Colorado Rockies: Re-examining the 2015 trade with the Toronto Blue Jays

When Jeff Hoffman came into the Rockies system following the trade, he was immediately enshrined as the fourth-best prospect in Colorado’s farm system, per MLB.com. However, in his career with the Rockies, he has a 7-12 mark, a 6.05 ERA and has accounted for -1.0 WAR.

His latest demotion to Triple-A is a troubling sign as the Rockies chose to use Chi Chi Gonzalez, signed to a minor league deal in the offseason, in Tuesday’s start against the Giants in San Francisco. At 1-3 this season and throwing just 33.1 innings in seven starts, it’s not a stretch to wonder if the Rockies have seen enough of Hoffman to know that he doesn’t fit into their future
plans.

And what about the other two prospects brought to Colorado in the trade?

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Castro pitched in 24 games for the Rockies over the course of two seasons before he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles on April 7, 2017 for right-handed pitcher Jon Keller. He never pitched in the Rockies organization and retired after the 2017 season.

Accumulating -0.3 WAR during those 24 games, Castro was 0-1 with a 7.20 ERA with the Rockies. The two seasons after being traded to the Orioles, Castro posted a 2.2 WAR.

Tinoco, meanwhile, made his Rockies debut on May 31. As of this writing, he has seen action in just three games and has allowed one run in 4.1 innings while striking out three. It’s certainly early but it’s conceivable that the 24-year-old right-hander could wind up being the biggest asset Colorado received in the trade.

Reyes was a complete nightmare for the Rockies. He immediately made his displeasure about the trade known and was designated for assignment by Colorado in June of 2016 after he was reinstated following an arrest in the offseason for alleged domestic abuse. Colorado ate around $40 million worth of salary when he was designated for assignment, bringing a stunningly short but horrid time with the Rockies to an end.

Yes, Colorado needed a shortstop to take Tulowitzki’s place. However, in hindsight, the Rockies would have never taken Reyes had they known the problems he would cause on so many levels.

And what about the Toronto side?