela into a relief pitcher, and the switch has been exactly what the veteran right-hander needed. Dating back to late August of last year, when he switched to the bullpen, Senzatela has a 3.58 ERA in 70.1 innings. This season, when pitching away from Coors Field, Senzatela has a 2.57 ERA.

Since converting to the bullpen, Senzatela's stuff, including his fastball velocity, has seen a significant improvement. His underlying metrics have improved across the board, and he's become a legitimate high-leverage relief option. Senzatela comes with a $14 million club option for the 2027 season, which the Brewers are unlikely to pick up unless they envision him becoming a starter once again.

Senzatela comes with just one game of postseason experience, and it's one Brewers fans should remember. The right-hander started Game 1 of the 2018 NLDS against the Brewers, a game that Milwaukee won 3-2 over Colorado in extra innings. Senzatela tossed five innings and allowed two earned runs in the start.

The Brewers give up two prospects in the deal: Manfredi and Martinez. Manfredi is putting together a strong season as a reliever in Triple-A, with a 3.35 ERA and a 35.2% strikeout rate in 45.2 innings to prove it. However, he's already 26 years old, Rule 5 Draft eligible at the end of the season, and his future in the organization looked uncertain. Martinez, on the other hand, is a 19-year-old shortstop who was tearing the cover off the ball in Rookie Ball this year, before his numbers stalled after he was called up to Low-A. He's a lottery ticket prospect for the Rockies -- one who still has plenty of development ahead of him.

It's an interesting, albeit under-the-radar acquisition for the Brewers, who never fail to find creative solutions to their deadline needs. Given Senzatela's improved "stuff" out of the bullpen and his strong numbers away from Colorado, there's reason to believe he could be a dominant force in the Brewers' bullpen down the stretch.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow