Brenton Doyle is headed to the South Side.
The Rockies sent the center fielder to the White Sox on Monday, hours ahead of the MLB trade deadline, in exchange for two prospects.
In return for the Gold Glove outfielder, Colorado gets right-handed starting pitcher (Chicago’s No. 8-ranked prospect) and infielder (unranked).
The emergence of Jake McCarthy and rookie Cole Carrigg into the Rockies’ lineup made Doyle, who has a controllable contract through 2029, expendable. McCarthy, who came over via an offseason trade with the Diamondbacks, is hitting .289 which ranks 13th in baseball. And Carrigg, who debuted on June 9, is hitting .305 with 5 homers through 46 games.
And the trade directly addresses Colorado’s most pressing need: starting pitching depth.
“With (the trade for) Brenton Doyle, we got a starting pitcher that has a chance to impact our rotation as early as 2027,” Rockies president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta said. “… Probably the only way we would have moved Brenton was with a guy we thought could be one of our starting pitchers in relatively short order.”
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Doyle won consecutive Gold Glove Awards in 2023 and '24 while looking like a future pillar in the lineup. In the latter season, Doyle batted .260 with 23 homers and 30 steals while accumulating 3.9 bWAR. But his offense fell off last season, and then nosedived in 2026 as Doyle spent more than two months on the injured list with oblique and and groin issues. He is hitting .214 with one homer.
During Doyle's time on the IL, Carrigg and McCarthy shared duties in center field.
"We've talked about wanting three center fielders out there," DePodesta said. "So it wasn't a situation where we were thinking, 'Oh, well, we're going to move (one of) them.' But the fact that Jake has played so well, and Cole has played so well, at least freed us up a little to entertain it probably more than we would have five months ago."
Colorado re-instated Doyle from the IL last week ahead of the series against the Royals at Coors Field. He played in Friday and Saturday's game, with one hit in each game, but did not play in Sunday's series finale. For Doyle, the trade presents a chance to finally play for a contender. Doyle was a starter on three straight 100-plus loss teams in Colorado, but will now suit up for AL Central-leading White Sox, who are one of baseball's biggest surprises just two years after setting a modern record with 121 losses.
"We're happy for him that he's going to have chance to compete this year and get into the postseason," Colorado outfielder Mickey Moniak said. "Maybe a little change of scenery will be good for him (and his bat), and I know that as well as anyone."
In Adams, the Rockies get a prospect who is close to debuting after coming off Tommy John surgery in 2025. A 13th-round pick in 2022 out of Jacksonville University, the 26-year-old has a 4.25 ERA in nine games (7 starts) in Triple-A this season. He's a strike-thrower with plus command who has a low-90s fastball with a curveball, sinker, slider/sweeper and changeup that has cutter movement.
He features a low arm slot, allowing him to create good movement on east-west pitches, like the cutter, sweeper and curveball.
For a franchise hurting for starting pitching depth, taking a chance on Adams to become a part of the rotation in 2027 could be worth it. He is not on the 40-man, but would likely be added this offseason if he doesn't get promoted to this big leagues this summer. On paper, his potential is a strong return for Colorado in the trade, considering the Rockies' outfield depth, Doyle's injuries this year and Doyle's lack of offensive productivity the last couple seasons.
Prior to his elbow injury, Adams posted a strong 2024, with a 2.44 ERA in 18 games in Double-A before getting a late-season promotion to Triple-A. That season included a 5.32 strikeout/walk ratio.
With Vielma, the Rockies are looking far down the road. The 16-year-old Venezuelan just completed his first season in the Dominican Summer League, where he slashed .337/.508/.474 while playing most third base, but also second and first.
"If you have a .500 on base in any league (like Vielma does in the DSL), that's pretty good, right?" DePodesta said. "He controls the strike zone really well. There's a really good foundation there offensively. Obviously, he's a long way away. But what he's done so far has been really impressive."
Doyle's trade was the second such move the Rockies made leading into the deadline, as Colorado also sent reliever Seth Halvorsen to the Dodgers on July 20 in exchange for Triple-A reliever Nick Frasso and Class-A outfielder Landyn Vidourek. And it ended up being the first of three deals that Colorado swung on Monday, as the Rockies also traded two relievers: Antonio Senzatela to the Brewers and Victor Vodnik to the Marlins.
