The Rockies announced they’ve non-tendered right-hander Cal Quantrill and second baseman Brendan Rodgers. Both players are now free agents and the club’s 40-man roster count drops to 38.
Quantrill, 30 in February, once seemed like a rotation building block for the Guardians but this is now two years in a row in which he’s lost his roster spot after a tough season. From 2020 to 2022, he tossed 368 innings for the Guards with a 3.08 earned run average. His 18.4% strikeout rate wasn’t amazing but he limited walks to a 6.7% clip and kept the ball on the ground 42.7% of the time.
But in 2023, shoulder inflammation limited him to 19 starts with a 5.24 ERA. His strikeout rate, which was already subpar, slid to 13.1%. The Guards designated him for assignment and flipped him to Colorado for minor league catcher Kody Huff.
The Rockies installed Quantrill into their beleaguered rotation, with Germán Márquez and Antonio Senzatela both recovering from Tommy John surgery. They avoided arbitration with Quantrill by agreeing to a $6.55MM salary. He went on to serve as a steady presence in the rotation but with fairly unexciting results. Over 29 starts, he logged 148 1/3 innings with a 4.98 ERA. His 44.4% ground ball rate was around league average but his 16.8% strikeout rate and 10.5% walk rate were both well below par.
MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected Quantrill for a raise to $9MM next year, his final season of club control, but it seems the Rockies were uninterested in bringing him back at that price point. Marquez and Senzatela should be healthy for 2025, joining a rotation that figures to also include Kyle Freeland, Ryan Feltner and Austin Gomber, while prospect Chase Dollander is waiting in the wings.
Quantrill will now look for a change of scenery. Though the recent results haven’t been amazing, the Coors Field effect will naturally factor into how he’s viewed, with some clubs hoping to engineer a bounceback by moving Quantrill away from the mountains.
As for Rodgers, he was once a third overall pick and top 100 prospect but he has failed to live up to that hype. He has taken over 1800 plate appearances to this point in his career and has a batting line of .266/.316/.409. That translates to a wRC+ of 86, indicating he’s been 14% below league average overall.
The reviews of his glovework have been mixed. Outs Above Average has given him a -5 mark for his career. He was above average in 2022 and 2023 but then dipped back down again this year. He does have 12 Defensive Run Saved in his career but in eyebrow-tilting fashion. He’s been below average by that metric in most of his seasons but had a massive +22 grade in 2022, a mark that looks like a clear outlier.
Swartz projected Rodgers for a $5.5MM salary next year. Like Quantrill, he could only be retained for one more season before he was slated for free agency. Rather than pay Rodgers in that range for 2025, they will move on, sending him to free agency while they look for alternatives at second base.
Colorado could give some runway to prospect Adael Amador, but he will be only 22 next year and has just 10 major league games under his belt so far. Perhaps they can find a placeholder to take that spot in the meantime, either someone better than Rodgers or simply cheaper. Players like Gleyber Torres, Adam Frazier, Amed Rosario and others are available in free agency.
Rodgers was drafted 3rd overall; this Rockies FO is incompetent and clueless in all facets of the game.
They’re neck and neck with the ChiSox for incompetence level.
Hey the White Sox had some bad injury luck and already have a good looking farm system. The Rockies are just a joke. I live in Denver they are sad and sorry.
The White Sox system is one of the worst in baseball. They have two good players. The Rockies are top ten.
No way. The White Sox system is much better.
Totally predictable bad injury luck. They were stupid not to trade Robert last offseason and lucked out that he didn’t get hurt this past season. They made the same stupid move with Crochet. If they don’t trade both this offseason, they are even stupider than stupid.
At least he played a few years in the majors. Better than guys like Pint who retired, I retired, and not sure if he even knows how to pitch.
In fairness,
2015 is probably one of the worst first rounds in recent memory
After Rockies drafted Rodgers really only
Tucker, Benintendi*, Happ, Naylor*, Buehler* stick out.
They got Rodgers but could have taken
Tyler Jay, Cornelius Randolph, Carson Fulmer, Tyler Stevenson, Garret Whitley, Koby Allard, Trent Grisham, James Kaprelian, Brady Aiken, Phil Bickford, Richie Martin, Kevin Newman, Ashe Russel, Beau Burrows, Nick Plummer
@Harrison: Dansby Swanson drafted first and Alex Bregman second in 2015. Made that first round better than you’re painting it.
How could the Rockies draft either if they drafted 3rd?
@Harrison: You said “2015 is probably one of the worst first rounds in recent memory.” That’s what you led with. I was replying to that. I also didn’t say anything about whether the Rockies could have “draft(ed) either.” Don’t change the goalposts.
So you’re going to group Tyler Stephenson, The Cincinnati Reds starting catcher with a bunch of guys who never sniffed the big leagues?
Am I gonna say that a 1B/DH batting OPS + 105 in his career playing catcher with horrible defense and pitch framing skills named Tyler Stevenson hasn’t lived up to being a #11 overall draft pick of 2015 much like many guys haven’t lived up to their draft status in the same draft?
Yes. Yes I am.
Wow
Why does Rodgers never steal bases
What are the Rockies even doing? Iirc, both Rodgers and Quantrill got some attention at the trade deadline, and they decided to hold onto both, just to essentially release them a few months later?
Yeah the Rockies have shown year after year they are a poorly run organization. This isn’t a philosophical difference here this is just them being dumb.
They don’t like helping other teams out. The about of guys who left that team for nothing keeps growing.
“Im going with my gut””–the Rockies year after year for some reason.
I don’t think they’re poorly run. The operation stinks of self sabotage
A’s 2025 roster starting to take shape.
Rodgers ?! Cashman go get our new second baseman right now!
Great defender. Ground ball machine with the bat. You’d be better off moving Jazz to 2B and signing or trading for a new 3B.
In limited action I thought Jazz was actually decent at 3b. I’m all for finding a 3b, but Rodgers is a great get who’s still young. The bay potential is there, he’s shown flashes of it. I’d love to see him and Volpe combo up.
Punch and Judy hitter, doesn’t steal, no thanks
Ain’t gonna cost much to give him a shot and he’s got the pedigree to unlock something more. Cheap and interesting solution to me. But I’m curious to see what else will be cooking.
What 3rd basemen are there that are available?
I can’t see Nolan arenado and his bloated contract in pinstripes
League average glove and below average bat for $3M(?). Might as well play Oswaldo.
Rodgers has much higher pedigree. He’s a damn good defender actually and the bat definitely has potential. This is the type of player you go get and evaluate. 3m is nothing lol, what?
Rodgers could at least be a league average stopgap for someone. Quantrill has shown some flashes. He could’ve a useful back end innings eater or shifted into the pen which could potentially make his stuff play up.
It would be interesting for a number of teams to get Quantrill and see what they can do with him. He should get plenty of attention.
Not defending Colorado, buuuut criticizing these moves ? Really !? If your team signed either of these guys you’ll feel more disappointment than joy
Rogers’ departure has cleared the way for one of the Rockies’ top prospects, Adael Amador, to be their second baseman. IF he’s another Tovar, great. Rogers won one gold glove, and was an average hitter, never living up to his potential . The Rockies obviously could no longer afford to keep him. They created a financial sinkhole for themselves when they stupidly signed Bryant. All in all, I don’t understand why they didn’t trade Rogers and Quantrill….for ANYTHING.
Bring cal back to the bay!
I’m curious whether anyone believes releasing Quantrill and Rogers impacts the Rockies chances at a wild card? Every roster must have the League required number of players, no matter how useless. The Rule 5 draft is coming up and there likely aren’t worse players available per $ spent to replace the projected production per $ spent on Quantrill or Rogers. I do agree trading either or both of them for anything at the last trade deadline would have been a sound move. Likely though the Rockies typically would have ended up with deadwood anyway.
Impact the Rockies chances of a wild card?
Yeah, cuts the chances in half. Half of zero is still zero.
Agree that they should have tried to get something for these guys at the deadline. Especially Rodgers; they were pretty short on pitchers by that time so may not have had anyone to replace Quantrill’s innings. Of course for all we know they tried and got no interest.
Can’t wait for CLE to nab Cal again for nothing and have him be serviceable again.
Whoa… I mean I get it, but still… whoa…
Braves better go after Rogers. Idc if he’s not elite at SS, I think his bat is an upgrade from Arcia
Having watched him with the Rockies, I’d say he is at best a small improvement over Arcia with the bat. And Rodgers hasn’t played any SS in several years.
I was thinking San Diego to reunite with Niebla. They need depth.
Why didn’t they trade Rodgers at the deadline?
Quantrill probably got tired of watchin’ his ERA climb higher than a Rocky Mountain peak.
Even if he isnt great again and only gets you 1 WAR or so, its only $5.5M for Rodgers. Isnt a WAR technically averaged out to like $7..5M on average? Plus you can net something little at the deadline or in a contract year he plays better and you net more.
Cash is king. Saving around 15mil is important when a bad team is stuck with dead money like Bryant.
Brewers should take a look at Quantrill, they have a way of turning others’ castoffs into solid pitchers.
rockies are a mess
Brenden will soon show up with the Giants.
As well as other similarly named players.
The new front office strategy is:
Load the team with players named “ROGERS” !!
I personally want the Braves to sign Cal Quantrill only because of what he did to Reese McGuire lol that was some epic level trolling and thankfully Jomboy can read lips better than anyone and that little nugget of treasure is on YouTube for all of us to enjoy and laugh at Reese McGuire’s expense.