Colorado Rockies general manager Bill Schmidt once said every MLB trade deadline has its own story.

This year’s trade deadline story in Denver will focus on third base and what comes next.

With the Rockies sending Ryan McMahon to the New York Yankees for a pair of pitching prospects on July 25, Colorado not only transformed the look of its lineup, but also sent a message that change was in the air — before the trading frenzy kicked into high gear.

That change has extended from the clubhouse, where McMahon was one of the franchise’s longest-tenured players and flexed his leadership skills often, to the hot corner, where the Rockies will now be looking to see who continues a tradition of slick-fielding Gold Glove candidates and winners.

From Vinny Castilla to Nolan Arenado to McMahon, third base has been a bastion of spectacular play throughout franchise history. Now the Rockies must find who’s next.

That may not be decided until next season when Kyle Karros is expected to be given every opportunity to win the full-time role in the spring. Heading into Thursday, Karros had played just 10 games at the Triple-A level but could make his MLB debut later this year.

Until the Rockies find a full-time successor at the position, expect veterans Orlando Arcia and Kyle Farmer to get the majority of playing time there.

Colorado also traded away veteran reliever Tyler Kinley, sending him to the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday in exchange for 26-year-old right-hander Austin Smith, who will report to Double-A. He is expected to add to Colorado’s starting pitcher depth in the minors.

The same could be said for left-hander Griffin Herring and right-hander Josh Grosz, a pair of pitchers now at High-A Spokane who comprised the Yankees’ return for McMahon.

New York and Colorado teamed up on another trade later Wednesday, with reliever Jake Bird going to the Yankees in exchange for second baseman Roc Riggio and left-hander Ben Shields. The duo was ranked among New York’s top 30 prospects, meaning Colorado traded two of their players (McMahon and Bird) for four Yankees prospects that were ranked among New York’s 30 best.

All five players netted in the three trades have potential and, in a perfect world, all could contribute inside Coors Field in two to three years.

That, however, is the maddening aspect about gaining prospects at the MLB trade deadline. There is no certain timeline for MLB debuts; there is also no guarantee there will be an MLB debut. A worst-case scenario? Sure.

The best-case scenario: Herring lives up to his high prospect ceiling (he is currently ranked as Colorado’s fifth-best prospect, according to MLB.com) and comes together with Karros, 2024 first-round pick Charlie Condon, 2025 first-round pick Ethan Holliday and other young players in 2026 to form the next core for the Rockies and a potential playoff run in 2027 or 2028.

Right now, with the Rockies still in reach of the all-time loss record in MLB modern history, that may seem hard to fathom. However, don’t forget the Rockies were 68-94 in 2015 before making the first of two consecutive postseason appearances in 2017.

Most disappointing deadline in NL West

While the Rockies are planning for the future, so are their division rivals in Arizona. The Diamondbacks will go down as one of the season’s most disappointing teams thanks to injuries and underperformance, and those factors turned them into sellers at the deadline.

Arizona had more valuable assets to trade than Colorado (having Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suarez on the roster will do that for a team) and reloaded its farm system with well-regarded prospects from the Seattle Mariners, who acquired both Naylor and Suarez.

Biggest trade in the NL West

In one of the least-shocking aspects of the trade deadline, the San Diego Padres were aggressive with their deals, going big by acquiring talented closer Mason Miller from the Athletics. General manager A.J. Preller didn’t mind dealing high-ranking prospects to get what he wanted (including Leo De Vries, the third-best MLB prospect per MLBPipeline.com), but will this trade and Preller’s others push the Padres past the Los Angeles Dodgers in October? Standby.