The rebuild of the Rockies continued on Wednesday with an eye not only toward the upcoming season but campaigns to come after that.

Colorado executed a pair of trades in a two-hour span on Wednesday that altered the looks of the bullpen and infield and also jettisoned two young contributors off the 40-man roster.

The swap that could provide the most immediate impact for the franchise was one with the Minnesota Twins, where the Rockies acquired infielder Edouard Julien and right-handed pitcher Pierson Ohl in exchange for minor-league right-handed pitcher Jace Kaminska and cash considerations.

Julien and Ohl both spent time with Minnesota last season, with Julien slashing .220/.309/.324 with 10 doubles, three home runs and 12 RBI in 64 games for the Twins. It’s a tumble from his 2023 debut, where he finished seventh in the American League Rookie of the Year voting, thanks to a .263/.381/.459 slash line in 408 plate appearances.

Rockies president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta believes there is a lot to like about Julien’s skill set, especially if he’s given consistent at-bats.

“He’s produced at the major league level at different times,” DePodesta said. “The last couple of years, he hasn’t had as consistent opportunities as he had that rookie year.

“We like the versatility. He can play first. He can play second. And we like that left-handed bat against right-handed pitching. We think there are probably some different ways that we can use him.”

Julien’s addition to the lineup continues a trend for the Rockies to build up from the left side of the plate, with switch-hitting infielder Willi Castro and left-handed-hitting outfielder Jake McCarthy and first baseman/outfielder Troy Johnston all being added into the mix this offseason.

“There were some struggles last year against right-handed pitching,” said DePodesta, referencing Colorado’s .236 collective batting average in 2025 against right-handers. “Obviously, you’re going to see more right-handers than left-handers, so I think it certainly was a focus for us as we went through the offseason to make sure that we had a few more weapons from the left side.

“At the end of the day, we just want the best player, but these guys all fit for us. Willi is a switch-hitter, but then Jake and Eddie both being left-handed hitters, I think that was attractive to us.”

Also attractive to the Rockies was what Ohl could potentially bring to the franchise as a starter or reliever. The 26-year-old rookie logged 30 MLB innings in 2025, including eight shutout frames over his final six games, where he allowed just five hits and struck out nine while walking one.

“He’s a very good strike-thrower,” DePodesta said. “He does have some pitches in his arsenal to keep hitters off-balance, principally the changeup, but he also has a feel for a handful of other pitches. Philosophically, he fits with us really well and could pitch in a multitude of roles for us.”

To make room on the roster for the two former Twins, Colorado designated outfielder Yanquiel Fernandez for assignment and traded reliever Angel Chivilli to the New York Yankees.

The first Cuban-born player to ever debut for the Rockies, Fernandez started his Colorado career strong but slumped the rest of the way, slashing .296/.321/.370 through his first 10 MLB games before struggling to a .207/.252/.342 slash line through his last 42 games.

The Rockies also added to their potential first base mix with their other Wednesday trade, sending Chivilli to the Yankees in exchange for Minor League first baseman T.J. Rumfield. The 25-year-old Rumfield has slashed .271/.365/.431 with 88 doubles, 52 home runs, 260 RBI and 21 stolen bases over parts of five Minor League seasons from 2021-25, including all last season at Triple-A.

Rumfield will not be included on Colorado’s 40-man roster just yet, helping to build not only competition at first base in the spring but also depth for this season and future ones as well.

“With all these deals, it certainly is with an eye toward 2026 but also, at least with the potential, if they continue to come along the way, well beyond 2026 as well,” DePodesta said.

Rockies still in market for starting pitching

DePodesta also made clear on Wednesday that the Rockies are “actively looking” for ways to add starting pitching throughout the organization, including at the MLB level.

“We continue to engage in finding even more pitching, largely starters, because we feel like we have pretty good depth in our bullpen,” DePodesta said. “We’re looking at all the different avenues. So far this offseason, we’ve traded for players, we’ve claimed players, and we’ve signed free agents. We’re still actively looking through all those avenues for additional starting pitching.”