The Rockies remain in the market for a second baseman, tweets Thomas Harding of MLB.com. Former division rival Thairo Estrada could be a target, Harding adds.
Colorado moved on from Brendan Rodgers at last month’s non-tender deadline. They immediately followed up by signing Kyle Farmer to a $3.25MM free agent contract. Farmer is the projected starter at the keystone for now, but he’s coming off a .214/.293/.353 season. He’s a better fit for a utility job than everyday second base work going into his age-34 season.
The Rox are hoping that 21-year-old Adael Amador will be the long-term answer. Amador played in 10 MLB games this past season while Rodgers was on the injured list. He otherwise spent the year at Double-A Hartford. He had a middling season, hitting .230/.343/.376 across 455 plate appearances. That probably takes him out of Top 100 consideration, but he still ranks as the #6 prospect in the Colorado system at Baseball America.
Amador needs more reps in the upper minors. Colorado will look for stopgaps at the keystone but isn’t likely to make a long-term commitment. This year’s free agent class isn’t conducive to a long-term signing regardless. Gleyber Torres and the rehabbing Ha-Seong Kim headline the class. Options beyond that include Jorge Polanco, old friend Jose Iglesias, Adam Frazier and Cavan Biggio.
Estrada is a rebound candidate among that group. The 28-year-old (29 in February) slumped to a .217/.247/.343 mark over 96 games. San Francisco outrighted him off the 40-man roster late in the season and let him depart in minor league free agency. Estrada was a solid everyday player between 2021-23. He combined for a .266/.320/.416 slash in a little over 1200 plate appearances during that stretch. Estrada is a strong defender, so something close to league average offense makes him a quality regular.
If the Rockies pursued Estrada, he’d be available on either a minor league contract or an MLB deal with a salary close to Farmer’s. He hasn’t reached five years of service time, so he’d remain eligible for arbitration next offseason.