Let’s Talk About the Colorado Rockies & the Trade Deadline

The pundits are clear: The 2024 MLB trade market promises to be one that favors sellers given the number of teams that are still in the Wild Card hunt. Clearly, the Colorado Rockies are not one of those teams. A sellers market (should) be calling out to Bill Schmidt and the Rockies front office.

While the Rockies have a (deserved) reputation as being insular and unwilling to move players, last year saw Schmidt bucking conventional wisdom and moving a number of players, including Mike Moustakas, Brad Hand, Pierce Johnson, and Randal Grichuk.

Reporting from The Athletic (which, remember, does not actually have a reporter devoted to Denver sports) suggested the Rockies may be active.

Let’s game out the possibilities here with a couple of caveats. First, the Rockies will not trade Ryan McMahon, Ezequiel Tovar, or Brenton Doyle. These players have shown themselves to be key pieces of the future. Probably, Kyle Freeland and Germán Márquez fall into this category as well.

Let’s assume, then, that everyone else is a potential trade candidate. (After all, general manager Bill Schmidt made clear last winter that he was open to trading anyone.)

According to The Athletic, the Rockies may entertain offers on Austin Gomber and Cal Quantrill, and they will be willing to move Jalen Beeks, Elias Díaz, and/or Jacob Stallings. (I suspect they’ll move one but not both given Bud Black’s attachment to veteran catchers.)

With all of this in mind, let’s consider the possibilities outlined in The Athletic article as well as a couple of potential moves the authors missed.

• Cal Quantrill — Quantrill found a way to navigate pitching at elevation that few saw coming thanks, in large part, to a new splitter he developed over the offseason. He’s charted a 3.78 ERA in 17 starts, posting a 2.98 mark in his last 11 outings. Clearly, Quantrill’s $6.55 million contract combined with another year of club control before becoming a free agent make him an attractive trade candidate.

• Austin Gomber — The lefty is the final piece remaining of the Nolan Arenado trade. He’s making only $3.15 million and, like Quantrill, won’t be a free agent until 2025. So far, he’s having a solid season with a 4.72 ERA in 72.0 IP, and his curveball remains elite. Couple that with the fact that he’s a lefty, and teams’ interest in him becomes clear.

The verdict: The Rockies will move one but not both, and if I were a gambling person (which I’m not), I would say the Rockies would trade Gomber, whose flyball approach has limits at Coors Field. Plus, he’s got a worrisome history of back injuries. The will, however, keep Quantrill with an eye to an extension.

• Jalen Beeks — He will be a free agent at the end of the season, and moving Beeks makes sense. Yes, he’s been a fairly reliable lefty reliever for the Rockies (4.32 ERA in 41.2 IP), but with the season more than half over, they’ll finish without him. Moreover, Beeks is in the tradition of Brad Hand and Pierce Johnson, relievers on one-year contracts that Schmidt used to bring back younger pitching.

The verdict: Beeks is gone. It’s just a matter of when and where.

• Elias Díaz — He’s been an effective catcher during his time with the Rockies, but Díaz is nearing the end of his three-year contract. He’s also only making $6 million. Given that Díaz has been offensively solid (at least for the first half) of the last two seasons coupled with that 2023 All-Star Game MVP make him a viable candidate. One drawback, however, is a recent hamstring injury that appeared to be bothering Díaz in the Tuesday game against the Milwaukee Brewers.

• Jacob Stallings — If there’s a Rockie who’s overperformed, it’s Stallings. This season, he’s earning $1.5 million and has a mutual option for 2025. When Díaz needed a day off or hit the IL with that hamstring injury, Stallings fit in seamlessly.

The verdict: One will be back, but not both. Had Díaz not suffered the hamstring injury, it would be easy to say that he would be moved with Stallings staying on for next season to provide veteran leadership. But now? All that’s changed. I think Stallings will be traded with Díaz finishing out his season in Colorado.

• Brendan Rodgers — This is the player no one is talking about — and they should be. Despite his history of injuries, Rodgers is a Gold Glove winner and a solid hitter after April ends. (His spring numbers are just terrible.) There were rumors in the winter of 2023 that the Rockies would trade him to Miami, but that did not happen. He’s on a one-year, $3.2 million contract and won’t be a free agent until 2026.

The Verdict: If the Rockies can move him, they will. In promoting Adael Amador earlier this season, the Rockies took their future second baseman for a test drive. The decision to promote Aaron Schunk indicates that the Rockies are ready to fill that position for the rest of the season. If Rodgers does not finish the season with Colorado, it won’t be a surprise.

Other Players — The Athletic speculated on interest in Tyler Kinley, Justin Lawrence, and Ryan Feltner. I don’t really see that – especially Feltner. I also don’t see Jake Cave or Dakota Hudson being traded. They simply haven’t had the kind of season that makes them an attractive trade candidate.

But what do I know? We’ll have a better idea in a few weeks.

Old Friends

Adam Ottavino took advantage of some Nationals hospitality when the Mets visited DC.

Alan Trejo is now in the Dodgers system.

Here’s wishing him the best of luck.

What I’m Reading

• Kenneth Weber’s “What kind of trade value does Brendan Rodgers hold at this point?” (Purple Row) — Weber games out in more detail that possibility of trading Brendan Rodgers.

• This is a pretty terrific interview with Brenton Doyle. It’s good to see him getting more recognition.

Closing Thoughts

As always thanks for reading! We’ll see how the Rockies fare against an uneven Kansas City Royals team this weekend. (If nothing else, we should see Cole Ragans pitch.)

Have a good weekend —

Renee

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