Colorado Rockies: Mark Reynolds returns on a minor league deal

According to Thomas Harding of MLB.com, the Colorado Rockies have made a free agent signing. That is the signing of former Rockies first baseman Mark Reynolds.

Earlier today on Twitter, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reported through Mark Reynolds himself that he is returning to Denver on a minor league contract with the Rockies with an invite to big league Spring Training camp.

Reynolds, 35, spent the 2019 season with the Washington Nationals as a bench player. He only played in 86 games but he hit 13 home runs and 40 RBI with a .248/.328/.476 slash line and a 109 OPS+ in slightly over 200 at-bats.

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Reynolds spent the 2016 and 2017 season with the Rockies and played very well for them. In 2016, he hit 14 home runs and 53 RBI with a .282/.356/.450 slash line (101 OPS+) in 118 games (393 AB’s). In 2017, he had a breakout season, a season in which he nearly earned an All-Star nod. He finished the 2017 season with 148 games played (520 AB’s) hitting 30 home runs, 97 RBI, a .267/.352/.487 slash line, and an OPS+ of 103.

If Reynolds were to make the Rockies team out of Spring Training, he would likely factor into the Rockies bench and primarily see time at first base. In fact, if the Rockies are not comfortable with giving the second base reigns to a rookie (Garrett Hampson, Ryan McMahon, or Brendan Rodgers), the Rockies could move their only major league free agent signee, Daniel Murphy, to second base (his natural position) and play Reynolds at first base.

Ian Desmond, who primarily played first base for the Rockies last season, will be moving to center field for the Rockies this season, as you can see on the Rockies depth chart on MLB.com.

Final Thoughts

The signing of Reynolds is a great signing for the Rockies any way you slice it. They have no risk in the signing because it’s a minor league deal for spring training. If Reynolds isn’t good in spring training, gets injured, or the Rockies just don’t have room for him on the major league roster, he can either opt to become a free agent or sign a full minor-league deal and play in Triple-A Albuquerque for the entirety of the season while waiting to receive a call to Denver.

If he makes the team at the start of the season, he will provide the Rockies with a good bat off of the bench and also provide some versatility (he can play first base and third base but he also played some second base and outfield for the Nationals last year, in very limited action). As I mentioned, he could even start for the Rockies on an everyday basis at first base if they aren’t comfortable with the trio of McMahon, Hampson, and Rodgers starting there. That would put one and possibly two of those players on the Rockies bench, at least for the time being.

All in all, it is a low risk, high reward for the Rockies and Mark Reynolds both, so it’s easy to see why the two sides came together again.