The Atlanta Braves have benefited well from making trades with the Rockies over the last few years. It seems anytime Atlanta needs to find a diamond in the rough, they give Colorado a ring. Pierce Johnson was one of the first examples of this in 2023. Atlanta traded a couple of minor league prospects. Johnson had a terrible time in Denver, but quickly became one of Atlanta's most dependable arms over the next two years.
Atlanta followed that blueprint again in 2025, when they traded for Tyler Kinley. Kinley was terrible in the first half with an ERA over six, but he ended the second half with a 0.59 ERA with the Braves. That's quite the turnaround. Kinley had his blemishes this season, but he's still been a great addition.
The Braves could use this strategy again in 2026 to snag another righty reliever from the Rockies. Antonio Senzatela has had one of the best seasons of his career so far with a 1.36 ERA over 33 innings. He has nine walks, 26 strikeouts, and a 0.85 WHIP as well during his first real season as a full-time reliever.
Braves making a move for Anthony Senzatela at the trade deadline makes a lot of sense
A lot of Senzatela's success can be attributed to incredible numbers with his pitch run value (10) and fastball run value (8). Senzatela has an excellent xERA at 3.09, as well as fantastic numbers in multiple metrics, including fastball velocity (96.9 mph), average exit velocity (87 mph), walk rate (7.3%), and barrel rate (5.7%).
Senzatela is much improved from the 2025 season, when he had a 6.65 ERA over 130 innings as a starter. Moving him to the bullpen seemed to be the change he needed. The right-hander shouldn't be too expensive, and he has a club option attached for 2027 worth $14 million. ,
Senzatela will probably be on the radar of many teams at the trade deadline, but that doesn't changet that Senzatela would be a nice addition to the Braves' bullpen. Maybe Alex Anthopoulos can find a way to work his magic and add another dynamic arm to the bullpen, even if there is a good bit of competition.
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