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?