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Colorado Rockies rumors: What these players would bring to the team

BOSTON, MA - MAY 29: Justin Smoak #14 of the Toronto Blue Jays hits a home run against the Boston Red Sox during the fourth inning at Fenway Park on May 29, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - MAY 29: Justin Smoak #14 of the Toronto Blue Jays hits a home run against the Boston Red Sox during the fourth inning at Fenway Park on May 29, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
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TORONTO, ON – MARCH 30: Justin Smoak #14 of the Toronto Blue Jays hits a double in the first inning during MLB game action against the New York Yankees at Rogers Centre on March 30, 2018 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON – MARCH 30: Justin Smoak #14 of the Toronto Blue Jays hits a double in the first inning during MLB game action against the New York Yankees at Rogers Centre on March 30, 2018 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)

Finally, we end with Justin Smoak. He presents a different challenge than the others, because the Rockies would have to work out a trade with the Blue Jays in order to acquire him. He would be on the cheaper end, earning $8 million in 2019, but he’s entering the final year of his contract so the Rockies would be guaranteed only one full season of his services.

Smoak is coming off a great 2018 campaign offensively. He slashed .242/.350/.457 with an .808 OPS. His park-adjusted OPS+ was above-average, at 123. His wRC+ was 121, also above-average. His 1.7 fWAR proves he brought positive value to Toronto.

With the value Smoak brings offensively, the trade-off is his defense. It’s not bad by any means, but it can leave much to be desired. His UZR was -0.7 and his RZR was .788, better than only Desmond. He had -3 DRS, also besting only Desmond of the players discussed so far.

Murphy and Smoak are the Rockies’ best options because of their offensive output, with a slight edge going to Murphy considering his defensive potential.

As the free agent market continues to heat up, we’ll see what the front office decides it wants to do in the coming days and weeks. If the Rockies want to be taken seriously as a National League pennant contender, though, they are going to need to get more production from a crucial spot in the infield.

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