Colorado Rockies: Five recently released players they should sign

The Colorado Rockies have already been hammered by injuries in spring training this year. They have had injuries to Kyle Freeland, Antonio Senzatela, Brendan Rodgers, Scott Oberg, and Tyler Kinley thus far in spring.

Senzatela will be ready for Opening Day this week and Kinley looks to be on pace for it but the injuries have highlighted how little depth the Rockies have currently, and, frankly, the depth they have had for decades.

There are some other teams that signed veterans as non-roster invitees and, in the last few days, released them so the Rockies could help their depth issues, somewhat, by signing a few of these players and give the Rockies a few veterans either on the MLB team and/or at the alternate training site.

So here are five of those recently released players that may be intriguing on the Rockies.

Tony Watson

Tony Watson is a veteran, left-handed reliever and not the only one on our list. Watson has some familiarity with the NL West as the 35-year-old former All-Star has sent parts of the last four seasons in the division with the Dodgers and Giants.

He struggled a bit in 2019 (4.17 ERA in 60 games) but in 2018 and 2020, he pitched to a 2.59 and 2.50 ERA in 72 and 21 games. In 2020, his strikeout rate was lower than 2018 his walk rate was even better (1.9 BB/9 in 2018 and 1.5 BB/9 in 2020).

Watson was released by the Phillies after pitching to a 7.20 ERA in spring but if 2020 is any indicator, he could still help in the bullpen for a major league team.

Jake Lamb

Jake Lamb is the guy that a casual Rockies fan knows the most after he spent part of the last seven seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

He was released by the Braves after a poor spring showing, hitting .194/.293/.333 in 36 at-bats.

When he is healthy, he is an All-Star player … but he’s rarely been healthy lately. He has combined to play in 165 games in the last three seasons and he has been a shell of his former self. In the last three years, he has combined to hit .205/.309/.351 with an OPS+ of 74.

In 2016 and 2017, he averaged 150 games a season with 30 home runs, 98 RBI, 30 doubles, a slash line of .248/.345/.498 with an OPS+ of 113.

However, in a handful of games with the Oakland A’s last year after being released by Arizona, Lamb showed a glimmer of hope as he hit .267/.327/.556 with an OPS+ of 144 in 13 games with them.

If the Rockies signed him, he would be able to contribute at third and first base.

Derek Dietrich

Derek Dietrich was released by the New York Yankees this week after a poor spring showing. Dietrich, 31, hit .167/.394/.292 with four hits, a homer, four RBI, and five walks.

However, his past seasons indicate that he can do better than that. In five of the last six seasons, he has had an OPS+ better than league average.

He hasn’t hit for average in the last two seasons (.189 combined batting average) but he gets on-base at a good clip (.332), and has good power numbers (.462 slugging percentage and 24 home runs in 138 games).

He is also very versatile as he has played first, second, and third base as well as left field (and one game in right field) in the last three years and the Rockies are always fans of versatile veterans.

Dietrich also rakes at Coors Field as in 49 career plate appearances at Coors, he has hit a mind boggling .386/.449/.841 with 13 runs, five doubles, five home runs, and 12 RBI.

Back in late 2018, coming off playing 148 games for Miami with a 107 OPS+, we made the case that the Rockies should sign him then. We also made the case that the Rockies should sign Dietrich and/or C.J. Cron that offseason. Cron, obviously, is now a member of the Rockies and their primary first baseman.

And to top it off, Detrich does have a connection to the Rockies. His first MLB manager was Mike Redmond, the manager of the 2013 Miami Marlins and now, Redmond is the Rockies bench coach.

Jerry Blevins

The Rockies will have, at most, rookie Ben Bowden in the bullpen as a lefty so Jerry Blevins is the first of two left-handed relievers on this list.

Blevins, 37, was released by the Mets in his second stint with the club after he pitched to a 3.18 ERA in 5 2/3 IP. His problem was control as he walked four batters in that span.

However, the veteran lefty didn’t pitch in 2020 as he wasn’t signed by anyone but he still pitched well in 2019 as, in 45 games, he pitched to a 3.90 ERA (122 ERA+). He struggled a bit in 2018 (4.85 ERA) but had a sub-3.00 ERA in both 2016 and 2017 in 73 and 75 appearances.

The other problem with Blevins would be the “three-batter minimum” rule as in the 73 and 75 appearances he had in 2016 and 2017, he only pitched in 42 and 49 innings.

But considering how he pitched in spring training for the Mets, Blevins looks like he’s still got it so, perhaps, the Rockies could use him as a lefty reliever and, perhaps, even a mentor to some of the Rockies current lefties, like Kyle Freeland, Austin Gomber, Ryan Rolison, and the aforementioned Bowden.