Colorado Rockies: The David Dahl move and the logic (or lack thereof) behind it

The Colorado Rockies may have a few reasons for letting him go … but they don’t add up.

It’s a confounding move that’s followed some ominous offseason tones from the front office, noting that this wasn’t going to be a normal offseason after being apparently financially ravaged by COVID-19. It insinuates that many cost-saving moves were to come and that actual talent being added this offseason may not be realistic (though when is it ever with the Rockies?).

So big additions weren’t expected and some roster moves made to shed salary shouldn’t be surprising. But Dahl’s release doesn’t make sense from nearly any angle.

If this was to save money, what does the $2.6M really hurt in the grand scheme of things? Had you wanted to shed salary, there are quite a few other options that could be made on this roster, whether that be figuring out something with Ian Desmond’s contract or trading some of the bigger contracts still on the roster like Arenado, Blackmon, or Story.

If this was made to be more competitive, how do you defend it? The outfield was once a logjam but, once it cleared up, it revealed that the Rockies really didn’t have all that much depth at all. Outside of Blackmon, who in the outfield do you trust?

Is Ian Desmond really a better option for you than David Dahl? I’m so afraid they actually believe that, by the way. Do we really trust that Raimel Tapia has turned it around for good and his first season of positive fWAR in 2020 is what we should expect going forward? Do we think Sam Hilliard and his career 32.3% K% are better for the lineup than Dahl? Is Garrett Hampson going to put up a wRC+ above 64?

If Dahl wasn’t going to be a fit with the Rockies in the future, why not try to trade him and get some value for him?

More from Rox Pile

• A Colorado Rockies Thanksgiving
• Colorado Rockies: What if Todd Helton had played football instead?
• Colorado Rockies: Charlie Blackmon out for the season
• Colorado Rockies: Injuries shift look of roster ahead of Dodgers series
• Colorado Rockies: Has Sean Bouchard earned a second look in 2023?

The Rockies are generally tight-lipped when it comes to trades and rumors, but you would hope that at some point Dahl’s name was put out there and we tried to get something for him. But based on what we’ve seen from Bridich’s limited public discussions on roster moves, it doesn’t appear that much effort was likely put into moving him elsewhere. You’d have to think that some team would be interested in a guy who is traditionally a 110 wRC+ hitter and a pretty decent fielder as well. Was there really no interest whatsoever? I don’t buy it.

This was an awful move that doesn’t make any sense from any angle unless you believe that the injury concerns outweigh everything else that Dahl brings to the table.

It doesn’t make the Rockies better as the players it opens up opportunities for aren’t better than Dahl. It doesn’t free up a ton of cash as the $2.6M he’d be due in arbitration isn’t a make-or-break amount for the roster and anyone they’ll be able to sign in free agency for that amount likely won’t give them more value than a normal Dahl year would. It doesn’t make them bad enough to where we can consider it a tank move that helps them with draft positioning. And it doesn’t feel like it’s the beginning move for a rebuild.

It makes no logical baseball sense and it doesn’t help to project what the Rockies will do with the rest of the offseason. Does this make them more likely to consider trading Arenado and starting a rebuild? Does that tip the scales to also trading Story to get value for him before his contract ends at the end of this season? Does it lean towards more salary shedding and we may be near the end of Blackmon’s days as a member of the Colorado Rockies?

Or more realistically, is this just a move where they think they’re honestly better off and more competitive without Dahl and we’re that much closer to the golden 94-win mark?

Only Bridich and owner Dick Monfort truly know. But unless we get answers in a press conference or an e-mail then, we’ll just be waiting for yet another likely underwhelming baseball season in 2021. And you don’t need a degree from Harvard to know it’s coming.