Colorado Rockies news and links for Monday, July 22nd, 2024
With the first “half” of the 2024 baseball season officially in the books and the second now under way, the 36-64 Colorado Rockies have work to do. They won’t be looking to turn their season around and make some kind of miraculous playoff push, but rather doing what any losing team does in the dog days of summer. The Rockies will be preparing for the future.
The first order of business for the Rockies is this year’s trade deadline. With less than two weeks to go, the Rockies will need to be taking calls and working to maximize returns as they send away veterans, expiring contracts, and those who won’t be a part of the organizations’ future to competing teams.
Complicating the deadline is the status of catcher Elias Díaz, who has seen his potential value plummet over the last month.
Díaz initially had perhaps the highest value of anyone on the team. Hitting .303/.352/.439 through June 10th with five home runs, the backstop on an expiring contract and last year’s All-Star Game MVP could have easily gone to any catching-needy contender.
He then went to the injured list with a left calf strain and missed the remainder of June. Díaz was still visibly hobbled and hitting significantly worse when he returned. In 53 at-bats since June 30th Díaz is hitting just .208/.263/.245 with two doubles and no home runs. Compounding the collapse in his trade value is another injury, this time straining the right calf on Saturday night against the San Francisco Giants.
The Rockies may need to pivot slightly and try to maximize their return on investment for a different catcher, Jacob Stallings.
Stallings signed this offseason for $1.5 million dollars with a mutual option for 2025 and is turning in what could be a career year at the plate—batting .255/.351/.414 with four home runs in 52 games—in addition to his usual stalwart defense behind the plate.
Ideally the Rockies are able to deal both Stallings and Díaz at the deadline, but whomever they don’t trade will likely serve as a mentor for up and coming catchers Drew Romo (no. 7 PuRP) and Willie MacIver. If only Díaz gets traded, Stallings could serve that purpose and continue to do so in 2025. If only Stallings is moved, it’s possible the Rockies sign Díaz to a one year extension and retain his services to teach the youngsters the trade. Either way, the Rockies need to shed at least one veteran catcher at the end of July.
Second baseman Brendan Rodgers should also be moved. Rodgers has just one year of team control remaining, becoming arbitration eligible in 2025 and a free agent in 2026. While I like Brendan Rodgers—and I’m sure the Rockies do as well—he just hasn’t done enough to warrant a big contract that would lock him down for the future.
While Rodgers has performed cromulently over parts of six big league seasons, he’s largely failed to live up to his first round draft pedigree outside of winning a Gold Glove in 2021. He’s struggled to stay on the field due to injury and is a notoriously slow starter, accumulating just 5.0 rWAR since making his debut in 2019. Meanwhile, the Rockies have plenty of middle infielders in their farm system and have already given Adael Amador (no. 1 PuRP) his first taste of the big leagues.
Hitting .263/.306/.380 so far this season with six home runs, Rodgers is performing well enough at the plate that teams seeking offensive upgrades might give the Rockies a call. His strong defense up the middle should also draw some interest, though he could realistically also play at third base or even shortstop if contending teams already have a second baseman.
While it may seem counter-intuitive, pitching also needs to be on the Rockies’ table at this swap meet. There’s always a market for both starting and relief pitching at the deadline, and despite technically a “pitching needy” team, the Rockies could stand to make a tidy profit.
The obvious person to part with is left-handed pitcher Jalen Beeks, whom the Rockies claimed off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays this offseason. At 31-years-old and a free agent at the end of the season, Beeks doesn’t fit with a rebuilding team looking to get younger.
Beeks has proven this year that he can handle a significant workload. His 44 appearances and 48 1⁄3 innings out of the bullpen are the most and second most respectively since he had Tommy John surgery and missed the 2021 season. His 4.66 ERA may be higher than desirable, but there is always a market for a lefty reliever at the deadline.
The Rockies should also look to move one or both of starting pitchers Austin Gomber and Cal Quantrill. Both pitchers are performing admirably this season as workhorses in the rotation, but with the return of Germán Márquez—whom I expect the Rockies will extend before the end of the season)—and a wealth of exciting young pitching prospects either with Double-A Hartford or soon to be there, there is room to move one or both of the duo.
To be successful at the trade deadline this year, the Rockies need trade at least four of the players listed above. General manager Bill Schmidt did a good job with this last season and brought back seven pitching prospects. While the focus doesn’t need to be entirely pitching this season, his modus operandi should be similar and Schmidt should look to bring back as much as possible while setting the Rockies up for success in the future.
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Ryan McMahon makes All-Star Game a family affair | Purple Row
Duane DaPron spoke with Rockies All-Star Ryan McMahon after the break about his experiences at the Midsummer Classic. McMahon, the fourth Rockies third baseman to get the nod, spoke glowingly of his daughter and of his family after returning from Arlington.
Helton, who has spent his career lifting others, ascends to baseball’s highest pedestal | MLB.com
With Hall of Fame weekend now wrapped up, Thomas Harding provides an account of new inductee Todd Helton’s weekend and moment in the baseball sun, and how the legendary first baseman spent his career helping his teammates get theirs.
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