Tyler Paddor | @TyPaddor | November 20, 2023
Coming into the offseason, the free agent class looked bizarre. The most talented player of all time, a Japanese superstar pitcher, a handful of other top of the rotation starters, and maybe like two high-end hitters headline the class.
Following the non-tender deadline, the imbalance between pitching and hitting talent only became more pronounced. In this piece, the overall free agent market will be readdressed with an emphasis on players that were recently non-tendered. Part 1 will focus on position players that could be brought in while part 2–what everyone is interested in, will cover pitching.
Despite bottom tier production last year, the Rockies lineup is largely set for 2024 and there won’t be much movement on that end, which works out given the options available. The Rockies could still be in the market for a utility player that can play up the middle and a backup catcher.
Their rotation, however, even after the addition of Cal Quantrill needs help. As of now, Kyle Freeland and Quantrill are the only names that inspire true confidence. Ryan Feltner and Austin Gomber are decent options to have at the backend. Otherwise, until German Marquez returns in the mid-to-late summer, Noah Davis, Peter Lambert, and Connor Seabold are the only other starters on the 40-man roster.
Lambert made his case to have the inside shot for the 5th spot with a 4.50 ERA in 11 starts after joining the rotation July 1st. Davis flashed in a couple of appearances but also got bombarded a couple of times, ballooning his ERA to 8.70. Finally, Seabold also had his moments but his 11.12 ERA in the second half made him a non-tender candidate.
Some prospects like Chris McMahon*, Joe Rock, Jeff Criswell*, Tanner Gordon*, and Case Williams will be outside candidates (* denotes Rule-5 eligible).
The bullpen has a lot of pieces in place, especially after claiming Jalen Beeks off waivers. Bringing in Cal Quantrill also means someone like Davis, Lambert, or Seabold can hold a multi-inning bullpen role.
Still, with a handful of optionable pieces, the Rockies may look to add one more reliever as things could start looking very bleak with an injury or two to key relievers.
Utility Options:
By nature, utility players aren’t flashy but having a player who can adequately play some of the up the middle positions and provide some form of offense is essential to a roster.
Some of the more compelling options are:
The main consideration here was speed and the ability to play more than one position up the middle while shying away from being completely devoid of offense.
Whit Merrifield and Adam Frazier are sure to draw a lot of attention as they’ve both been very consistent performers for quite some time, though Frazier’s defensive decline may leave him on the market for longer.
Amed Rosario deserves his own category; he’s a former #2 prospect in all of baseball, is one of the fastest players in baseball, and makes a lot of quality contact. He’s a defensive liability at SS but can suitably play 2B and the OF. Additionally, he provides some relative youth at 28-years-old and wouldn’t be a bad player to have around for multiple seasons.
Adalberto Mondesi is much like Rosario in that he brings elite speed and prospect pedigree. He missed most of 2022 and all of 2023 so his current ability is a bit unknown, but Mondesi still carries a reputation as a top tier infield defender and has a history of impacting the baseball (3 seasons with an average exit velocity of 90 mph or above).
Rosario and Mondesi are easily the most enticing players of the bunch due to their age, top tier speed, and ability to make better contact than most utility players.
Kevin Newman is a stable player that makes a ton of contact, has above-average speed, and can competently play 2B & SS. I wouldn’t advocate for a signing here but I’d consider Newman an upgrade over Harold Castro.
Joey Wendle will likely have to play 2024 on a split contract (MiLB deal with MLB salary, contingent on making the 40-man) after a disastrous 2023 season. Wendle can still be relied on defensively but a sudden uptick in swing and miss percentage make him a question mark.
Nick Senzel, the number 2 overall pick in 2016, had a rocky career with Cincinnati. He was often injured and just never took the next step with the Reds. At this point, Senzel isn’t much more than a speedy, high-contact player, that can play around the diamond–though not at a high level. He’s an interesting upside gamble.
Our old friend Garrett Hampson was recently non-tendered by Miami after an actually respectable season where his OPS was .729. Hampson is still one of baseball’s fastest and a quality defender around the diamond but we know his bat isn’t going to make waves. I’m not sure there’s a need for part two.
Finally, Paul DeJong stands as one of baseball’s best SS defenders and can easily handle 2B. His bat has gone missing in recent seasons but he runs a relatively low groundball rate and struggles with secondary pitches; of which he might see less of at Coors Field.
Verdict: The Rockies should absolutely kick the tires on one of the younger options in Amed Rosario, Adalberto Mondesi, or Nick Senzel. Worst case, they end up a serviceable part-time player for a year. Best case, a longer-term role could be earned.
Catchers:
The catcher market is pretty slim this year and the quality options will certainly be snatched up by contenders. Yet, the market for a backup catcher who can hold down the fort until Drew Romo is ready–and perhaps beyond that–isn’t totally dry.
Here are some of the possible options:
Austin Hedges has stuck around in the league purely because of how good he is defensively; you don’t add up 687 games with a career .567 OPS for no reason. Hedges grades out as one of baseball’s best blockers and framers and is above average with regards to pop time. He can’t hit but he can help the pitching staff and aid in Drew Romo’s development.
The second old friend in this piece, Tom Murphy has looked like an all-star at times but has struggled to stay healthy. His 146 wRC+/.879 OPS since the start of 2022 (201 PAs) is elite. He can absolutely rake and isn’t a terrible defender.
Jacob Stallings is two years removed from a Gold Glove award and posted an OPS above .700 from 2019 to 2021. Following his trade to Miami, the wheels came off behind a drop in contact quality. His defense also regressed across the board. Still, we’re looking at one of the best catchers from 2019-2021 and there’s still enough ability to be a high-end backup.
Austin Nola has sneakily been one of baseball’s most disciplined hitters for years and rarely swings and misses. Following a 2021 season where he hit the IL 3 separate times, Nola began dealing with cognitive issues after being hit in the face by a pitch in March of 2023 and taking his fair share of foul balls off the mask prior to that. We can only hope Nola recovers and if he does, he may be able to return to being a quality player.
Finally, Austin Wynns makes sense to bring back on a split-contract. He’s a great defender and not the absolute worst hitter among backup catchers.
Verdict: Prioritize Hedges, Nola, or Wynns who may be easier to move on from when Romo is ready.
It’s reasonable to expect the Rockies will make a move of some sort on the offensive side. Their bench has some uncertain pieces and they lack depth should a key starter suffer an injury. One of the utility players above make the most sense as they could fill in at several places.
If the Rockies goal is to try and reinvigorate the interests of some more of their serious fans and appear as though they’re trending in the right direction, making an addition on the offensive side will be a necessary move.
In the next post, we’ll cover the other side of the diamond and identify the best pitching fits. Stay tuned!
Hunter Goodman Mini-Banter Session
Our offseason began by talking with Hunter Goodman. Be sure to check it out below.
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