The Rockies enter deadline season at the bottom of the NL West. They’re positioned to listen to trade offers on veteran players, particularly those whose contracts are expiring at season’s end.
General manager Bill Schmidt discussed the team’s outlook with Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post in a piece Rockies’ fans will want to read in full. The baseball operations leader told Saunders the club is getting the most interest in some of its veteran relievers. Schmidt declined to specify which players. However, Saunders reports that left-hander Brent Suter is drawing the most attention, with righty Pierce Johnson and southpaw Brad Hand also generating some interest.
All three players are fairly straightforward trade candidates. Jon Heyman of the New York Post wrote last week the Rox were taking offers on their impending free agents. Johnson and Suter are ticketed for free agency. Hand is controllable via $7MM club option, but that price point might be a bit beyond Colorado’s comfort zone. If the Rockies did trade him, that provision would convert to a mutual option.
Suter, claimed off waivers from the Brewers last offseason, is playing this season on a $3MM arbitration salary. The 33-year-old carries an excellent 2.81 ERA across 41 2/3 innings. He’s only striking out 19.2% of batters faced on a modest 8.4% swinging strike percentage. Yet he’s long shown excellent control and an ability to stay off barrels, allowing him to keep his ERA below 4.00 in each of the last four seasons.
His trade candidacy could be complicated by his health with less than a month until the August 1 deadline. Suter is currently on the 15-day injured list after straining his left oblique in late June. It’s unclear how long he’ll be out of action, although Saunders writes that he completed a 20-pitch bullpen session yesterday.
Of course, the Rockies have shown a willingness to operate outside the norm for deadline sellers. Colorado has resisted trading some impending free agents in past seasons when they’ve been well out of contention. Players like C.J. Cron, Elias Díaz and Daniel Bard were signed to multi-year extensions. Trevor Story and Jon Gray walked in free agency, with no compensation in Gray’s case since Colorado declined to make a qualifying offer.
Schmidt suggested the organization would take a similar approach this summer. “We are going to listen on guys, but people have to remember that teams have to want your players, too. … You’re not going to run out a Triple-A team out there — for the integrity of the game,” he told Saunders. “But if there is interest in our players and we think it’s a good decision for our organization, long-term, then we will make considerations.” He said the club would ideally bring back minor league pitching in deadline deals; Colorado’s one move thus far saw them ship out Mike Moustakas for High-A righty Connor Van Scoyoc.
It’s possible the Rockies retain Suter even if he’s healthy enough to draw continued interest at the end of the month. Schmidt implied they could look into an extension, saying he “could see him, going forward in the next year or two, giving us veteran experience in our bullpen.”
The GM also expressed openness to listening on the team’s veteran position players, although Saunders unsurprisingly suggests there’s been less interest in the bulk of that group. Cron, Randal Grichuk and Jurickson Profar are all impending free agents. None has played especially well in 2023. Cron and Grichuk missed notable chunks of time with early-season injuries; Profar has been healthy but stumbled to a .246/.328/.382 line despite playing in the sport’s most hitter-friendly home venue.
Charlie Blackmon is also in the final season of his deal. He has never seemed a particularly plausible trade candidate for myriad reasons. The veteran has full no-trade rights as a career-long Rockie with over 10 years of MLB service. He’s making $15MM this year and is likely to be on the injured list into August after suffering a right hand fracture last month. Demand figures to be minimal, but Schmidt said he’d discuss potential trade scenarios with Blackmon if they arose. The GM noted there’s interest on the club’s part in bringing him back for a 14th season if Blackmon wants to continue playing.
Díaz might be the most interesting Colorado trade candidate on the position player side. Schmidt tells Saunders he’s willing to listen to “legitimate” offers on the first-time All-Star, who’s amidst arguably the best season of his career. The 32-year-old backstop is hitting .279/.331/.442 with nine homers through 296 trips to the dish. He’s making $5.5MM this season and under contract for $6MM next year. Given that extra season of club control, it seems Colorado is prepared to hold to a high asking price on the veteran.
Astros should trade for Cron
Just last month MLBTR had an article saying how the Hand signing was paying off. Predictably, it’s now “even Brad Hand is drawing interest”. Like there’s teams desperate enough to even be interested in the guy.
Hahaha I even commented on that article. I guess the “acquisition played out how they drew it up”.
They’re being even-Handed.
Considering hand has that option teams won’t want him unless some kind of cash changes hand to lighten the hit
It’s a club option that converts to a mutual option if he’s traded. Those are almost never picked up so it’s really not a financial hit to whoever acquires him outside of the buyout that comes along with it.
His buyout is 500K and his prorated salary at that point will also be under a million, so he’s not really that pricey.
Hand could have been had by any team late into the offseason. Now they think he’s a big trade chip.
It amazes me some of the propaganda teams put out there and people eat it up. In the end, it is usually much ado about nothing.
Most people commenting on this post could do a better job running the Rockies than the current group of knuckleheads in charge.
Rockies have Hand and they need it
Charlie Blackmon extension is honestly predictable and unnecessary. Love Chuck but hopefully they’ll keep it to a single year. They need to move Kris Bryant to DH and keep the OF open for Nolan Jones, Zac Veen, and Yanquiel Fernandez.
Veen is struggling in AA and out for the year. I don’t think he will be ready in 2024. An extra year of Chuck wouldn’t be the worst idea.
The Rockies should try to acquire someone with actual upside rather than bring back Charlie Blackmon. Make a savvy trade for one of these relievers or find a bargain bin off waivers. There’s no upside for a terrible team to bring back 36 YO that’s at the end.
With that being said—the Rockies prob will bring back Blackmon back because it fits them.
They are definitely fielding a triple A team, and not because they are tanking for the future, it’s because their management is the worst in sports. They’ll probably keep the team intact because in their minds they are a championship team on the edge! Ownership is a joke, but hey at least people show up to line their pockets
Not gonna lie, I’m an O’s guy. But among a couple of other franchises I always liked is the A’s and the Rockies who are both having tough times for different reasons. I’m hopeful that both can turn their fortunes around like my O’s have. More specifically for the Rockies, their farm system before very recently hadn’t been very well thought of. I don’t know if the current front office is what they should stick with but they really should be dealing every vet that has value. Pitching is always going to be the way to a championship, even more important if your home park is Coors Field.
Every year iscthe same with these guys, they need to move vets at the deadline and rebuild their prosoect depth, but they dont. So here we are again, a list of perectly viable trade assets Col could move, but come Aug 2nd they will still be on Rockies roster, working their way to last place. What a strange, directionless, organization.
They’ll definitely hold and maybe even extend a few (like Bard instead of trading Bard when they should’ve). The Rockies are just perpetually below-to just average because they won’t just go full rebuild for a few years. It’s definitely disappointing because they have great fans
Would Megill get the Mets Suter and Pierce Johnson ? Megill can start for the Rockies
Not both, Megill was never that great to begin with and close to DFA. I could see Rockies dealing Pierce Johnson and a fringe prospect.
Or maybe both relievers for Megill and a decent but not elite pitching prospect who is a couple years away from the bigs.
I could see Lawrence and Bird being shopped too
Bird is Bud Black’s favorite reliever. No way he is going anywhere.
If someone calls and asks for Pierce Johnson and offers anything remotely interesting, I will personally purchase his bus ticket out of town.
Bud black may not be the man in charge for much longer. Contract is up after next year. Fairly logical managerial change candidate this off-season.
Lawrence is probably their closer going forward and has a minimal salary; no way he gets traded.
Dismantle the team and do a full rebuild, maybe?
It’s not the AAA club but there a several who are in the lineup that made the jump. Tovar is going to be special. Nolan Jones as well. Listened to Jeff Brantley do the Reds broadcast and he really thinks Jones is going to be good. Doyle good speed and D. Trade Montero and Cron, let Toglia play the rest of the year at 1B. I hate to see Suter and Bird go as we know we’re going to need relievers as well. Kinley should be back hopefully by Aug. it’s is rebuild right now so let the young guys play. I’d also pick up Charlie’s option for next year.
NoJo has too much swing and miss in his game right now. Maybe he’ll get past that but pitchers will exploit those holes. Montero is worth a bag of balls right now after what he showed & Cron’s a giveaway.