The Colorado Rockies waited the entire offseason to address one of their goals. Per Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post, general manager Bill Schmidt prioritized signing a reliever and a consistent bat this offseason. The Rockies signed second baseman Thairo Estrada to potentially fill the need for a consistent bat. However, they still had not added a quality reliever to a bullpen that finished a distant last in 2024 with a 5.41 ERA, per Covers.com. That changed on Wednesday when the Rockies signed former Athletics veteran left-handed reliever Scott Alexander to a one-year deal worth $2 million, per Patrick Lyons of JustBaseball.com. The team officially announced the transaction on Wednesday.
#Rockies have signed LHP Scott Alexander to a big league deal for 2025.
Alexander, 35, has 10 years experience in the Majors. He spent 2024 with Oakland and posted a 2.56 ERA (1.2 bWAR) in 45 games.
Aaron Schunk has been designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man.
— Patrick Lyons (@PatrickDLyons) February 19, 2025
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Scott Alexander Signs with the Colorado Rockies
Alexander’s Stellar 2024
Alexander was the victim of a reliever’s market that took a while to get going. Usually, it’s the type of situation the Rockies have to take advantage of due to the extreme difficulty of signing free agents to pitch at Coors Field. After a down 2023 with the San Francisco Giants, Alexander rebounded nicely with the Athletics in 2024. In 45 games, Alexander went 1-3 with a 2.56 ERA, 31 strikeouts, and 15 walks in 38 2/3 IP. Alexander’s 2.56 ERA was his best in a season pitching at least 40 innings since he posted a 2.48 ERA in 69 IP with the Kansas City Royals in 2017.
Per Statcast, Alexander relies heavily on his 92 MPH sinker, followed by an 84 MPH slider and 84 MPH changeup. He excels at the things needed for a reliever to succeed in the hitter’s haven that is Coors Field. Despite a tough 2023 on the surface, Alexander was one of the best relievers in the league in several categories. Per Statcast, he was in the top 10% of MLB with a 5.3% walk rate, 4.2% barrel rate, and an exceptional 61.8% ground ball rate. Oracle Park in San Francisco is the polar opposite of Coors Field. But Alexander has been a successful groundball pitcher throughout his career, and there is reason to believe he still could be in Colorado.
What Alexander Brings to the Rockies
This signing is very similar to the Rockies signing left-hander Brent Suter late in the 2023 offseason. Suter was a highly accomplished veteran reliever who found success at Coors Field by forcing ground balls and limiting BBs. The Rockies front office is hoping that reliever archetype will bring them success again. Alexander will not help the Rockies’ major problem of failing to get strikeouts. But the Rockies bullpen compounds those issues by issuing walks and giving up high barrel rates. Alexander excels at avoiding both, making him a welcome addition to the Rockies bullpen.
At 35 years old, Alexander’s experience will be invaluable to the up-and-coming right-handed reliever Victor Vodnik and other young relievers in the bullpen. The Rockies got him on a short, team-friendly deal. If Colorado plummets in the first half, Alexander could be an obvious deadline candidate. This was the case with relievers Nick Mears and Jalen Beeks, both of whom were traded by Colorado last season.
Alexander has extensive experience in the National League West, pitching a combined six seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Giants. He dealt with various injuries with those teams, including left-shoulder inflammation that landed him on the 60-day IL in 2021. However, Alexander has played a combined 100 games in the last two seasons, putting the injury concerns on the back burner.
The Last Word
The Rockies bullpen situation in 2024 was dire, to put it lightly. Rolling largely the same bullpen back out with no new additions was very concerning. Getting a quality veteran reliever so late in the offseason is a steal for Colorado. With Vodnik the likely front runner to be the closer, Alexander is another high-leverage reliever the Rockies can utilize alongside right-hander Tyler Kinley. In what has been a very quiet offseason in Colorado, the Scott Alexander signing is encouraging as the Rockies bullpen gets bolstered heading into spring training.
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