Colorado Rockies Old Friend: Boy, Could They Use Matt Reynolds Now

Aug 27, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher M. Reynolds reacts against the St. Louis Cardinals at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The lefty has developed himself into a quality middle reliever/match-up lefty, and the Colorado Rockies sure could’ve used him in their bullpen the last couple years.

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The Colorado Rockies had Matt Reynolds in their grasp between 2010 and 2012, and he did pretty well for the Rox as a situational left-handed reliever and bullpen staple.

Over those three seasons, he appeared in 165 games with a 3.93 ERA and 1.29 WHIP, and considering how poorly the Rockies have ~~enjoyed~~ suffered through left-handed situational guys since 2012, it’s a shame that the Rox don’t have him in Denver still today.

Reynolds is a good story. As a 20th round draft pick in 2007 out of Austin Peay in Clarksville, Tennessee, he’s the only player from his round that year to make the big leagues. And now, even despite missing the entire 2014 season due to Tommy John surgery, Reynolds has 205 career big league games under his belt. Not bad for a pick that late in the draft.

Reynolds was traded to the Diamondbacks after 2012 for Ryan Wheeler. After appearing in the big leagues with the Rockies in 2014, Wheeler is no longer with the club; he left in free agency after 2014 and played in 35 AAA games this season between the Angels’ and Twins’ organizations.

The Diamondbacks, on the other hand, got a great season from Reynolds in 2013, waited out his 2014 injury, and are now re-introducing him to their bullpen in 2015 (just six games thus far after playing part of the year in AAA Reno as he recovered from surgery). Not to revisit this trade too critically, since hindsight is such an easy analysis point, but it’s curious that the Rockies would give up a capable enough relief pitcher in exchange for a corner infielder.

Yes, this was after the 2012 season, before the Colorado Rockies had any idea that Nolan Arenado would be a star, or that Ben Paulsen would be serviceable. But at that point in time, the organization already had corner infielders/outfielders like Arenado, Paulsen, Kyle Parker, Ian Stewart (!), Charlie Culberson, Kent Matthes, Corey Dickerson, and several other options (some that panned out, some that obviously didn’t).

Why move Reynolds — a reliever with three years of good-to-decent work in Denver — for another minor league hitter? Obviously Wheeler never did much for the Rockies, but even if he had, was it that important for Colorado to give up a reliever for another corner infielder?

Again, hindsight is 20/20, but it does prove a broader point: it’s tough for the Colorado Rockies to justify giving up decent (and cheap) bullpen arms when getting a position player in return. It’s historically been easy enough for the Rockies to develop their own marginal prospects into decent hitters at Coors Field, so there’s no need to jump for another organization’s middling offensive fringe prospects if it means giving up a reliever who’s already had success in Denver.

And, yet, here we are.

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