Colorado Rockies news and links for Wednesday, July 31, 2024
The 2024 MLB Trade Deadline was quite a doozy. As Renee Dechert pointed out a few of the moves prior to Tuesday’s Rockpile, a flurry of moves occurred throughout the day until the clock expired. We saw contenders bolster their teams even more and some of the returns were quite surprising. It was clearly a beneficial market for teams looking to sell and if you were like me, you were probably eagerly refreshing your X feed all day hoping to see the Rockies join the fray. Unfortunately, when the dust settled, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand sent a tweet-like dagger to the heart of Rockies fans.
The Trade Deadline passed without any more deals by the Rockies, who hold on to Cal Quantrill, Austin Gomber, Brendan Rodgers and Elias Diaz.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) July 30, 2024
I’m not angry with the Rockies, I’m just disappointed… okay I’m a little angry too.
Credit where credit is due, the Rockies managed to trade relievers Nick Mears and Jalen Beeks for a total of three solid pitching prospects over the weekend but as the tick clocked on Tuesday, I can’t help but feel that the team once again missed opportunities.
We know that trades aren’t always easy to manufacture and there are plenty of other things to consider. It’s not like Bill Schmidt can just simply call up any team he wants and say, “Hey we’ve got this catcher that we think is pretty good and you should just take him” and have a deal immediately come to fruition. We also don’t know exactly what kind of offers the Rockies were getting or if/what teams were interested. All we really have to go on is that the Rockies were willing to listen to offers for some of their players.
Thomas Harding of MLB.com wrote in a newsletter on July 26 pointing out what the Rockies were likely looking for:
Indications from teams that follow the Rockies are they are looking for Major League-ready talent in any trade. An idea of the Rockies’ asking price: Under previous general manager Jeff Bridich, they scored eventual All-Star starter Germán Márquez when they sent outfielder Corey Dickerson to the Rays on Jan. 28, 2016.
The main pieces of value the Rockies had were Cal Quantrill, Austin Gomber, and Brendan Rodgers who all have one more year of team control. For a team like the Rockies, control is one of the most valuable things in their eyes because it represents some sense of depth. Beyond them, you also had the expiring contract of Elias Díaz and the potential free agency of Jacob Stallings.
The problem with all the possible chips was that the Rockies could have waited too long to trade them. After a dominant month of May, Quantrill and Gomber struggled more in June and July, regressing to average arms that teams probably weren’t clamoring to give up a whole lot for. Díaz has been a decent bat and steady glove but strains to his calves hindered his value while Stallings has become a valuable leader in the Rockies clubhouse. Rodgers has also been a little inconsistent at the plate, showing hot and cold flashes.
The players had their problems but I believe they were pieces that could have brought some form of value back to the team but the Rockies chose to hold them close to the chest. When you’re a team in the basement with average players, you can’t ask for the moon in return.
This idea of depth is what manager Bud Black theorized could have been a factor in the lack of trade activity.
“You gotta get through this year,” Black said in a pregame conference on Tuesday. “You want to put your best foot forward with the guys you have. And the thing about some of the guys we talked about trading, you know they’re not free agents at the end of the year. So, I think the depth part is something that I think Billy [Schmidt] thought about as far as finishing out this year and moving into the next year as well.”
Black encapsulates the shortsighted vision we have grown wary of when it comes to the Rockies. Their refusal to officially rebuild, opting to try and “reconstruct” while failing to plan for the future instead of playing for the game right in front of them is the epitome of what represents their shortcomings as an organization.
This year we saw teams like the Miami Marlins turn into full-blown sellers to stockpile prospects and build for the future, while other losing teams sold off as many pieces as made sense like the Chicago White Sox and Toronto Blue Jays. The teams dealt both controllable and expiring contracts and are likely better off for it because it made sense for them to sell in the states they were currently in.
Meanwhile, the Rockies stood firm believing they are and can be better than they have played this season.
Earlier in the summer, Black indicated that the Rockies would likely be committing to a youth movement over the final couple of months to see what they have. At the time I was hopeful that it would mean an active deadline to start the flow of assessment for 2025 and beyond. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.
It is more prudent than ever that the Rockies start playing for the future. 2024 is a lost cause and the veteran players that don’t factor into the next window of contention have no business being on the team still if they don’t need to be. The Rockies mishandled their deadline and overall roster construction by not finding a way to do more and opening up space on the roster for new players to audition for a future spot.
The status quo and complacency for comfort in Colorado are actively hurting the organization and now complicate the path forward as the veterans will likely get more playing time through the end of the season for the sake of giving the youngsters “more time.” This could work in theory if the veterans weren’t regularly getting the playing time that could be better served going to the youth that needs to find their footing in the big leagues.
The Rockies will also have a 40-man roster crunch in the offseason because of the Rule-5 draft, a matter that could have been lessened by giving players like Riley Pint an opportunity to establish themselves as big-league relievers or seeing what other possible gems could thrive.
The lack of activity highlights the reluctance of the Rockies and their manager to fully commit to what needs to be done to get back on track. Their failure to produce valuable big league talent and make the hard decisions to boost their organization and accept the harsh reality of their system has set up the Rockies to maintain their collision course.
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Patrick Saunders shares a few insights on the Rockies’ moves at the deadline.
Fair or Foul: Spokane Indians outfielder EJ Andrews Jr. | SWX Local Sports
Check out this quick interview about EJ Andrews Jr. where he talks about his time in Spokane so far and also about starting his professional career in the same city he played college ball.
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On the Farm
Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes 15, Las Vegas Aviators 11
The Isotopes won the slugfest with 17 hits and managed to stave off a five-run bottom of the ninth to snag the win. Jordan Beck made a rehab start, going 2-for-4 with his sixth home run of the year as part of a five-homer night for the team. Elehuris Montero was 4-for-5 with a homer as was Grant Lavigne while Sean Bouchard threw out three hits with a homer. Dakota Hudson started on the mound and threw five innings, giving up one run on two hits.
Double-A: Reading Fightin’ Phils 5, Hartford Yard Goats 4
Chase Dollander started on the hill for his second start in Double-A and ran into a little more trouble this time around. He struck out just two batters and gave up three runs on five hits in 4 1⁄3 innings, having thrown 83 pitches. The Yard Goats scored all their runs in the first inning courtesy of a solo homer by Braxton Fulford in the second and a two-run homer by Adael Amador in the third, his eighth of the season. Seth Halvorsen suffered the loss, giving up the winning run with two outs in the ninth.
High-A: Spokane Indians 5, Hillsboro Hops 4
Kyle Karros is a man on a mission as he hit a walk-off double in the ninth inning to score EJ Andrews Jr. and Cole Carrigg. Victor Juarez started on the hill and went six innings, giving up three runs on eight hits with seven strikeouts and no walks. Bryant Betancourt also went 2-for-4 with his 10th home run of the season.
Low-A: Fresno Grizzlies 10, Lake Elsinore Storm 5
Nolan Jones started a rebab in Fresno and he blasted a two-run homer in the second inning for his lone hit of the night. Four players had multi-hit affairs including Braylen Wimmer who went 2-for-5 with a double. Bryan Mena made his Fresno debut, throwing three shutout innings to start the game before giving way to the bullpen.
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