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 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.
10,000 Bees
Rockies are the equivalent of diarrhea in team form.
Canuckleball
Not sure if that’s quite right. Diarrhea can get better with rest and time, or cured with medications such as imodium.
There is no known treatment or cure for Monfortism.
10,000 Bees
@canuckle. You’re right. I can’t believe I was so stupid. Rockies are like an incurable diarrhea. A blast from the past (literally), Oregon trail style.
Jake Jortles
If the Rockies are diarrhea you’d expect more runs.
10,000 Bees
Jake you son of a b. Well done.
Lindor's Bodyguard
Kris Bryant chuckles.
Jiggs
All the way to the bank.
joefriday1948
The Rockies have been the class of the league for years. No need to make any changes or increase the budget. Best management in any sport
Samuel
Na. Think Jimmy Haslem.
While you won’t feel much better, you won’t feel quite as bad.
The funny thing is, Haslem get his results while actually thinking he’s trying. So I gotcha there.
Monfort is like those in DC. Just wants to keep his cronies, friends, and relatives on the payroll.
Arnold Ziffel
What a mess, they promote youth then the FA they covet is a 34 yo backup catcher. Looks like another in25. Why would they improve when suckers keep flocking to Coors.
Please sell Monfort
BaseballisLife
White Sox lose 121. Rockies say, “Hold my beer”.
avenger65
BaseballisLife: Just wondering if you or someone else knows who won the season series between the Sox and the Rox.
iwojimausmc
Does anyone else have issues getting notifications from the app? Samsung galaxy 24 ultra. I haven’t had a notification for 2 weeks…. I’ve tried deleting/re-downloading the app. Cleared the cache/data. Strangely the app doesn’t show up in the notification settings of the phone but does in my apps list. Also, I DO have all the settings and permissions on and allowed. Help! I miss the updates. Thank you.
Canuckleball
@ avenger65:
Rox lost 2 of 3 to the Sox.
BaseballisLife
Had to look it up. White Sox won 2 of the 3 games.
Bart Harley Jarvis
Let the highbrow economic discourse commence!
Blackpink in the area
A team that is a few years into a rebuild doesn’t need a big payroll. They should be trading those guys because those guys aren’t under team control when the team plans on being competitive again and they can get prospects back. That’s why they should trade those guys.
sad tormented neglected mariners fan
Is it bad for Rockies fans? Could this mean they can finally do a rebuild?
geotheo
It actually makes sense for the Rockies to reduce payroll. Makes little sense to spend 147 million on a 61-101 team. Back to back 100 loss seasons. Makes little sense to increase payroll to lose 90 games. Slash payroll, build through the draft and start over. Got nothing to lose except more games. Which you are anyway. Stinks for the fans but it’s the best strategy for the long run.
Blackpink in the area
Yes save the money for when you are more prepared to win games and spend it then.
hiflew
Nothing to lose except for more fans. If you watched all the games like I did, you would notice that most of the Rockies home games were almost like road games. It’s always been that way when the Cubs and Cardinals come to town, but even the Dodgers and Giants had more fans in Coors than the Rockies. I was more angry with the crowd turnout than I was with the on field performance most of the time.
I am a have been a Rockies fan since their day 1, so I have seen hard times in the past. But the fans always seemed to be there…until now.
The one thing I have always said was if there is ever a complete rebuild like the Astros in 2011, I would be done forever. I don’t care if it worked or if it guarantees the team will be better in 2033, because I might be dead by then. I don’t care about five years from now, I want them to try NOW. There is ZERO reason to ever give up on a season before it begins. I don;t mind a slight rebuild, especially midseason of a losing year. But if it is the off season and I feel like my team is not even trying to compete, then why should I spend my money to watch them. I don’t mind if they are bad naturally because someone has to be bad. But if they start trading off every decent player, then I am done.
brewpackbuckbadg
I understand what you are saying but lets say at the start of the off season you look at your team and you think we have to spend another 150 million just for next year because the players you signed like Kris Bryant are not pulling their weight or your draft has not produced high quality what is the point of signing even 60 million worth of “good” players to maybe just maybe get to the last wild card space if everything goes right.
hiflew
Turnarounds can happen easily. The Rockies have a decent core right now. The Royal lost 100 and made the playoffs the next year. The Rangers and Diamondbacks both made the World Series two years after losing 100. So it can happen as long as everyone is willing to try. But when teams are just content to collect admissions and TV revenue while not trying to win is just the complete antithesis of sportsmanship.
If I was made commissioner of MLB, the very first thing I would do is put in a salary floor to force teams to try like in the NFL. And a salary cap to stop the richest teams from buying playoff spots like 75% of the current postseason. You don’t have to be great every year, but remaining competitive is a must for the integrity of the game.
BTW, getting the last wild card soace has meant a trip to the NLCS every single year since they expanded the playoffs. The 6 seed has advanced every single time. Once the playoffs get started, it doesn’t matter whether you are first or last as long as you are in, you have a chance.
Samuel
hiflew;
You’re a swell poster and I’m sorry for you knowing how much you love baseball.
The Rockies home game are like that of the Angels. In their case it used to be AL fans that would show up when their teams were playing in SoCal. But now those in LA country can go to Dodger Stadium to see their teams during interleague play. (Another reason Arte is hurting.)
Will say this……
Ezequiel Tovar is an exceptional ballplayer. More MLB fans should watch him play. Simply remarkable.
Arnold Ziffel
Agree, but the Monfort will sign another Kris Bryant, if they got rid of Black, they would lose an additional 10-15 games
DarkSide830
The Monforts might actually be worse owners than Fisher.
desertdawg
Does with the reduce payroll, mean reduce prices for tickets.
YankeesBleacherCreature
No. As bad as the Rockies were this season, they ranked 15th in overall attendance. If the fans keep showing up, no reason to lower prices.
geotheo
Probably not. The Rockies drew 2.5 million this year. As long as fans show up prices will remain the same. Salaries don’t affect ticket prices. The laws of supply and demand. If attendance drops prices might follow
This one belongs to the Reds
With the RSN fiasco, you are going to hear this from about half the teams in baseball, next to a picture of Robby the robot fiddling while Rome is burning.
ChuckyNJ
Rockies had to take a haircut on local TV money as their RSN shut down after the 2023 season. They’ve since gone the San Diego-Arizona way with a streaming/pop-up channel.
Goose
A group of friends do a baseball trip every year. We did Colorado in 2023 and took the stadium tour. They average 40,000+ in attendance. They may not have an monster tv contract but HOW do they not spend money to improve the team?
geotheo
Who do they spend money on? Juan Soto isn’t coming there. Neither are Snell or Burnes. Top free agents aren’t going there especially pitchers. You can overpay for middle of the road free agents but they aren’t moving the needle. So keep the payroll as low as possible, lose a lot of games ( they got that part down) , and build through the draft/ international players. Develop a core of young ( cheap) talent. As they start to develop you now have flexibility to add to the core. Like the Astros and Orioles
superunclea
Except with the way the draft is now set up those Orioles and Astros teams will be a relic. White Sox pick 10th this year because you can only be in the lottery 3 years, 2 if you don’t get money for being a small market. After that your picks get higher. So they really can’t tank for 5-6 years like those teams did and draft smartly. It’s supposed to make teams spend more to win now vs. fumbling it down the street 10 years.
hiflew
RELIEF PITCHING! The Rockies gave up five or more runs in the final inning in 8 different games this year. They blew 2 different five run 9th inning leads to the Marlins and they only played them 7 times. And at no time did any of the relievers ever be called a closer.
The team is really not THAT bad. They are not great by any means, but they not 100 loss bad. They played right around .500 ball against winning teams this year. The problem is that they were horrible against bad teams. They lost 2 of 3 to the White Sox. I mentioned the blow ups against the Marlins. And most of that problem was relief pitching. Some of the younger options were good in the last month plus, but history shows that it could easily be a blip instead of a reality.
I don’t think they should go out and get Soto. I actually think he would be a bad fit for the rest of the team.. But picking up pitching that can “bend but not break” has always been necessary. But right now everything is broken and not just bent. They don’t need Burnes or Snell because the rotation is actually a strength of the team.
AHH-Rox
Over/under on games for Kris Bryant next season? 50?
As long as he is eating up a lot of their payroll space, the Rockies are going to have a hard time becoming competitive.
hiflew
I think the Rockies are better with him on the IL. His game is just not tailored to Coors Field even when healthy. His power in Wrigley and other NL Central stadiums worked because the fences are closer, so his fly balls were over the fence there. But at Coors with the much bigger outfield, those same home runs are now warning track outs. You cannot hit a 325 home run at Coors like at Wrigley.
I continue to hope there is some way to trade him this off season. Whether it involves attaching a prospect like Veen or taking back a bad deal or two in return or both, I don’t care. I wasn’t a huge fan of them signing Bryant because I never liked him when he was a Cub. But now I hope to never see him wear a Rockies uniform again.
Cam
Fair – their front office shouldn’t be trusted with money.
Old York
Good. Players are overpaid.
brucenewton
They should lower payroll by at least Blackmon’s salary no brainer. They aren’t a couple high priced free agent hitters away. And it’s impossible for them to attract the better pitchers. Try to trade the vets and build through the draft.
Captainmike1
Lower payroll only works if you have talented management and talented scouts
Rsox
Problem is they can’t even trade Kris Bryant for salary relief.
Goodman has intriguing power for a Catcher but might be another Gary Sanchez; capable of 30 HR’s but can’t bat his body weight
metsin4
You attach Tovar with him and I’m sure the Dodgers would take on the salary.
hiflew
Do that and you might as well fold the team.
hiflew
I think it is possible to trade KB. It won’t be easy, but there are plenty of bad deals out there around MLB that he could be swapped out for. I would even be happy with a Bryant for Javy Baez deal. You could put Baez at second and trade Brendan Rodgers for a pitcher. If Baez continued to suck, then bench him and bring up Amador.