What’s The Colorado Rockies’ Plan With Cristhian Adames?

Feb 26, 2014; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Colorado Rockies shortstop C. Adames (65) poses during photo day at Salt River Fields. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

Option one: Call up Cristhian Adames and let him be the second utility infielder to one of Rafael Ynoa or Daniel Descalso, with the other removed from the active roster.

Adames profiles better as a starter, if his age and career to date in the minor leagues are any indication, but at some point it might be valuable to call him up to Denver and let him be the utility infielder. Considering how poor Descalso and Ynoa have been this year at the plate, and in the field (poor Ynoa in left… goodness knows he’s trying, and that ain’t his position), Adames deserves a shot on the big league squad, even as a utility man. (Of course, Ynoa has been demoted in favor of Drew Stubbs, so perhaps there’s only Descalso to consider long-term.)

Advantages: Adames will showcase what he can do in the big leagues, lining him up for either sustained time on the active roster next year and beyond, or making himself a viable trade candidate as the Rockies retain Troy Tulowitzki and prepare Trevor Story for the future. Also, there’s a significant chance Adames could be much better as a utility man than either/both Ynoa and Descalso. So, there’s that.

Disadvantages: Adames will turn 24 later this month, so he’s young, and he’s still got a lot of “prospect” left in him, regardless of Story’s promotion to Albuquerque. I can’t imagine the Rockies want to keep Adames on the bench, not getting consistent at-bats and languishing in the big leagues, where he might benefit better with playing every day as he has been for the Isotopes. Also, there’s a significant chance he could be worse than either/both Ynoa and Descalso. So, there’s that.

Next: Option Two: Let The Adames Era (?) Begin

Jun 28, 2015; San Francisco, CA, USA; Colorado Rockies shortstop T. Tulowitzki (2) makes a play to first to end the eighth inning against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports

Option two: If/when a Troy Tulowitzki trade materializes this month (?!), give Cristhian Adames the starting shortstop job in Denver. 

Please understand — they wouldn’t trade Tulo because of Adames, but if Tulo were traded in the next month because of all the reasons to do/not to do it, Adames could be the shortstop stop-gap (say that five times fast) between Tulo’s departure and Story’s ascension.

If the Rockies really are higher on Story than Adames as they seem to be, trading Tulo and letting Adames play shortstop for the next year (or so) would let Story develop in Albuquerque, take the pressure off him in the big leagues once he gets to Denver, and allow the Rockies to get younger if trading Tulo is their move.

Advantages: If Story is the shortstop of the future as we’ve been told, Adames represents the man to take all the “Tulo’s replacement” talk off Story. Put the pressure on Adames (who will probably do well enough, as is), and then let Story slide into the shortstop role next season. Or, hey, if Adames kills it at shortstop in the interim, we’ve got a position battle!

Disadvantages: Tulo is still one of the best players in baseball. There’s a not insignificant chance that both Adames and Story could be below-average-to-awful in the big leagues, which would make the Rockies look like fools. But, such is the risk of trading major players in return for prospects and dreams.

Next: Option Three: Get Something For Adames

Sep 27, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Colorado Rockies shortstop C. Adames (10) throws to first base. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Option three: If he isn’t in the long-term plans between Troy Tulowitzki and Trevor Story, trade Cristhian Adames and get something back for his talent rather than letting him waste away in Albuquerque. 

The window is closing on this option, only because Story may soon leap frog Adames to Denver now that the Rox have two shortstop prospects in Albuquerque. That’d be bad; how could the Rockies convince other teams that Adames is a worthwhile middle infield prospect if he were left languishing in AAA despite hitting well over .300 there for parts of two seasons, and a younger, greener prospect leap frogged him to Denver?

Because of that, if the Rockies went with option three, it’d have to happen relatively quickly, or else I’ve got to believe teams will wonder why the Rockies let Story overtake Adames if the latter were really so valuable as a trade piece.

Advantages: A trade would clean out the log jam. Considering Adames will soon be just 24 years old, you’d think there’s a way to get a decent prospect in return for him, or use him as a piece in a larger trade (Wilin Rosario, for example, or someone else) to get a better return before the deadline.

Disadvantages: what if Story’s awful in the big leagues? Not for nothing, there is some value to having redundancy in the infield and Adames and Story combined increase the chances of finding a good post-Tulo shortstop than if just one of them were in the system.

Next: So What's The Best Option?

Jun 30, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Colorado Rockies shortstop T. Tulowitzki (2) and second baseman D. LeMahieu (9) celebrate after the win against the Oakland Athletics at O.co Coliseum. The Colorado Rockies defeat the Oakland Athletics 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Conclusion: Cristhian Adames’ big league future will (should) be decided in the next month. 

I think you can make a legitimate case for every option I discussed here — and probably even some other options (like, trading DJ LeMahieu if you believe his value is at an all-time high, and letting Adames and/or Story play second base with Tulo at short and Nolan Arenado at third base). There are definitely even still other options for Adames that I haven’t thought of, I’m sure!

Obviously, broadly, it’s a good thing that the Rockies have an embarrassment of riches at shortstop. Shortstops are (generally) the best athletes in the infield and the most versatile if they need to switch off position, so there are a lot of things the Rockies can do with Adames, Story, and Brendan Rodgers as they navigate the future there.

If I’m the general manager, I recall Cristhian Adames now. Let him perform either Ynoa or Descalso’s role as utility infielder. The Rockies may have a legit big leaguer in Adames, and it’s time to see if he has a future in Denver. If Story is the shortstop of the future, anyways, what’s the harm in giving Adames infrequent at-bats as a utility man?

Depending on how he does in that role, then, he can either be a utility man for the rest of the season, or a good piece to add to a trade (of players not named Tulo, of course) that could help net the Rockies better pitchers or prospects in return.

Either way, it’s time for the Rockies to recall Cristhian Adames and figure out whether they have a future shortstop, second baseman, utility man, or just-good-enough prospect to flip in a trade. And either way, this process needs to start now and play out (at least partially) over the next month.

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