Clearly, Paul DePodesta and the first-year Colorado Rockies’ front office aren’t about quick fixes.

While a whole bunch of fans and followers of the Rockies were hoping for a series of big, splashy trades at this year’s MLB trade deadline, what actually happened was a threesome of mildly newsworthy moves that left no doubt that what’s being built at 20th and Blake isn’t about next year as much as it’s about the next generation.

While pre-deadline trade talk revolved around All-Star catcher Hunter Goodman, outfielders Mickey Moniak and Jake McCarthy along with starting pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano, the Rockies instead traded pitchers Antonio Senzatela and Victor Vodnik, along with recently reactivated outfielder Brenton Doyle. They got back one current big leaguer – infielder Connor Norby from Miami – one “on the cusp” starting pitcher in Mason Adams from the White Sox – and four young minor league prospects, two of whom are a loooong way away.

Norby, who has been battling consistency issues, is a corner infielder by trade, which are two positions the Rockies don’t need immediate help at, given the solid seasons being put up by Kyle Karros and T.J. Rumfield. So that’s sort of a head-scratcher.

These aren’t the kind of moves a team makes if contending next season is any part of the plan, especially if that team is so desperately in need of young pitching. Gaining one young starter and one Double-A reliever at the deadline puts the onus back on the amateur draft, which means years of “homegrown” player development.

So what is the plan?

Clearly, keeping Moniak – whom the Rockies signed to a contract extension on trade deadline day – and McCarthy means the current logjam in the outfield will remain in place. Doyle – the former Gold Glover who will now find himself in a playoff race as a member of the White Sox – was expendable, given the emergence of budding star Cole Carrigg. With Troy Johnston and Tyler Freeman also seeing time in the outfield, it leaves the immediate future of top prospect Charlie Condon and former top prospect Zac Veen – who’s been tearing up Triple-A pitching but who’s defense leaves a lot to be desired – fuzzy at best. And another top outfield prospect, Jordan Beck, has returned to the Rockies in Doyle’s place. That’s a lot of bodies.

It’s also very possible that these deadline moves mean that Condon could end up spending the entire season in Triple-A Albuquerque…at least until September call-ups occur. Who knows what will happen with Veen at this point?

As far as the bullpen goes, losing Vodnik – on the heals of also trading away hard-throwing Seth Halvorsen – lowers the team’s average MPH, but doesn’t remove a key piece. Both Vodnik and Halvorsen can throw a ball through a brick wall…but as they say, no one cares how hard you throw ball four.

Senzatela, who reinvented himself after requesting a move to the bullpen in the offseason, will finally get a chance to play in the postseason with Milwaukee, which Rockies fans should celebrate. In his place, Nick Frasso, the return piece in the earlier Halvorsen trade from the Los Angeles Dodgers, will now get his turn in the show.

In short, the Rockies didn’t get better or worse at the deadline. They didn’t even get ‘different.’ Most fans were hoping for more.

This season will remain a rebuilding one, of course, but plans for the build appear to be about 2029 and beyond, not 2027.