Rookie closer Halvorsen stays level-headed in game -- and about trade rumors

CLEVELAND -- During the hairiest moments of his save in the Rockies’ 8-6 victory over the Guardians on Monday night, rookie closer Seth Halvorsen was expressionless and reactionless.

Halvorsen walked the Guardians’ Kyle Manzardo to open the inning and fell behind Carlos Santana, 3-1, before uncorking an easy, 97.9 mph fastball to force a double-play grounder. Even giving up an RBI single to Nolan Jones didn’t seem to bother Halvorsen, as just one batter later, he celebrated the game-ending strikeout of Brayan Rocchio with a stationary stare toward the plate.

“Seth, if you know him, he’s an even-keeled guy, one of the most even-keeled guys I’ve ever met in this game,” Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said. “You can never count him out. You know that if it goes awry a little bit, he’s going to pull it back in because of who he is inside.”

Halvorsen, 25, who leads MLB rookies with 11 saves and has converted all six of his save chances since June 22, insists that the looming Thursday’s 4 p.m. MT Trade Deadline is not disrupting his insides. Calm is a trait that helps, given all the scouting eyes from teams searching for bullpen help that are looking his way.

The Yankees filled one of their needs by trading with the Rockies for third baseman Ryan McMahon, but continued to follow the team in Cleveland. Scouts from the Rangers, Royals, Mariners, Reds and Rays have also been in attendance for Rockies' games across their last three series. The Phillies, who scouted the Rockies’ last homestand, also could be in the relief market.

“It goes in one ear and out the other,” said Halvorsen on Tuesday, smiling as the endorphins from a pregame workout fueled his mood. “I’ve definitely had some people be like, ‘Hey, come play for us,’ in a joking manner. We’ll see. It’s nothing I can control.”

Several relievers, some with experience, most with the combination of strong arms and many years of the club controlling their contracts, could be in play for the Rockies, who dropped to 28-79 with Tuesday night’s 10-4 loss to the Guardians at Progressive Field.

Halvorsen has a little bit of everything a team would want.

Even teams with closers need late-game relievers or simply strong arms. Halvorsen’s 100.0 mph average fastball (third-fastest among all MLB pitchers) and his 192 pitches of 100 mph or more (second behind the 264 of the Athletics’ Mason Miller) qualify him as one. Contenders and middle-of-the-road teams alike also love the fact that he is not due for arbitration until 2028 or free agency until 2031.

Teams are also evaluating Rockies righties Victor Vodnik (a free agent in 2030) and rookie Juan Mejia. Teams in need of experience could look at Jake Bird, Tyler Kinley or Jimmy Herget.

But like everyone else, the Rockies also like having young, controllable, strong-armed relievers. The only reason to move a reliever such as Halvorsen would be the package Colorado would demand.

What helps Halvorsen -- known as “Fridge” to his teammates because of his tall and square-shouldered build -- keep cool is his mix of pitches. A split-finger pitch that averages 90.8 mph and a slider averaging 89.5 mph provide velocity separation from the fastball and work opposite sides of the plate.

Whether Halvorsen helps the Rockies now or attracts players that could quicken the turnaround, the right-hander is humbled that he is valued at all. Halvorsen started his collegiate career at the University of Missouri as a starter, and was drafted out of the University of Tennessee in the seventh round in the 2023 Draft. Director of scouting operations Marc Gustafson and assistant general manager of scouting Danny Montgomery in real time predicted a quick rise to the Majors, and Halvorsen made it last August.

“Them drafting me as a fifth-year college guy, I was super-grateful for the opportunity to come here and compete at the highest level. As for my day-to-day, the trade talk doesn’t change anything. I get ready to play and compete. Feelings-wise, it’s cool to know that there’s value, or people see value.”

If the Rockies -- who had one of the poorest first halves in MLB history but have a 6-5 record since the break -- decide his best value is with them, Halvorsen will be happy.

“We’ve played good baseball,” he said. “We have a bunch of talent on this team. God willing, if I’m here for however long and we are able to compete and play meaningful games late in the year, that would be a lot of fun.”