Now that the Colorado Rockies have announced Josh Byrnes as their new general manager, it was time for my Out of the Park Baseball simulation to come to an end.
If you’ll recall, in my last update, the Rockies had struggled in July despite the All-Star performance of Mickey Moniak and Hunter Goodman in the first half. The offense was doing alright, but the pitching was not up to snuff. With the Trade Deadline on deck and the Rockies sitting at 42 wins, I was quite busy on the market, trying to reshape the team and finish the year strong.
Rhys Hoskins sent to Tampa Bay Rays
MILWAUKEE, WI – OCTOBER 13: Rhys Hoskins #12 of the Milwaukee Brewers throws during warm ups prior to Game One of the National League Championship Series presented by Booking.com between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on Monday, October 13, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Kylie Bridenhagen/MLB Photos via Getty Images) MLB Photos via Getty Images
The first domino to fall was sending Rhys Hoskins to the Tampa Bay Rays. Hoskins slashed .216/.318/.395 with 16 home runs over 99 games with the Rockies, but with his looming opt-out after this season in his three-year contract, I figured I’d strike while the iron was hot and get a small haul for him. In return, I got outfielders Brailer Guerrero and Everson Pereira, second baseman Cooper Kinney, and right-handed pitcher Zack Potts. Guerrero and Kinney are ranked ninth and 17th in the Rays’ real-life top prospects list.
Pereira ended up playing 30 games for the big league club, mostly in center field, slashing .266/.324/.426 with two home runs. Hoskins didn’t do much in 25 games with the Rays down the stretch and also triggered his opt-out. Potts became a free agent after the season.
Mickey Moniak sent to New York Yankees
DENVER, CO – SEPTEMBER 16: Mickey Moniak #22 of the Colorado Rockies reacts after hitting a three-run home run in the eighth inning of the game between the Miami Marlins and the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Tuesday, September 16, 2025 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Geneva Heffernan/MLB Photos via Getty Images) MLB Photos via Getty Images
I was motivated to trade Moniak while he was at the peak of his value. I put in a little more work than usual, but I ended up striking a deal with the New York Yankees. The Yankees ended up sending big leaguer Oswaldo Cabrera alongside starting pitcher Cam Schlittler. I also snagged their real-life number one prospect, George Lombard Jr. and minor league outfielder Luis Durango. To get that haul, I did have to include minor league pitcher Luichi Casilla, which isn’t bad, all things considered.
Cabrera really helped fill in at second base after Ryan Ritter’s oblique injury and Adael Amador’s struggles offensively. Schlittler spent most of his time in Albuquerque to get acclimated, but did make one start with the Rockies at the end of the season, tossing seven shutout innings. Moniak wasn’t as hot with the Yankees, but he hit .268 and had eight home runs over 47 games.
Jhonkensy Noel sent to Detroit Tigers
CLEVELAND, OHIO – SEPTEMBER 28: Jhonkensy Noel #43 of the Cleveland Guardians runs the bases after hitting a solo home run during the seventh inning against the Texas Rangers at Progressive Field on September 28, 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) Diamond Images/Getty Images
Signed to a minor league contract early in the 2025-26 offseason, Jhonkensy Noel had a big year with Triple-A Albuquerque. Over 85 games, he slashed .286/.374/.691 with 33 home runs. I’ll admit I wasn’t aware of his numbers until Detroit came calling with a nice trade package. They were looking to dump reliever Pete Fairbanks, while including their real-life number nine prospect Max Anderson, and a young international free agent that I’m pretty sure was a generated player for the game named Leonardo Rodriguez. Noel did little to nothing for Detroit but Anderson had a good little stretch in Albuquerque.
Pete Fairbanks sent to Pittsburgh Pirates
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – APRIL 02: Pete Fairbanks #29 of the Tampa Bay Rays pitches in the ninth inning during a game against the Texas Rangers at Tropicana Field on April 02, 2024 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) Getty Images
I also did not want to keep Fairbanks, but I was luckily able to turn around and flip him to the Pittsburgh Pirates for minor league closer Ryan Harbin. Fairbanks was pretty good with Pittsburgh to the tune of a 1.73 ERA over 26 innings and converted 15 saves. Harbin was hit hard in Albuquerque and became a minor league free agent after the season.
Aaron Civale sent to Philadelphia Phillies
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – SEPTEMBER 24: Aaron Civale #38 of the Chicago Cubs pitches in a game against the New York Mets at Wrigley Field on September 24, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Matt Dirksen/Chicago Cubs/Getty Images) Getty Images
Trading a starting pitcher was a prerogative for me at the deadline. I had tried looking for deals for Ryan Feltner, Kyle Freeland, Luis Gil and Logan Allen, but nothing worthwhile materialized. However, Aaron Civale proved the most movable contract because of his cheap salary and relative success outside of a 5.40 ERA in 16 starts. The Philadelphia Phillies ended up offering minor league pitchers Ty Weatherly and Justin Lawson. Weatherly is in the lower levels and Lawson was later released in September. I also had to take Keston Hiura, but the Phillies paid 100% of his contract.
Keston Hiura sent to Chicago White Sox
DENVER, CO – JUNE 6: Keston Hiura #7 of the Colorado Rockies adjusts his gloves during an at-bat in the fifth inning against the New York Mets at Coors Field on June 6, 2025 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) Getty Images
Hiura wasn’t with us for long because I immediately traded him to the Chicago White Sox to acquire center fielder Derek Hill. He played 22 games for the Rockies, slashing .160/.247/.240 with a home run before he was released at the start of September. He signed on with Cleveland to finish the year and signed another one-year contract with them. Hiura also stuck around with the White Sox.
Akil Baddoo sent to Arizona Diamondbacks
DETROIT, MI – AUGUST 15: Akil Baddoo #60 of the Detroit Tigers looks on during the game between the Seattle Mariners and the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on Thursday, August 15, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/MLB Photos via Getty Images) MLB Photos via Getty Images
Akil Baddoo was another player who had a decent year on a minor league contract in Albuquerque. It wasn’t incredible, which is why I was surprised when Arizona came calling with an offer to send reliever Alex Lange, along with prospects Jordan Lawlar and Naimer Rosario. Lange was a quality addition to the bullpen until he suffered a shoulder injury in September. Lawlar didn’t quite hit the ground running, but we’ll see if he can be a piece in the mix for the infield in 2027. Baddoo hit four home runs in 35 games, but not much else for the Snakes.
So that was the Trade Deadline, which wasn’t too shabby. The rest of the season went fairly smoothly. The Rockies went 14-14 in August, followed by a rough 11-19 September/October. Still, they finished the year 69-93 and 22 games back in the division.
Losing Moniak and Hoskins dealt a big blow to the offensive numbers and the team finished near the bottom of the National League in most batting categories, while pitching was in the basement. Still, they went 46-35 at home while the road struggles continued with a 23-58 record.
Charlie Condon finally made his debut on August 15 after slashing 295/.365/.578 with 31 home runs in Albuquerque. He struggled in the jump to the big leagues, hitting .223/.247/.405 with five home runs in 43 home runs. He struck out 46 times against just five walks in 156 plate appearances. Still, he’s going to be my first baseman of the future, and his first career home run was a two-run walk-off against Mason Miller of the San Diego Padres.
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA – OCTOBER 31: Charlie Condon #6 of the Salt River Rafters stands in the batter’s box during an Arizona Fall League game against the Scottsdale Scorpions at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on October 31, 2025 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) Getty Images
When the rosters expanded in September, I made multiple changes. Allen and Hill were released, while Josh Jung was placed on waivers and outrighted to Triple-A and eventually non-tendered after the season. He hit .251 with a .750 OPS and six home runs in 67 games.
I called up Gabriel Hughes, Cole Carrigg, Schlittler, and Amador and eventually Chase Dollander, Kyle Karros, and Sterlin Thompson (again) as injuries hit the roster over the month. Hughes looked good in his five starts and so did Carrigg in his 26 games as the everyday center fielder. Dollander continued to struggle and Karros didn’t play much at the end of the season.
Also, D.J. LeMahieu retired shortly after he was signed (or rather, I “forced” him to retire after some of the trades were made).
Naturally, Hunter Goodman was our top player, batting .289/.334/.527 with 27 home runs and 80 RBI. He earned another Silver Slugger for catcher. Pitching-wise, Kyle Freeland went 10-8 with a 4.14 ERA over 25 starts and Shane Baz went 8-18 with a 4.87 ERA over 184 2/3 innings in 36 (?!?) starts.
In the bullpen, Seth Halvorsen had a 2.78 ERA with 34 saves, while Mason Englert (acquired in the Brenton Doyle trade) had a 2.31 ERA over 74 innings. Englert was actually the most valuable acquisition I made in terms of WAR added to the team.
Zac Veen ended up with 14 home runs and a .255 AVG, while Jordan Beck mustered just five home runs and hit .228 in 145 games. Tyler Black managed 13 home runs with a .245 AVG.
So, there you have it. I would say my season was a success overall, as I found 26 more wins for the club. However, there is still plenty of work to turn this puppy around. My offseason has already started as I tendered contracts to most arbitration-eligible players except for Ryan Feltner.
I also traded reliever Jovani Moran to the Minnesota Twins for young right-hander Justin Mitrovich. I later sent Royce Lewis and a couple of prospects from the Dominican league to Cleveland for Kyle Manzardo.
Even in simulation format, the struggles of the Rockies are still very much apparent. It’s hard to win on the road, the starting pitching isn’t great, and the offense is too inconsistent. The real-life front office has its work cut out for it, but I’m always available if they want my input.
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