Colorado Rockies rumors: Rox one of “suitors” for Mitch Moreland

According to an article by Jesse Rogers on ESPN.com, the Colorado Rockies are currently one of the teams pursuing first baseman/outfielder/designated hitter Mitch Moreland.

The 35-year-old Moreland split last season between the Boston Red Sox and the San Diego Padres after being acquired by San Diego before the trade deadline as one of a flurry of moves that helped the Padres advance to the 2020 National League Division Series. Moreland, however, struggled with San Diego, slashing just .203/.247/.362 with a .609 OPS (and 14 strikeouts) in 69 at-bats covering 20 games.

While Moreland struggled in his first taste of the National League after spending his first 10-plus seasons with the Red Sox and Texas Rangers, Moreland hit 17 or more homers in the five full seasons before last year’s pandemic-shortened campaign and his .835 OPS with the Red Sox in 2019 was a career-high for him in a full season.

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In his career, Moreland has seen action in 1,038 games at first base while penciled in the lineup at designated hitter and outfielder each less than 100 times.

Rockies manager Bud Black has been quoted as saying his team could “maybe use another big bat, if possible” as an offseason acquisition. Moreland would certainly give the Rockies a veteran presence at first base and in the lineup, something that Black has shown he likes during his time as the Colorado skipper. Additionally, if the National League has the designated hitter again in 2021, Moreland could fit that role as well if the team wanted to see if Josh Fuentes could continue his strong play at first base from the end of last season.

The left-handed-hitting Moreland has appeared in just eight career games at Coors Field, thanks to his AL-heavy career. He has gone 7-for-25 (.280) with six RBI in at-bats at 20th and Blake. Overall, Moreland owns a lifetime slash line of .252/.320/.448 with a .767 OPS and 102 OPS+. His 162-game numbers show his production at 24 homers and 81 RBI per season.

Another important point for the Rockies is that Moreland signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the Red Sox in January of last year, so a deal like that would be friendly for a Rockies franchise that is reportedly not looking to greatly expand its payroll.

While Rogers notes in his article that the Rockies are one of the suitors for Moreland’s services, he also lists the Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, and Pittsburgh Pirates as teams who are interested in signing him as well.