The Rockies deepened their rotation and catching corps late last week with signings of Dakota Hudson and Jacob Stallings, and their next move could be of similar scope in the outfield. Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports that the Rox are looking for a “depth outfielder” — ideally someone who can handle all three positions while hitting from the left side of the dish.
As things stand, the Rockies have a largely right-handed outfield mix. Left fielder Nolan Jones bats left handed, but each of Brenton Doyle, Sean Bouchard and Hunter Goodman is right-handed — as are the bulk of the team’s upper-minors options (with the notable exceptions of top organizational prospects Zac Veen and Yanquiel Fernandez, though both are likely more than a year from the Majors still). Colorado re-signed franchise stalwart Charlie Blackmon earlier in the offseason, but he’s expected to reprise his role as the team’s primary designated hitter in 2024.
Adding some outfield depth from the left side makes a good bit of sense then, although the free-agent market is pretty light. It’d be a shock to see the Rockies spend at the levels necessary to sign Cody Bellinger, and the options beyond him aren’t exactly plentiful. Joey Gallo would make an interesting upside play at Coors Field, but his production has been in a free-fall since the 2021 trade sending him from Texas to the Bronx. Travis Jankowski and old friends Raimel Tapia and Rafael Ortega could make sense, with the latter two in particular likely to be available on minor league contracts.
Trade scenarios for this type of player abound. There are too many to list in full, though reasonable on-paper trade partners include the Royals (Kyle Isbel, Drew Waters), Mariners (Cade Marlowe, Taylor Trammell, Zach DeLoach) and Tigers (Akil Baddoo). It’s also possible that the Rox could simply fill the need with a spring waiver claim or deal for an out-of-options player who’s been squeezed out of a roster spot with his current team (e.g. Nick Gordon, Jake Cave).
The extent to which the Rockies can add to their payroll remains unclear. Colorado has added around $9-10MM in salary with the offseason pickups of Hudson ($1.5MM), Stallings ($1.5MM) and Cal Quantrill (projected $6.6MM salary in arbitration, via MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz). That said, the Rox still appear headed toward a reduced budget for the 2024 season. They didn’t lose much in the way of free agency — lefty Brent Suter being their lone departure of note — but GM Bill Schmidt traded away veterans like C.J. Cron, Randal Grichuk, Brad Hand and Pierce Johnson at the deadline. That group combined to help push Colorado’s 2023 Opening Day payroll to a franchise-record $172MM, but they’re currently about $30MM shy of that total.
Like so many other clubs in MLB at the moment, the Rockies face ample uncertainty regarding their 2024 television broadcasts — and thus, their revenue. AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain, the RSN that previously broadcast the team’s games, is ceasing operations in 2024 (as first reported by Kyle Newman and Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post back in September). Saunders reported in a mailbag column over the weekend that MLB may step in to handle the Rockies’ broadcasts in 2024, but there’s yet to be a formal announcement on that matter.
However their broadcast situation plays out, it’s quite likely to adversely impact the team’s revenue. Couple that with the Rockies’ extreme longshot postseason odds, and it’s unsurprising (though surely still frustrating for their fans) that the team has had a rather quiet offseason and instead appears to be focusing on in-house development with an eye toward 2025 and beyond.
Take Benintendi please!
He still wouldn’t hit 25 HRs
He still wouldn’t hit 10 lol
Andrew is crossing his fingers to get traded away from the hot mess that is the White Sox at this point…
Benintendi sucks so I also hope he gets moved
I know our return wasn’t fantastic, but I do like that Bloom traded him away. He’s basically a Verdugo clone- all around decent but nothing special with minimal power. I personally think Verdugo had the edge.
We did well in that trade, and almost no RS fans know that.
What they said at the time they drafted him was true. They said he was fully developed physically, so not to expect a lot more development as he aged.
How did the Red Sox do well in that trade? Recency bias, sure- Benintendi had an awful first year as a White Sox. But he was solid in KC and NY, and all we got was Franchy, a AAAA player who is now going overseas.
We also got Winckowski in that trade if I recall, and he was great last year and a part of our future.
Franchise wasn’t good but worth the gamble, especially when Winckowski came with him.
Ahh, yes! From the Mets, I did forget it was a three-team deal. My bad.
The players we got in the Minors also seem to be doing well as I checked their stats, so it really could end up being an even better trade on our end.
I heard Cody Bellinger is still available. His contract should go well with Kris Bryant’s.
I was really tempted to put Bellinger to the Rockies in the free agent contest. The fact that it makes no sense for the Rox to sign him is also why it would make perfect sense for the Rox to sign him.
Definitely true. I put him with the Yankees, but the only team prediction I’ve gotten right is Ohtani, so he probably won’t go to the Bronx Bombers.
Please take Jake Cave.
Take Yoshida although his defense is not there as it would allow John Henry from not having to apply for SNAP benefits…
Yoshida would rake for the Rockies… don’t think it will happen though. I also kind of like Yoshida, even though Sox are looking to trade him.
Agree on Yoshida who I think can have a monster year. My problem is his defense. I recall last year Mark Cahna played the wall like he grew up there and it reminded me of Yaz out there. For the Sox to be competitive again, they can only have at most one liability defended which is still Devers. It would never happen but I’d trade both Duran and Yoshida, DH Devers full time and bring in Chapman to play third and resign Duvall. My outfield would be Duvall, Cedenne and Abreu in right with O’Neill playing every day he’s healthy enough to do so. I would also hope to get at least a number two for Duran and other minor league assets and get what I could for Yoshida.
The Rockies are a club that could add his salary and not be under water. He doesn’t play cf to my knowledge though. He would be a good fit in their lineup as a contact and gap hitter though.
Can they give Cody Bellinger 7 years and $200 million? If so Cub fans will be jumping off buildings
Jed Hoyer has entered the chat
Gavin Sheets is available.
Emphasis on “outfielder” ha
I see Rick Hahn is trying to get a job with the Colorado Rockies lol
Sheets can play in the outfield, he’s just going to be terrible at it lol
So what am I to do? Find it for them or recommend one? Is there a finders fee their willing to pay me for finding them a left handed hitting outfielder?
Do they have anybody worth giving up Alec Burleson for?
Burleson isn’t any good
Rockies have better already.
There is too much outfield grass for Burleson to cover.
What a horrible franchise. Sometimes it sucks following the Brewers who have the odds stacked against them, but sure glad I’m not a Rockies fan. No hope in sight.
The Rockies are quite possibly the weirdest team in major American sports.
No one has any idea what they are doing, not even them, but by golly are they ever committed to it.
They had a pretty fun team with arenado, cargo, and tulo…and nothing since.
Agreed. It’d be fun if we just got back to it being a game and a fun way to pass time, forgetting about our real lives. But when you have to spend in order to field a competitive team, greed comes into play and moves the goalposts! I hear it’s a great ballpark, hope to get there soon to catch a game.
What are you talking about? They draw 2.5 to 3 million fans a year, and make lots of money. That’s the idea, and they do it very well.
They do. Ownership was fine shooting for .500 last year. They were awful, but had great attendance, so I don’t see much changing because that’s who these owners are. Great ballpark though, in a really fun area of town. Usually can bank on seeing 3+ hrs a game.
The Reds are the opposite. Fraley, Friedl, and Benson are left handed.
Reds have what the Rockies need. The Rockies don’t have what the Reds need.
If the Rox want a cheap, controllable, MLB ready guy with 25 HR upside pre-Coors Field Effect (so like 30-35 HR upside for them?), Kyle Stowers is SUPER blocked in Baltimore.
Do the Rockies have anything decent to trade? Like even just a good RP could be a starting point.
Stowers has little to no value.
That is simply incorrect.
Trade values has him at 1.8 million.
That’s almost nothing.
“Trade values has him at…”
Don’t care lol.
Get an actual argument.
Well we got an established website dedicated to providing value for players for trading
And we got you a homer Orioles fan.
Which makes more sense to trust?
So you have no actual argument to support your original statement, just a kneejerk appeal to authority.
Got it.
Again there is an established website people use to determine the value of players who could possibly be traded. That’s what I am using. That’s my argument.
You are a homer Orioles fan.
All I have said that your statement that Stowers “has little to no value” in trade is incorrect. Nothing more.
You have yet to provide an actual argument for why that is untrue. “Because X says so” is an appeal to someone else’s (alleged) authority, not you actually making an argument in support of your statement.
TBH, I am starting to suspect that you don’t actually know much about Kyle Stowers…
I provided a website that it’s sole purpose is to put a dollar value on a baseball players trade value. The only one of its kind as far as I know.
You are a homer Orioles fan.
Now who is better qualified to give a fair assessment to what Kyle Stowers is worth? The website who does this for a living with no bias or you???
So all you have is that same old tired appeal to (alleged) authority…
And some impotent ad hominems now, apparently.
Sad.
Get a life man. Good lord.
Get an argument, man. Good Lord.
😉
(Concession accepted btw, let this be a lesson to not just mindlessly regurgitate other people’s ideas/statements with no actual ideological foundation to support yourself on lest you run into someone who doesn’t simply say “oh, okay” in response to your appeal to authority and instead asks you to actually defend the thing you just said, but this time in your own words)
My argument is using a website dedicated to providing value for baseball players and trades.
Yours is you are a homer Orioles fan.
Figure it out champ……..
Appeals to authority, ad hominems, strawmen- you’re not going to win many debates with moves like that, chief.
Since this doesn’t seem to be going anywhere (which is kind of a bummer, I had a bunch of counterarguments all ready to go but was never actually presented with an argument to deploy them in counter to), I’ll see myself out.
Don’t forget that lesson I mentioned.
Again website dedicated to providing value for baseball players or homer Orioles fan talking about an Oriole.
Who has more credibility?
KFloch in the house. Hope all is well.
IMO, emphasis on stats to evaluate a player’s production is too heavily weighted by many on this website. Drives me a little crazy. When these stat gurus come hot and heavy with their schtick, I often wonder if they’ve ever suited up and played the game. Ya know, to have the opportunity to be either the pitcher or the hitter in the bottom of the ninth with game on the line. Regardless of level of competition (from Little League on up), oh the backside pucker factor!
Joel P. I agree with your observation on Stowers. I just came at it from a different angle. For me, he doesn’t pass the eye candy test when watching him play in person at OPACY. Too many holes in his swing for my liking and not athletic enough in the field. That said; I wish him no ill will and may I be completely wrong here.
Stowers isn’t going to headline any blockbusters but he has legit power and walks at a passable rate, and he is ready for a full time audition somewhere after showing well at AAA the last 2 years. If I was a rebuilding team looking for a cheap young bat with some upside that is blocked on a contending team to give development ABs at the big league level to in 2024, he is a guy I would definitely inquire about. He has flaws like most young players with less than a year of service time and he probably isn’t going to be a superstar, but Hunter Renfroe and Austin Meadows are both fairly plausible outcomes for Stowers.
Point taken KFloch, point taken. Cheers!
He would probably be their cleanup hitter.
If they want a LH hitting OF all they have to do is pick up the phone and cave to Scott Boras. The headline didn’t tell the whole story. It doesn’t say ” Cheap LH hitting Of”. That’s what they really are looking for.
Rockies aren’t cheap. Stupid sure but not cheap. It really wouldn’t shock me if they signed Bellinger.
They’ve loved Bellinger for years. He killed them regularly when he was with the Dodgers. But they’ve already got the best defensive CF in the sport, and are loaded with outfielders up and down their minor league system. They won’t do it, but man they must be tempted.
Damn I must be so far inside your head you see me in your dreams. You comment on every post I make. You need to consider getting a good shrink, When you graduate from eighth grade that is.
That was for my stalker Joel BTW.
I replied to 2 things you said. And maybe you should check again because you followed me over to this comment I didn’t follow you.
You want to make any more stupid jokes about Colorado? Go ahead. We will go from there.
The point was that the best LH hitting OF on the market has been available all off season.. They didn’t have to look too far. And gee trying to sell somebody on hitting in the best hitters park in baseball must be tough. Conclusion is that they are looking for a cheap OF so your argument that they’re not cheap is once again flawed to the max. Clowning you is easy, Because you show your age every time. It doesn’t matter how old you are, Your viewpoints are strictly Junior high mentality so please find another site to haunt with your lame opinions.
Lame opinions?
I said the Rockies aren’t cheap. Because they aren’t cheap. Of course Bellinger has been available all offseason and nobody else has signed him either. Did you expect the Rockies to sign Bryant before they did? No you sure didn’t.
What’s your deal? If you don’t want to talk baseball then dont.
Sign Gallo, see what happens.
His walks and K’s will still be walks and K’s. Maybe a few more dingers, but certainly more distance on the ones he would have hit anywhere else.
The breeze from his bat will be so much stronger in the thin air. The pop ups so much higher!
Gallo cannot cover CF. He can barely cover the corners anymore. Look at his sprint speeds. MLBTR consistently talks about Gallo’s defense as if it were 2015 again.
2015 – 28.2 acceptable CF
2016 – 27.9
2017 – 27.9
2018 – 27.7 emergency every day CF
2019 – 27.8
2020 – 27.1 MLB average corner OF
2021 – 27.4
2022 – 27.2
2023 – 26.5 <– 1B/3B/C/DH
What is the unit?
feet per second.
If you can talk Happ into dropping his NTC you can take him. He has a coffee business and drinks the stuff like 24/7. So if you buy him a weed distributorship, He could be set for life selling the stuff to stoners. Heck give it a shot.
Stoners????
It’s 2024 fella. Times have changed. You need to change with them. Denver is a very nice city that’s where I live. The weed jokes are lame.
Joel- Hey Sheldon it’s called sarcasm, learn it and learn how to recognize it. Happ isn’t waiving his NTC as much as it would make everyone in Chicago happy as a clam.
It’s not sarcasm it’s a lame joke that’s not funny.
Are you talking about the Rockies or the Mariners? Coffee, weed, stoners, we got it all in Seattle. Send him over.
Gallo would be interesting in Colorado
Gallo would have first ever 50/50 season in Colorado.
(50/50 as in 50 HRs and a .050 batting average due to trying to hit every single pitch 600 feet there)
It would be epic!!!
And he would help defensively there!!!
I don’t care wat the metrics say, I think he is a really good defensive outfielder
Rockies are stacked with corner OF, both in majors and high minors. Their only sorta need is a second CF. So this is gonna be a Travis Jankowski type. Actually this whole post is based on a throwaway line in a much longer piece by the mlb.com Rockies reporter. Which he’s been saying all off-season. I doubt it’s still a priority.
I agree, Jankowski is the best fit in Colorado. Great defense and he makes enough contact to thrive there.
Exactly. The Rockies have the best defensive CF in the game, they’re not going to sign Gallo or anyone else that wants to start.
Lol!
I know you were exaggerating but I was curious: lowest ever BA with 50 HR is Pete Alonzo with .260
statmuse.com/mlb/ask/lowest-batting-average-in-a-s…
He can’t run
Looking for a 2nd CF with league level experience? Here’s hoping the Orioles can work out a deal to bring Hicks back. Showed up big time when Mullins initially went down with the groin injury. Also, he primarily played CF but got time in both corners.
He can too
26.5ft/sec sprint speed puts him among the typical 1B/DH group.
Statistics Smh
All I know is, he cutoff a ball in the Orioles Grand Canyon and threw someone out at the plate and hit a homerun while with the Yankees and won the game for them
No Gallo No Win
His speed is fine
Nice take on Gallo, Lefty! It brought me back to a post here during the 2023 about Aaron Hicks. It was something about low “exit velocity”. IE he doesn’t hit the ball hard enough. Whaaat? Personally, I don’t care how a hit ball gets put in to play or leaves the park, just so it does.
@Lefty_Orioles_Fan
Maybe he did. He’s lost a step since 2022. Gallo used to be fast. He’s not fast anymore. He used to have a cannon arm, but that too has declined a lot.
baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/joey-gallo-60…
You can see why Gallo’s defense declined pretty clearly by digging into the data. He’s lost his explosiveness. He no longer accelerates as fast as he used to, he doesn’t have the top end speed, and he doesn’t have the arm.
That’s the advantage of using statistics. It can help determine why things happened. As a left field season ticket holder for the Twins last year, I can assure you, Gallo does not have the speed he used to.
@C Yards Jeff – Exit velocity determines the likelihood of a ball finding a gap and going for a hit or the likelihood of a ball going over the fence.
Aaron Hick’s maximum exit velocity was the lowest of his career. That suggests his raw power has declined. The average exit velocity is useful for determining what quality of contact the hitter is making. Even with Baltimore, Hicks didn’t make a lot of good, hard contact by MLB hitter standards.
So, basically, it looks like his hit tool and power tool are in decline. He does still mash fastballs and mistake pitches, though. He also still has very good plate discipline.
@martras, thanks for the intel! And to your point, if it’s a measurement of decline, he definitely has the feel of an off the bench not everyday player these days.
4 Words,
Joc “the rock” Pederson.
For Coors Field, they need somebody with good range and decent overall defense. So definitely not Joc.
Just say no to JOKE.
I’d think Arizona could trade McCarthy or Fletcher
Joey Gallo or Joc Pederson?
Trade for Yelich
David Dahl has entered the chat.
I feel like the world forgot about Kris Bryant about 5 years ago. Never seen a player go from superstar to meh literally overnight.
Benitendi, sheets, Jimenez,
Give Profar another 7 mil.
Rockies could easily afford to sign Bellinger. Their payroll is down $30m or something. They won’t and shouldn’t, but they definitely could.
They need a backup CF and honestly who cares what side of the plate? They’re gonna play once or twice a week on a last place team. Give Jankowski or Tapia 1M and call it a day.
We’ll gladly trade you Conforto for a half-day lift ticket to Vail.
Signed,
All Giant Fans
I was going to propose Conforto, too. He had a mediocre year with SF last year, but he’s still a capable OF. His bat is worthy of 20-25 HR at Coors. He’s not worth much more than salary relief, but a trade would open up room for Bellinger, whom SF can certainly afford.
I’d say the Rockies should take a look at Andrew Stevenson if they’re looking for a depth lefty speedster outfielder. He’ll be dirt cheap.
A good cheap trade target might be Estevan Florio who the Guardians just picked up from the Yankees for cheap.
If the Rockies want a guy who can cover all 3 positions and who could start in if needed, those aren’t guys you’re going to find on the waiver wire.
Staying with the Guardians.. the Rox may consider George Valera, as well.. Valera could be had for Carigg and the Rox Comp A pick in the coming draft?
Sure. Staying with the Guardians so long as they don’t receive a trade offer. No team values a mid-level prospect like you’re suggesting.
Kris Bryant is almost 30 million alone.
Only for the next five years with a full no trade until he enters his prime at 36. Basically free.
Paging Sam Hilliard, is there a Sam Hilliard here ?
Go get Mike Antico from the Cardinals. They have too many AAA centerfielders and he could actually turn into a pretty decent player.
Eddie rosario would be a good get for them, he might bump his 20 homers up to 30 and be one of their best hitters, he has that potential, he’s just very streaky. Idk why nobody wants him, he had over 20 homers, and 75 RBI, yes he’s inconsistent, but for most of the year he had an ops above 800. He had one of his slumps toward the end of the year, but he was still close to an 800 ops, what more can you ask of a guy? I think the Rockies should lock him in.
Rosario should be a good cheap target, but I think it’s past time to move on from projecting his potential. He’s hyper aggressive at the plate, refusing to take walks even though he has the pitch recognition skills, and that severely handicaps his value at the plate.
Rosario has shed some weight and improved his sprint speed back up to a level where he might be fast enough to cover CF in a pinch (tough call at the cavernous Coors Field), but he’s always been a lazy fielder. He runs good routes, but gets a very slow jump on the ball and doesn’t put a lot of effort into his throws despite having very good arm strength. Tough to say if a team could motivate him.
Twins fans lost their minds wishing Eddie would just humble himself and make a couple tweaks.
Oh I agree one hundred percent, and maybe saying he has the potential, was the wrong way to say it, but he certainly could hit 30 homers in Colorado. That’s what I was trying to say. He is what he is, and there probably wont be ,much else left for him to change at this point. But the Rockies wouldn’t need him to be the best fielder, they need offense, an he could certainly help in that category, as well as being that left handed outfielder they want.
Joey Gallo and do away with the humidor
I’m not sure why they’d pick up anyone. They are about the worst team in BB. Fighting to move back from possibly the #1, to possibly a good bit further back in the lottery, makes no sense.
Former Top 50 prospect Taylor Trammell is out of options, is only 26 years old and deserves an opportunity to roam center field in Colorado.
Seattle could ask for 23-year-old lefthander Joe Rock, the 16th-ranked prospect in the Rockies farm system.
The Rockies aren’t going to deal any of their pitching prospects. Ever.
A reunion with 35 yr old Corey Dickerson sounds like something COL would do, only because we have no idea what they are doing. I bet he could double or triple his HR’s from last year.
Hey Rox fans, I got Mickey Moniak, I’ll even throw in Tylor Anderson, what are you willing to give up in return?
We will trade you Max Kepler. Power hitting lefty outfielder. If they have any good pitching that we need that is…
Ok why are the Rockies not calling the Brewers on Joey Weimer? I’m sure he could be had. He might even be the next Bichette for them.
Perfect spot for Gallo. Hit 50 bombs and play CF for them. Maybe build up some credit for next years payday
Conforto or Yasztremski to the Rockies. Free up another OF spot for the prospects. We ain’t going anywhere in 2024 so might as well play the rookies and see what we have for 2025.
I don’t buy it. The Rox have plenty of options at OF, with Blackmon and Bryant rotating in. The last thing they need is to spend millions on a veteran who will block Toglia (who hits from both sides) or Bouchard from getting ABs.
Also, Veen isn’t more than a year away. I’d bet he’s in the bigs by the ASB.
No way Veen is up that fast after a poor, injury-shortened season at AA in 2023. Maybe in September, or at the earliest at the trade deadline if they get rid of an OF then.
Call up the Tigers. Flores has the profile to pitch at Coors. Kerry Carpenter has a bat that would play well there and his defence has improved. Send Amador, Veen and Bryant to the Tigers for Carpenter and Flores. Tigers are buying prospects by taking on Bryant and his salary and can kick Baez to the bench when Amador is ready. Veen can slot in as their leadoff hitter in a year. Bryant can play some 3B and LF. Hal 2000 the trade calculator has Bryant rated almost twice as bad as Baez. You can have Baez too if you want!
I’d assume the Pirates have no intention of moving him but Jack Suwinski seems like a great fit for Colorado as a lefty bat with 30+ homer potential that can be the larger share of a corner OF platoon and be a capable backup CF.
Urge to Max Kepler – Rising
Who do the Rox have to offer for a Baddoo, a Trammel or an Isbel? No mentions here. Is the cupboard that bare?
I was just thinking about Baddo….wonder how he’d do with a fresh start? He has shown some talent here is Detroit. and I’d be interested to see how it would work out for him.
Could they get Austin Meadows on a Minor League Contract with an invite to spring training?
Tyler Naquin is about their speed. Good platoon numbers.