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Rockies Add Zac Veen To 40-Man Roster

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The Rockies only made one addition to their 40-man roster on Rule 5 protection day. Colorado selected the contract of former ninth overall pick Zac Veen. Their roster count is up to 39.

Veen, a lefty-hitting outfielder, drew ample praise for his power potential as a high schooler. He hasn’t yet shown that in the minors, at least partially due to a left hand injury that required season-ending surgery in 2023. Veen had a solid rebound this year, running a .258/.346/.459 line with 11 longballs in 65 games between four levels. He played his way to Triple-A Albuquerque by the end of the season.

The 22-year-old (23 next month) could still use some minor league reps, but he’s not too far off his MLB debut. Baseball America recently ranked him the #7 prospect in the Rox’s system. While his prospect stock is down from where it was a couple seasons ago, it was still a no-brainer for Colorado to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft.

Rockies Sign Jack O’Loughlin To Minor League Deal

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The Rockies have signed left-hander Jack O’Loughlin to a minor league deal, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today on X. The Gaeta Sports Management client also receives an invitation to major league spring training.

O’Loughlin, 25 in March, just made his major league debut this past season. The Athletics signed him to a minor league deal going into the 2024 season and he eventually cracked the roster. He tossed 9 2/3 innings over four appearances, allowing five earned runs while striking out six opponents and giving out five walks. He was outrighted off the club’s roster in September and was able to elect free agency at season’s end.

The Australian southpaw naturally has a larger body of work in the minors to look at. His time on the farm includes 159 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level over the past two seasons with 5.35 ERA, though a very high .356 batting average on balls in play might be a factor there. His 22.1% strikeout rate and 9.9% walk rate at that level are both pretty close to average.

The Rockies generally face challenges in building a pitching staff due to their hitter-friendly home park, as it’s tough to both lure free agents there and develop hurlers who can succeed at Coors Field. They’ve also been bit by the injury bug in recent years, thinning out their staff significantly. The club had a collective 5.48 ERA in 2024, easily the worst in the majors, with the Marlins second last at 4.75.

O’Loughlin has worked both out of the rotation and the bullpen in his career, so he can give the club depth in both departments. If he finds any success, he still has a couple of option years and just a few days of service time, so he can potentially be cheaply retained well into the future.

Rockies Reportedly Willing To Trade Brendan Rodgers, Justin Lawrence

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The Rockies are open to trading second baseman Brendan Rodgers and right-hander Justin Lawrence, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN. Being open to a trade doesn’t necessarily mean one will come together, but it’s perhaps a notable stance since the Rockies have generally had a relatively low willingness to make their players available.

The outside perception of the Rockies has often been that they’ve been too confident in their internal assessments. In recent years, players like C.J. Cron, Elias Díaz and Daniel Bard were signed to ill-fated extensions instead of being dealt while they still had some trade value. Trevor Story wasn’t moved as his club control dwindled, departing for modest compensation after he declined a qualifying offer. Jon Gray didn’t even get the QO as the club seemingly believed they could re-sign him, but he went to the Rangers instead, with Colorado getting no compensation whatsoever. Owner Dick Monfort infamously stated that he thought the club could play .500 ball in 2023, a season they went on to finish 59-103.

But perhaps there is more realism now. The club did do a bit of selling at the deadline a few months ago, flipping relievers Nick Mears and Jalen Beeks. They finished 2024 with a record of 61-101, their second straight campaign with their loss tally in triple digits. There are some encouraging developments on the roster but perhaps the club is aware that short-term contention is a long shot.

There’s little reason for the club to be clinging too tight to Rodgers, as he is entering his final season of club control. He also hasn’t done much to establish himself as a core player, despite his past pedigree as a third overall pick and former top 100 prospect. He has taken over 1800 trips to the plate and has a line of .266/.316/.409, which translates to a wRC+ of 86, indicating he’s been 14% below league average overall.

The reviews of his defense have been mixed. Outs Above Average has given him a -5 grade for his career. He was above par in 2022 and 2023 but then dipped back down again this year. He does has 12 Defensive Run Saved in his career but in bizarre fashion. He has been below average by that metric in most of his seasons but had a massive +22 showing in 2022, a figure that looks like a clear outlier.

He got his salary up to $3.2MM in 2024 and is due for one more raise in 2025, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting him for a salary of $5.5MM next year. Given that price point and his performance, it makes sense the Rockies would be open to moving him rather than keeping him for one more year in which they are unlikely to compete.

But at the same time, the interest won’t be terribly high. Last year, free agents like Adam Frazier and Amed Rosario signed one-year deal for less money than the projected arb salary for Rodgers. Those two guys are back on the market now, as are second basemen like Brandon Drury, Enrique Hernández, Whit Merrifield and others. With those options, it’s hard to imagine a team giving up anything of value for Rodgers at this point.

Lawrence is perhaps a more intriguing trade candidate. He still has four years of club control and the Rockies could consider keeping him. But on the other hand, he’s a bit of late bloomer, turning 30 years old next month.

Relievers tend to be volatile, as Lawrence himself as shown. He seemed to have a nice breakout over 2022 and 2023, striking out 24.4% of batters faced and and getting ground balls on 49.4% of balls in play. His 11.2% walk rate was on the high side but he managed to post a combined 4.44 earned run average over those two seasons, not too bad for a guy spending half his time at Coors Field. He also seemed to grab a leverage role, earning 11 holds and saves apiece in 2023.

But in 2024, his strikeouts disappeared, falling to a 16.1% rate. He still got grounders but his walk rate also stayed high and the total package resulted in a 6.49 ERA for the year. He only secured two saves and five holds, falling down the pecking order.

He just qualified for arbitration as a Super Two player, but with a projected bump to just $1MM next year, barely over the $760K minimum. For four years of affordable control, some club might be intrigued by the possibility of what Lawrence could do away from Coors. For his career, he has a 6.96 ERA at home but a 3.86 mark on the road. But for the Rockies, a 30-year-old reliever with a growing salary isn’t someone you have to build around when you’ve just eclipsed 100 losses two years in a row, so they could listen to offers and see what’s out there.

Rockies Claim Jimmy Herget

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The Rockies announced that they have claimed right-hander Jimmy Herget off waivers from the Cubs. The latter club had designated him for assignment last week.

The 31-year-old Herget split the 2024 season between the Braves and Cubs, spending the bulk of the year in the Atlanta organization. He notched 12 1/3 major league frames there, posting a 4.38 ERA with a 15-to-3 K/BB ratio. Herget was then claimed by the Cubs in September but didn’t wind up pitching in the majors for them.

This past season marked the sixth in which Herget has logged at least sparing major league action. He made his big league debut with the 2019 Reds and has appeared in every MLB season since, cycling through stints with the Rangers and Angels as well. He’s pitched 155 frames in the majors and owns a solid 3.54 ERA with an average 22.2% strikeout rate rate and quality 7.4% walk rate.

Herget doesn’t throw particularly hard, averaging just over 92 mph on his heater in 2024, and he’s struggled to keep the ball in the yard these past two seasons, with nine homers in 41 1/3 frames (1.96 HR/9). That doesn’t necessarily bode well for his move to Coors Field, but the Rockies are perilously thin in relievers with big league experience, so it seems they’ll consider giving Herget a look in hopes that he can curb that proclivity for homers.

Because Herget is out of minor league options, he’ll need to either break camp with the Rockies next spring or be passed through waivers before being sent down. Even if he were to go unclaimed on waivers, he’d have the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency. Herget has three remaining seasons of club control and is eligible for arbitration this winter. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects a $900K salary for him.

NPB’s Hiroshima Carp Sign Elehuris Montero, Re-Sign Taylor Hearn

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The Hiroshima Carp of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball announced this week that they’ve signed infielder Elehuris Montero and re-signed lefty Taylor Hearn, who excelled for the Carp in a relief role in 2024 (Japanese-language links via Yahoo Japan). Both players are CAA clients, and both are receiving one-year deals for the 2025 campaign.

Montero, 26, was once a highly touted corner infield prospect in the Cardinals system. He landed with the Rockies alongside Austin Gomber, Mateo Gil, Tony Locey and Jake Sommers in the trade sending Nolan Arenado to St. Louis. Colorado outrighted him off the 40-man roster this past July, and he became a minor league free agent at season’s end.

The Rox gave Montero his big league debut in 2022, but while he’s shown power at times throughout parts of three MLB seasons, he’s never been able to put the ball in play or reach base with any real consistency. The righty-swinging slugger is a career .228/.277/.387 hitter in 739 plate appearances. He’s been far better in Triple-A, mashing at a .314/.392/.589 pace in 877 trips to the plate. That’s the type of production the Carp surely are hoping to acquire.

The 30-year-old Hearn was a fifth-round pick by the Nats back in 2015 and has pitched in parts of five MLB seasons — primarily with the Rangers. He worked as both a starter and reliever during his time in Texas, enjoying far more success in the bullpen (4.48 ERA, 24.6 K%, 11 BB%) than in the rotation (6.36 ERA, 18.3 K%, 9.5 BB%).

It was in the bullpen that Hearn starred for the Carp upon signing with them last December. He missed some time in ’24 but was excellent when on the mound, pitching 35 innings with a pristine 1.29 ERA. Hearn was one of the primary setup men for the Carp, though he picked up a pair of saves as well. In his 35 frames, he fanned 20.2% of his opponents against a terrific 5.4% walk rate.

Jacob Stallings Declines Mutual Option With Rockies

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The Major League Baseball Players Association announced a list of 30 players who reached free agency today after having their option decisions resolved, and Rockies catcher Jacob Stallings was included among them. Colorado hasn’t announced a decision regarding Stallings’ mutual option, but MLBTR has learned that he declined his end of the option. Mutual options typically require the player to decide first, and that was the case in this instance. He’ll receive a $500K buyout and head back to the open market.

Stallings, 34, hit well in Colorado this season, turning in a .263/.357/.453 slash (114 wRC+) with a career-best nine homers in 281 plate appearances. Given that his mutual option was valued at a modest $1.5MM (with that $500K buyout), he surely feels he can top the net $1MM in free agency. The two sides have held mutual interest in a reunion for next season but have not yet come to terms on a new contract.

The 2024 season was Stallings’ first in Colorado. He’d spent the prior two campaigns in Miami and the first six years of his big league career in Pittsburgh. He won a Gold Glove with the Pirates in 2021 and was for a couple seasons regarded as one of the sport’s premier defensive backstops. His defensive grades have dwindled in recent years, due in no small part to a stark downturn in his framing grades. Stallings’ caught-stealing rates dropped off in his two years with Miami, but he was roughly league-average in that regard with the Rox (21% to the league-average 20%). Statcast rates him as one of the best in the sport when it comes to blocking balls in the dirt, listing him fourth out of 66 qualified catchers.

Stallings has posted solid offensive numbers in three of the past five seasons, with his two years in Miami standing as the exception. He draws plenty of walks (9.6% this past season) and strikes out at a roughly league-average rate (23.1%). That profile, coupled with his age, isn’t necessarily going to land him a lucrative long-term pact, but Stallings should find a one-year deal at a higher rate than last year’s $2MM base salary and could feasibly find some two-year offers. It’s a generally thin free agent class for catching help, with Danny Jansen, Carson Kelly and Kyle Higashioka standing as his primary competition on the open market.

As previously noted, the Rockies themselves figure to be among his suitors. Top prospect Drew Romo got his first taste of the majors in 2024 but hit poorly in a sample of 53 plate appearances. Romo had a solid offensive showing in Triple-A but only recently turned 23 and could require some more seasoning in the upper minors. Colorado also has utilityman Hunter Goodman as an option behind the plate, but he spent more time in the outfield than behind the plate and didn’t hit well either in his 224 plate appearances. There are no other catchers on the Rockies’ 40-man roster, so it stands to reason that whether it’s Stallings or another veteran, they’ll be on the hunt for some depth between now and spring training.

Rockies Acquire Owen Miller From Brewers

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The Rockies acquired utilityman Owen Miller from the Brewers for cash considerations, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports (X link).

Miller is a veteran of four MLB seasons, playing with Cleveland in 2021-22 and then with Milwaukee for the last two seasons.  After playing in 280 games across his first three seasons, he had only 14 games in the Show in 2024, with a .407 OPS to show from 27 plate appearances.  The Brewers designated him for assignment and then outrighted Miller off the 40-man roster back in July.

With only a .239/.287/.345 slash line to show for his 1015 career PA in the big leagues, Miller’s defensive versatility has been far more of a calling card than his bat.  Miller has made at least one appearance at every position except catcher and center field, though the large bulk of his playing time has come at first and second base.

Miller is now out of minor league options, thus limiting his usefulness to the Brewers and perhaps to the Rockies or other teams going forward as he vies to remain on a Major League roster.  There’s no risk for Colorado in acquiring a veteran depth piece who can help at multiple positions, especially if Brendan Rodgers is traded and the Rox have an increased need in the infield.

Rockies Name Dustin Garneau New Bullpen Coach

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Dustin Garneau has a new job with the Rockies. After spending the past two seasons as the organization’s catching and game planning coordinator, he will take on the role of bullpen coach in 2025. The team announced the news on Thursday.

The Rockies selected Garneau with the 571st overall pick in the 2009 draft. After five years in the club’s minor league system, he made his MLB debut at Coors Field in 2015. Over the next eight seasons, Garneau caught for the Rockies, Athletics, White Sox, Angels, Astros, and Tigers, playing a total of 168 big league games. He announced his decision to retire following the 2022 season.

During his playing career, Garneau appeared in far more games for the Rockies than any other team: 68 contests over parts of three seasons from 2015-17. He even returned to Colorado on a minor league deal in his penultimate season, although he was traded less than a month later and did not play another game with the big league club. After he hung up his catching gear, it wasn’t long before he returned to the Rockies. Indeed, the organization was so pleased to bring him back that they created the position of catching and game planning coordinator (specifically the “game planning” part) just for him (per Jack Etkin of the Rockies Blog).

While Garneau was not a pitcher himself, the Rockies must believe his experience handling pitchers and calling games will help him succeed as a bullpen coach. He will replace veteran bullpen coach Reid Cornelius, who was relieved of his duties at the end of the season. The team also parted ways with assistant hitting coach P.J. Pilittere earlier this month, though it’s unclear if they plan to replace him. With hitting coach Hensley Meulens and assistant hitting coach Andy González still in the organization, the Rockies don’t necessarily need to add another assistant hitting coach to the staff.

Rockies To Lower Payroll In 2025

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In an article earlier today examining the Rockies’ plans for the upcoming offseason, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reported that the club intends to lower their payroll headed into the 2025 campaign. Per Saunders, those plans to lower payroll come with an expectation that the club will shop second baseman Brendan Rodgers, lefty starter Austin Gomber, and righty starter Cal Quantrill on the trade market this winter.

The news surely comes as a frustrating turn of events for Rockies fans as the club comes off its second consecutive season with more than 100 losses. While the club enjoyed encouraging steps forward for young players like Michael Toglia, Brenton Doyle, Ezequiel Tovar, and Ryan Feltner, that positive momentum was in some ways offset by a major step back for 2023 standout Nolan Jones and the retirement of stalwart DH Charlie Blackmon. Now, a lowered payroll and the likely departure of three stable regulars from the club’s roster leave the Rockies with even more question marks ahead of an offseason that already featured plenty of uncertainty.

While Saunders doesn’t get into specific numbers regarding the club’s payroll plans for 2025, he does note that the club’s $147.3MM payroll for 2024 is expected to come down next year even after factoring in the departure of Blackmon, who made $13MM this year. That would suggest a payroll that maxes out in the $130MM range and could ultimately clock in somewhere below even that diminished figure. That leaves the Rockies with very little room to maneuver this winter given that RosterResource projects the club for a payroll of just a hair under $130MM in 2025 already.

Given that, it’s not necessarily a surprise that the club would look to trade some of its more expensive arbitration level players like Rodgers, Gomber, and Quantrill. The trio is projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Schwartz to make a combined $20.1MM in their final trips through arbitration this year. The bulk of that comes from a $9MM salary due to Quantrill, who Saunders suggests the Rockies are more likely to move on from than Gomber. Trading Quantrill and Gomber would free up a combined $14.6MM in the club’s budget but also give the club the opportunity to open up starts for young hurlers Saunders notes the Rockies see as knocking on the door of the majors, including ninth-overall pick of last year’s draft Chase Dollander as well as southpaws Sean Sullivan and Carson Palmquist,

Quantrill and Gomber were both the subject of trade rumors prior to this summer’s deadline, though neither ultimately wound up changing teams. As the pair head into their final seasons of arbitration eligibility, Quantrill has more big league success on his resume of the two. The right-hander put up fantastic numbers in Cleveland from 2021 to 2022, first as a swing man and then as a full-time starter. Across those two seasons, Quantrill pitched to a 3.16 ERA with a 4.10 FIP in 72 appearances, including 54 starts. With that being said, however, the righty’s 2023 season with the Guardians left much to be desired (5.24 ERA in 19 starts) and led the club to designate him for assignment last November, at which point he was dealt to the Rockies.

Quantrill’s 2024 campaign in Colorado was something of a mixed bag. The righty managed to make 29 starts and throw 148 1/3 innings, and his 4.98 ERA was roughly league average (93 ERA+) after factoring in the inflated offensive environment at Coors Field. With that being said, Quantrill also posted the highest walk rate (10.5%) of his career against a below-average 16.8% strikeout rate. Making matters more concerning for potential suitors on the trade market is the fact that Quantrill not only didn’t pitch significantly better away from Coors Field this year, he was actually slightly worse on the road with a 5.04 ERA in 15 away starts. Quantrill’s lackluster overall numbers come in large part thanks to a brutal second half that saw him surrender a 7.94 ERA in his final eight starts of the year before he was sidelined at the start of September by triceps inflammation, leaving plenty of question marks regarding what can be expected from him in 2025.

Gomber’s 2024 campaign was similar to Quantrill’s in many ways. He made 30 starts for the first time in his career and threw a career-high 165 innings, and his 4.75 ERA (97 ERA+) was roughly league average when factoring in the inflated offense in Colorado. Gomber’s strikeout rate (16.7%) was also lackluster, though Gomber does have a few notable advantages that could make him more attractive to potential trade partners. For one thing, he held opposing hitters to an excellent 5.5% walk rate, good for the ninth-lowest figure among all qualified starters this year. Additionally, Gomber’s performance in away games was much stronger than Quantrill’s as his ERA went down from 4.97 in home games to 4.55 on the road. Those positive factors combined with Gomber’s reasonable $5.6MM salary projection for next year could make him an attractive trade target for clubs in need of cost-controlled pitching next year.

Rodgers could prove to be the most attractive trade piece of the trio. The 28-year-old has generally been a roughly league average bat in recent years, slashing a solid .270/.321/.421 since the start of the 2021 season. That’s good for a 91 wRC+ after adjusting for the park factors Rodgers benefits from at Coors, but his value isn’t tied exclusively to his bat as he’s also a quality defender at second base. Rodgers won the NL Gold Glove award for his work at the keystone in 2022 thanks to an eye-popping +22 Defensive Runs Saved, though after he missed much of the 2023 season due to shoulder surgery he hasn’t looked quite the same this year with a lackluster -4 DRS and a similar -3 Outs Above Average. Even so, Rodgers is a solid if unspectacular regular at second base who could provide a relatively cheap, stable option for a club without a clear solution at the position.

Assuming the Rockies are able to clear enough payroll off the books this winter to make additions, Saunders notes that a hitter who can provide consistency in their lineup and a veteran reliever are both near the top of their list of priorities this winter. With Blackmon vacating the DH spot and no player clearly locked into the outfield alongside Jones and Doyle for 2025, it should be fairly easy for the club to work a relatively inexpensive corner bat into their lineup this winter, and it’s not difficult to find veteran bullpen help on the cheap either in most offseasons.

Beyond those goals, Saunders notes one specific name the club figures to target in free agency this winter is catcher Jacob Stallings, who enjoyed a strong rebound campaign with the Rockies after being non-tendered by the Marlins last winter. Per Saunders, the Rockies want to give young catchers Drew Romo and Hunter Goodman room to develop at the big league level but could still to turn Stallings as they look to bridge the gap for their young backstops. Stallings slashed an excellent .263/.357/.453 (114 wRC+) in 82 games with Colorado this year, although that came with defensive metrics that were a far cry from the work that earned him the NL Gold Glove at catcher in 2021.

Jake Cave, Peter Lambert, Dakota Hudson Elect Free Agency

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The Rockies announced that outfielder Jake Cave as well as right-handers Dakota Hudson and Peter Lambert passed through outright waivers unclaimed. Each of the three players elected free agency rather than accept an assignment to Triple-A Albuquerque. The moves drop the club’s 40-man roster count to 38, as Hudson was on the 60-day IL and not taking up a spot.

All three players were eligible for arbitration this winter, so these moves effectively act as early non-tenders. Each player has more than three years of service time, meaning each has the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency.

Cave, 32 in December, was acquired from the Phillies in a cash deal coming into the 2024 season. He got into 123 games for the Rockies and stepped to the plate 346 times. Unfortunately, he hit just .251/.290/.396 in that time for a 75 wRC+. He now has a career batting line of .236/.292/.400 and an 80 wRC+ in over 1500 trips to the plate. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected him for a salary of $1.8MM next year but the Rockies will move on instead.

Hudson, 30, spent many years as a groundballer with the Cardinals. He had a 3.14 earned run average through 2021 but his ERA jumped to 4.45 in 2022 and 4.98 in 2023, so the Cards decided to non-tender him.

The Rockies brought him aboard via a modest $1.5MM guarantee but Hudson went on to post a 6.17 ERA this year. There may have been some bad luck in there, as he only stranded 63.5% of runners, but he also made things hard on himself. His 12.4% walk rate was not only above league average but also above his 12.1% strikeout rate. Colorado could have brought him back for a projected $2.3MM salary next year but understandably decided not to.

Lambert, 27, was a second-round pick of the Rockies back in 2015. He was a notable prospect for the club on his way up the ladder but hasn’t been able to cement himself in the big leagues. He debuted in 2019, making 19 starts that year but with a 7.25 ERA. He required Tommy John surgery in July of 2020, keeping out of action for all of that year and most of 2021. Right forearm inflammation limited him to just four minor league appearances in 2022.

He’s been largely healthy for the past two seasons, with the Rockies using him a frequently-optioned swingman. He has thrown 148 2/3 major league innings since the start of 2023, but with a 5.51 ERA. His 8.7% walk rate in that time is fine but his 18.5% strikeout rate is subpar.

He was projected for a $1.5MM salary next year, which is almost nothing in MLB terms, but he has exhausted all of his option years. That would make it harder for the Rockies to keep him on the roster going forward, so they have decided to bump him off today.

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