Colorado Rockies: Trades and other simulated moves we made

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DENVER, CO – APRIL 09: Dick Monfort, Owner/Chairman and CEO of the Colorado Rockies, looks on during batting practice as the Rockies host the San Francisco Giants on Opening Day at Coors Field on April 9, 2012 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) /

December is a busy month for Major League Baseball and it should be a very active month for the Colorado Rockies as well. With the Winter Meetings slated for Orlando starting on December 10, the Rockies and MLB’s other 29 teams are expected to make a lot of trades, signings and announcements that will shape their teams for 2018 and years to come.

This past week, Rox Pile joined the 29 other FanSided sites covering their respective Major League Baseball teams at the FanSided Winter Meetings. Conducted virtually, each site had its own general manager who was responsible for making their team better. There were rules that each team had to “live by,” including not offering $200 million to every free agent who you would like to have on the team (we are looking at you, Giancarlo Stanton and Shohei Otani). With that in mind, we did not sign either player. It simply wasn’t realistic so it didn’t happen.

Let me make clear, these are SIMULATED moves, not actual moves made by the Rockies.

However, while not real, we still made plenty of moves that we believe could set the Rockies up for success in 2018 … and past next season as well. In this article, we will tell you the moves that we made and explain why we did it. We will also tell you where Rockies from the 2017 team ended up and how much they were paid (spoiler alert, we did not re-sign Greg Holland, Pat Neshek or Carlos Gonzalez because of what we believed were inflated salaries).

Let’s dive in…

PHOENIX, AZ – JUNE 30: Raimel Tapia #7 of the Colorado Rockies breaks his bat as he hits a RBI on a ground ball out during the thirdi inning of the MLB game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on June 30, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Seattle Mariners trade pitchers Nick Vincent and Chase De Jong to Colorado Rockies for outfielder Raimel Tapia

We decided to head to the Pacific Northwest to help boost the Rockies bullpen, grabbing former second-round pick and right-handed reliever/starter Chase De Jong and BLAH.

Why we did it: Back in January, Vincent was tabbed by FanGraphs as having the second-most unhittable fastball in Major League Baseball, just behind Aroldis Chapman, with hitters whiffing 34.3 percent of the time. Last season, he went 3-3 with a 3.20 ERA and struck out 50 while walking just 13 in 64.2 innings. He ranked second in the American League in holds with 29 and posted a 2.02 ERA after the All-Star break. With Neshek and Jake McGee likely not back with the Rockies, having someone to bridge the gap to the ninth inning was key. We believe Vincent could be that guy to get the game to whoever the Rockies closer might be.

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De Jong will turn 24 on December 29 and is available for arbitration in 2021. He is young and has a lot of potential. He hit some hiccups in his first seven MLB games last season (0-3, 6.35 ERA, 1.553 WHIP) but the future potential outweighs a tough first few games. You can never have enough young pitching and De Jong can have the time to develop in the minors.

Seattle was looking for an outfielder in the trade market and we were able to pull off the deal by sending away Tapia. Believe me, I know some of you will cringe over this (especially our friends at BSNRockies) … and that’s OK. Tapia is absolutely electric at the plate and on the bases, but he has shown a lack of defensive abilities and that’s just not something you can have at spacious Coors Field. Plus, we believe the Rockies will lock up Blackmon after the 2018 season so center field will be blocked. With David Dahl coming back (and we believe he will), plus Ian Desmond and Gerardo Parra available in the outfield along with Jordan Patterson and Mike Tauchman in the wings, Colorado is set with outfielders.

Could Tapia make an impact this season if we hadn’t traded him away? Sorry, but we just don’t see it happening. He bounced back and forth between Triple-A and the Majors last season and 2018 could well be Groundhog Day in that respect.

PHOENIX, AZ – SEPTEMBER 12: Catcher Jonathan Lucroy #21 of the Colorado Rockies walks off the field during the MLB game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on September 12, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Signed catcher Jonathan Lucroy (2 years/$20m)

MLBTradeRumors predicted that Lucroy would land a two-year deal worth $24 million in the offseason. We came in quick with an offer of two years and $20 million and it wasn’t matched or upped by any of the other teams so we feel very glad to put Lucroy back behind the plate for another couple of seasons of Rockies baseball.

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Why we did it: There is no question that Lucroy made a huge impact at the plate and behind the plate when he came over from the Texas Rangers at last season’s trade deadline. The impact that he had on Colorado’s young pitching staff was evident and we believe it is very important to keep that momentum going so that budding pitchers such as German Marquez, Antonio Senzatela and Kyle Freeland can learn from one of MLB’s most respected players behind the mask.

With Lucroy behind the plate and Tony Wolters in the fold, Colorado should be in good shape with its catchers in 2017. Plus (spoiler alert) we added another catcher in a trade that you will read about on the next page. This means that Tom Murphy is going to have to wait his turn. However, after a very disappointing 2017, maybe that is not such a bad thing for his development.

PITTSBURGH, PA – JUNE 10: Daniel Hudson #41 of the Pittsburgh Pirates delivers a pitch in the seventh inning during the game against the Miami Marlins at PNC Park on June 10, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /

Colorado Rockies trade pitchers Justin Lawrence and James Farris to Miami Marlins in exchange for pitcher Daniel Hudson and catcher/first baseman Tomas Telis

Yes, we made a deal with the Marlins! OK, maybe it wasn’t for Stanton but it helped shore up a couple of positions that we felt were needed.

Why we did it: At the FanSided meetings, Miami had acquired Pittsburgh’s Daniel Hudson in a trade and the Marlins GM flipped him over to the Rockies in our deal. We like that Hudson has familiarity with the NL West from his five-plus seasons in Arizona. We also think that Hudson can eat some innings in a middle relief role, perhaps freeing up Chris Rusin to be more of a specialist or late inning guy if needed. Take away horrid months in April and August last season and Hudson was solid for the Pirates, including a May through July stint where he surrendered just seven runs in 30.1 innings of work in middle relief.

Telis is the Wild Card of this trade, we believe. The Rockies like versatility and that’s where the catcher/first baseman can fit in. He can not only spell Desmond at first base but also Lucroy at catcher. He is not going to be an everyday player but he can provide a breather if needed in relief. A switch hitter, the 26-year-old Telis isn’t arbitration-eligible until 2020.

Giving up a couple of prospects for a couple of players who we felt could impact the Rockies in 2018 was worth the risk.

PHOENIX, AZ – SEPTEMBER 11: Nolan Arenado #28 of the Colorado Rockies makes a play on a ground ball hit by Brandon Drury #27 of the Arizona Diamondbacks during the fourth inning at Chase Field on September 11, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. Drury was forced out at first base. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /

Signed third baseman Nolan Arenado: 7 years, $203 million ($29m annually) plus 8th year option at the same rate. $5m buyout. $208m guaranteed.

Why we did it: There is no question that Nolan Arenado is the cornerstone of the Rockies. He is one of the most talented players in Major League Baseball, at the plate and in the field. We wanted to lock him up for the long term and this deal does just that.

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Our friends at BirdsWatcher.com, covering the Baltimore Orioles, started the FanSided Winter Meetings by extending Manny Machado with a seven-year, $199.5 million deal. We had to show Nolan that we thought even higher of him by making our contract with him a little sweeter.

Is this large contract going to make it tough for the Rockies to lock up other players like Blackmon and DJ LeMahieu? Quite possibly. However, if we had to pick one of the three players that we knew was going to be in Denver for the prime of his career, that could only be Arenado.

This move also sends a message to the rest of the National League that the Rockies do not plan on going anywhere in the foreseeable future. With Arenado holding down third base and hitting third or cleanup, he will continue to frustrate Colorado’s opponents for years to come. We could not be happier.

While we were making some moves at the Winter Meetings, we were also watching our wallet and keeping an eye on how much other teams were bidding on players who suited up for Colorado in 2017. Here are some of the numbers and moves that were made.

Baltimore signed Tyler Chatwood for three years and $29 million
Our take: Good for Chatty for landing somewhere else. Good for the Rockies for not having him as a part of the rotation in 2017.

Miami signed Ryan Hanigan to a one-year deal for $800,000
Our take: Before Lucroy exploded on the scene with the Rockies, it was Hanigan who was playing the role of the veteran behind the plate. Colorado’s young pitchers benefitted from his tutelage.

San Francisco signed Carlos Gonzalez to a four-year, $40 million deal
Our take: Alright then. Believe me when I say I am a huge CarGo fan, both on the field and in the locker room. I appreciate all he has done for the Rockies. However, there was no way we were going to match this offer when we saw it lobbed out by the Giants. At 32, CarGo most assuredly still has plenty in the tank. However, his tough 2017 hurt his value on the field in our eyes and we just couldn’t see spending that money when it could go toward locking up Arenado.

Washington signed Pat Neshek to a two-year, $12 million deal
Our take: Neshek was a good pickup for the Rockies last season and a good guy in the clubhouse. However, we just didn’t see a long-term fit.

Texas signed Jake McGee to a two-year, $19 million deal
Our take: McGee heads back to the American League with our blessing. The price tag was too high when we have seen plenty of inconsistency during his time in Denver.

New York Yankees signed Mark Reynolds for one year and $4.5 million
Our take: This may be one that we regret. Reynolds often carried the Rockies during the first part of the season and was a defensive wizard at times at first. A one-year deal might have made sense but Desmond has to play first base at some point after that big contract, right?

Next: Some of the latest rumors about potential Colorado closers

As for Greg Holland, he was not signed during the FanSided Winter Meetings. Rox Pile, along with several other sites, tried to “low ball” the price and bring his price down. MLBTradeRumors predicted Holland to go for four years and $50 million. We offered a two-year, $17 million deal that was rejected.

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