As the 2025 trade deadline looms 24 hours away, the Colorado Rockies have made their second trade of the deadline season, sending veteran reliever Tyler Kinley to the Atlanta Braves for minor league right-handed pitcher Austin Smith. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand was first to report.

Kinley, 34, is in the final year of his contract with the Rockies, earning $3 million this season and has a $5 million club option for 2026. His numbers have not appeared attractive this season, posting a 5.66 ERA but he has displayed strong strikeout numbers with a 23.8% strikeout rate. Some of his other metrics, like FIP (4.14), point to some bad luck but it’s also been a matter of struggles at Coors Field, where he’s pitched to a 7.52 ERA.

He’s been on an excellent run of late, however, pitching to a 2.37 ERA with a 31.1% strikeout rate and 6.7% walk rate in 19 innings since mid-June. Additionally, his road numbers have looked much better, where he has a 4.28 ERA. He has struggled with walks this season at a 12.6% clip, but the strikeout numbers mixed with a strong 14% swinging-strike rate and does have an ability to limit hard contact. In fact he’s been one of the league’s best this season.

Claimed off waivers by the Rockies in 2020, Kinley found a stable place in the Rockies bullpen. Filling various roles from middle reliever to closer, Kinley’s strong strikeout numbers filled a void that the team had often experienced in the relief corps. Despite the high walk rate, the Rockies valued his leadership and pitching ability. After a strong showing in 2021, things seemed to be finally breaking through for Kinley in 2022 when he posted a 0.75 ERA through 25 appearances. However, his season was cut short as he required right elbow surgery.

He struggled in an 18-game return in 2023 and labored to a 6.19 ERA in 2024. However, as has been the case in 2025, he has endured some bad stretches and particularly bad outings but also gets on those hot streaks that make him one of the best relievers in baseball.

The Braves must see that there is room for improvement with the strikeout numbers and, despite being 45-61 on the season, have been active at this deadline, trying to deepen a roster that has been decimated by injuries. If Kinley can unlock some potential through the rest of the season, he could become a bargain option for next season as the Braves look to rest as a group and finish the year strong.

Austin Smith, on the other hand, was an 18th-round pick by the Braves in 2021 from the University of Arizona. The righty reliever has spent most of his time this season in Double-A with the Columbus Clingstones. In 18 appearances, he owns a 5.40 ERA, converting four saves in five opportunities with 21 strikeouts and 11 walks. On the year, he has a 4.31 ERA in 31 1/3 innings with 34 strikeouts against 15 walks. He hasn’t particularly dazzled in his minor league career, and his main struggles have come from a lack of command, but he has shown an ability to limit contact and get ground balls.

He missed nearly all of the 2023-24 season recovering from Tommy John surgery. Smith tossed 26 innings last year across three minor league levels and posted a 6.92 ERA with nearly as many walks as strikeouts.

Trading Kinley opens up another spot on the Rockies 40-man roster and it leaves them a pitcher short for their series finale against the Cleveland Guardians today. Having sent away Kinley the question now becomes whether or not the Rockies will make any more deals concerning their bullpen. Recent reports indicate their is interest across the league in right-handed pitcher Jake Bird and Jimmy Herget, both under team control for a few more years. There is also interest in young power relievers Victor Vodnik and Seth Halvorsen, both of whom have five-plus years of team control.