Colorado Rockies: Roster moves made but questions linger

The Colorado Rockies made moves to fill in their 40-man roster on Sunday, but there are still some questions about the players who were part of those moves.

With the calendar turning to November, the Colorado Rockies went through some procedural moves in terms of their 40-man roster on Sunday. That included adding Ian Desmond back onto the roster after the 35-year-old outfielder opted out of the 2020 season and was on the restricted list as the Rockies finished with a 26-34 mark.

As Nick Groke of The Athletic noted, just because Desmond was added back onto the Colorado 40-man roster doesn’t mean that he will play in 2021. There has been no indication from Desmond whether or not he will return to the Rockies for the final year of the five-year, $70 million deal he inked in December of 2016.

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If Desmond does return, he will be under contract for $8 million. As of right now, that would be the fourth-highest salary on the Rockies next season, trailing Nolan Arenado ($35 million), Charlie Blackmon ($21 million), and Trevor Story ($18.5 million).

Additionally, there is also a club option for 2022 that would pay Desmond $15 million. If the Rockies decide not to pick it up, there is a $2 million buyout.

In three seasons with the Rockies, Desmond has disappointed, totaling -3.2 bWAR while slashing .252/.313/.429 and has struck out 352 times in 1,474 plate appearances (23.9 percent). The Rockies have also likely given up on playing Desmond at first primarily, the main defensive impetus for signing him.

However, Desmond has performed relatively well against left-handers (as we discussed in this article) and could set up for a platoon situation in the outfield if he decides to officially rejoin the team.

That would set up a crowded outfield that includes David Dahl, who was also among the roster moves made by Colorado on Sunday. The All-Star outfielder was reinstated from the 60-day injured list as were pitchers Scott Oberg and Peter Lambert.

Like Desmond, Oberg never took the field in 2020. However, it was a recurrence of blood clots that kept the Rockies closer off the mound. Oberg has said he will begin throwing late this month or early in December to see if the surgery he underwent will allow him to overcome the clots. His return would be a major boost to a bullpen that underwhelmed mightily in the shortened season.

With the moves, the Rockies now have 38 players on their 40-man roster.