Colorado Rockies: 1 trade target from every MLB team to consider

In recent years, the Colorado Rockies have not made a ton of trades. Of those trades, not many were involving major leaguers (or significant major leaguers).

Will new Rockies general manager Bill Schmidt turn to the trade market more than his predecessor? We’ll likely find out the answer to that question this offseason.

With the Rockies almost certainly losing Trevor Story to free agency this offseason, they will have to make some moves just to maintain where they were in 2021, let alone getting to a place where the Rockies are better or even in playoff contention.

So we took a look at the rosters for each of the other 29 MLB teams to find one player from each team that the Rockies may want to look into trading for, for one reason or another.

These players would help an area of need for the Rockies or could be traded this offseason by their current team.

As a final note, the players that are mentioned are going to be fairly realistic and they have to be major league players. For example, the Angels are not going to trade Mike Trout and/or Shohei Ohtani to the Rockies. The Rockies don’t have enough talent at the major league or minor league level to be able to acquire them and even if they did, the Angels are not going to trade them. It’s as simple as that.

So let’s dive into potential trade targets from the American League East.

Baltimore Orioles – Austin Hays

The Baltimore Orioles are not a very talented team and haven’t been for years. The chance of the Colorado Rockies making a trade of impact with the Orioles is negligible for that reason and one other: the talent that they do have are very young draft picks of theirs that they aren’t going to want to trade this offseason.

However, one player that the Rockies could look at is Austin Hays.

Hays, 26, is an outfielder for the Orioles and he just played in his first full season in 2021 and he was one of the Orioles best players. He hit 22 homers and had 71 RBI with a slash line of .256/.308/.461 with an OPS+ of 106. He had an rWAR of 3.2, though, because of his defense. He had 15 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) between left and right field, which would be put to good use in the expansive outfield of Coors Field.

Ironically, Hays also graduated from Spruce Creek High School in Port Orange, Florida. That is the same high school where 2020 Rockies first-round draft pick Zac Veen graduated high school as well.

Boston Red Sox – Matt Barnes

The Colorado Rockies are a young team and with two veteran relievers perhaps moving on from the Rockies in Daniel Bard and Jhoulys Chacin, there is definitely a need for a strong, veteran reliever. Boston Red Sox reliever Matt Barnes fits that mold.

Barnes, 31, has had six straight seasons with an ERA+ of 110 or better and (with the obvious exception of the shortened 2020 season) he has appeared in at least 60 games per season.

He also has closing experience, as he has been the Red Sox closer this season. He has 24 saves this season alone. He also has a sparkling 0.79 ERA in 12 postseason games.

New York Yankees – Chad Green

For the same reasons that we mention Matt Barnes as a trade target, New York Yankees reliever Chad Green should also be a trade target.

Green, 30, has averaged a 2.95 ERA since 2017 with a low walk rate (2.1 walks per nine innings) and a high strikeout rate (11.9 K/9). He hasn’t been quite as good in the postseason, though (4.15 ERA in 18 postseason outings).

Tampa Bay Rays – Yandy Díaz

Love or hate the Tampa Bay Rays model of baseball, they have shown that a franchise can be a perennial playoff team. However, they, like all small-market teams besides the Kansas City Royals in recent years, have not found out how to win a World Series.

One of their most consistent players in recent years has been a guy named Yandy Díaz. Díaz, who Tampa acquired from Cleveland in a three-way trade after the 2018 season, is a bit of an enigma in the fact that he has biceps the size of Popeye, he doesn’t hit for much power. He does get on base at a great clip, though (.353 in 2021 and .428 in 2020).

Defensively, he’s best at first base but he can also play third base and has a handful of games at second, left, and center in the minors.

He would be particularly good for the Rockies if they had the DH as he and C.J. Cron could split time between DH and first base.

Toronto Blue Jays – Cavan Biggio

Cavan Biggio, the son of MLB Hall of Famer Craig Biggio, has shown a great ability to get on base and, like his dad, play a few different positions. Since making his MLB debut in 2019, he has played first, second, third, left, center, and right field.

But in 2021, he was injured and his stats were not great, meaning that if the Rockies acquired him, the Blue Jays would be selling low.

But, as Rox Pile’s Kevin Larson noted in this article about Biggio’s father, Craig, last year, the Biggio family has a familiarity with Colorado.

Biggio would likely become the Rockies starting third baseman or second baseman with Ryan McMahon playing the other position.

Chicago White Sox – Craig Kimbrel

The Colorado Rockies are in desperate need of a closer and, more particularly, relief help, in general.

Kimbrel would definitely fit that bill and the Chicago White Sox are likely going to pick up his $16 million option and then they hope to trade him.

The problem is that Kimbrel struggled with the White Sox after they acquired him from the Cubs and before the first half of this year, Kimbrel looked like a shell of his former self.

So is that a risk the Rockies would take, when they have already have had their fair share of bullpen woes from expensive veterans in recent years?

Cleveland Guardians – José Ramírez

The Cleveland Guardians should trade their start third baseman, José Ramírez, this offseason.

The team has two very friendly team options on Ramírez before he hits free agency but the team is on its way down.

From 2017 through 2020, he had three, top-three finishes in AL MVP voting and three Silver Slugger Awards. In 2021, he hit 36 homers and 103 RBI with a slash line of .266/.355/.538 and an OPS+ of 141.

The 29-year-old switch-hitting infielder who can play both second and third base would be a huge help for the anemic Rockies offense and defense (10 DRS in 2021).

The problem is that Cleveland, like the Colorado Rockies, often holds on to their players longer than they should and, then, when they trade them (if they trade them), get pennies on the dollar for them.

Well, that’s what Cleveland has done with Corey Kluber, Mike Clevinger, Trevor Bauer, Francisco Lindor, Carlos Carrasco, and many others. All of them were traded one or two years later than they should have, they come close to a deal for them, introduce a “mystery team” that is trying to get the player to raise the asking price from the only team really in negotiations, and then make a deal the next day in a trade that makes fans wonder what made this trade so special.

Does that sound familiar Rockies fans?

Detroit Tigers – Michael Fulmer

Michael Fulmer suffered a lot of injuries with the Detroit Tigers but he has had a resurgence as a reliever.

In 2021, the former AL Rookie of the Year had a 2.97 ERA in 52 games with 14 saves.

The Tigers are on their way up out of a rebuild and, with a lot of young pitching, they may be hesitant to trade him since they waited for him to be healthy (and good) for three years.

Kansas City – Andrew Benintendi

To be quite frank, the Kansas City Royals don’t have much that the Colorado Rockies need. First off,  the Royals have an awful offense (Salvador Perez was the only player on the team with an OPS+ of 105 or better, and only three players that had more than 85 plate appearances had an OPS+ of 92 or better.

One of those three players was left fielder Andrew Benintendi. The Royals may look to trade him since he will be a free agent after next season and the Royals aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Quite frankly, the Rockies still have to show that they are going somewhere next season too but, at worst, if the Rockies traded for him, they could use him in left field as he would be an upgrade over Raimel Tapia and then, the Rockies could trade him at the trade deadline.

Minnesota Twins – Taylor Rogers

Of the 29 players on this list, there may not be a better fit for the Colorado Rockies than Minnesota Twins reliever Taylor Rogers.

• The Rockies are in need of relievers: Check.
• The Rockies are in need of good relievers: Check (he was an All-Star in 2021).
• The Rockies are in need of veteran relievers: Check (more than 300 career appearances)
• The Rockies are in need of a lefty reliever: Check.
• The Rockies are in need of groundball pitchers: Check (48.8 percent groundball rate in 2021).
• The Rockies are in need of someone who knows how to pitch at altitude: Check (Taylor Rogers is from the Denver suburb of Littleton).

The only issue is that he is a free agent after the upcoming season. But maybe the Rockies should look at him anyways.

Houston Astros – Ryne Stanek

Ryne Stanek, 30, is another reliever that could be good for the Colorado Rockies.

For the Houston Astros, he had an ERA of 3.42 in 72 games. He struggled in 2020 and was injured as well but in 2018 and 2019, he was primarily an opener for the Tampa Bay Rays and, later, a regular reliever for the Miami Marlins. He had an ERA of 3.52 in 122 games (56 as an opener) combined in the two seasons.

He still has two more years of arbitration before he’d be a free agent.

Los Angeles Angels – Justin Upton

Like the Royals, the Los Angeles Angels aren’t a very talented team. At least the Angels have Trout, Ohtani, and Rendon. After that, they are a Triple-A team. The other good pieces that they did have in 2021 became free agents or were traded.

Justin Upton would fit into the same mold as Andrew Benintendi in that he’s a veteran coming from a team that has little talent to be traded and he’d likely be the everyday left fielder (or DH) but Upton is a bit overpaid.

He has only played in 194 games in the last three seasons and he has an OPS+ of 92 but for the Rockies, that would be an improvement.

He is also a free agent at the end of 2022 so the Rockies would likely acquire him to trade him at the trade deadline.

Oakland Athletics – Tony Kemp

Tony Kemp is a versatile player that can play both the infield and outfield. He used to be fast but his sprint speed and stolen base totals have dropped significantly in recent years.

However, he can get on-base at a great clip, which is what the Rockies need at the top of the lineup. Kemp had an OBP of .382 in 2021 and .363 in 2020.

He is arbitration-eligible for the first time this offseason so he will get a decent raise from his 2021 salary of $1.05 million but he will still be a cheap, versatile player in 2022.

Seattle Mariners – Marco Gonzales

The chance that the Seattle Mariners trade Marco Gonzales would, seemingly, be fairly low but when you’re dealing with Dealin’ Jerry Dipoto, you never rule anybody out as the former Rockies front office man and the former Rockies reliever is always trading players.

Gonzales, 29, is from Fort Collins so he knows how to pitch at altitude, and his father, Frank, is actually the Rockies pitching coach at Double-A Hartford.

In the last four seasons, Gonzales has made 99 starts for the Mariners and has an ERA of 3.88 (109 ERA+). He averaged 2.1 walks and 7.2 strikeouts per nine innings in the four seasons.

Texas Rangers – Isaiah Kiner-Falefa

Isaiah Kiner-Falefa would be good for the Rockies for three reasons: He is versatile, he is a phenomenal defender, and he has good speed. He can play catcher, second, third, and short. He won a Gold Glove in 2020 and in 2021, he had 11 DRS. He had a sprint speed of 28.1 ft/second in 2021 (for comparison, Raimel Tapia’s was 28.3) and Kiner-Falefa had 20 stolen bases.

That’s why he had a 4.0 rWAR despite his weak bat (85 OPS+). That would be the biggest problem for the Rockies, as already have a lot of versatile players who are good defenders and baserunners but not good hitters.

But they could decide to cut some of those players since they haven’t developed at the plate. Kiner-Falefa, arguably, is a better hitter than some of those players and, he can also play catcher, which the Rockies have been known to carry a player that is a third catcher. In fact, as we mentioned in this article earlier this week, the Rockies have carried an infielder with catching experience (or vice versa) every season in the last decade except for 2021.

Atlanta Braves – Richard Rodríguez

Richard Rodríguez was one of a handful of trades that the Atlanta Braves made at the trade deadline. The Braves got him from the Pittsburgh Pirates and he had pitched well for the Pirates and pitched well for the Braves.

But Rodríguez has been left off both the NLDS and NLCS roster, in a bit of a surprising move. As MLB Trade Rumors noted before the NLDS, Rodríguez “surrendered five home runs in his past 10 appearances and, more concerning, has seen his strikeout rate absolutely crater with the Braves.”

But since 2018, Rodríguez has an ERA of 3.00 in 223 appearances so he could be a good reliever for the Rockies for the next few years before he is eligible for free agency (after the 2023 season).

Miami Marlins – Brian Anderson

Brian Anderson had some injury issues in 2021 for the Miami Marlins but he has shown that he can be a very good player.

From 2018 through 2020, he has had an OPS+ of 110, 112, and 116 with on-base percentages of .357, .342, and .345. He also has been an above-average defender as he has 16 DRS since 2019.

Anderson is also versatile, as he has primarily played third base and right field but he has some games at first, second, short, and left field as well in the majors and/or minor leagues.

The Rockies have also been known to show their pride for players from the state of Oklahoma (Matt Holliday, Jon Gray, Matt Kemp, Jeromy Burnitz, Jamey Wright, Cory Sullivan, Jeff Salazar, Greg Norton, Brett Anderson, Ryan Vilade, Mark Redman, Chi Chi Gonzalez, Chris Richard, Kelby Tomlinson, and current Rockies coach Doug Bernier all played for the Rockies and/or were coaches for the Rockies and either are from Oklahoma or went to college in Oklahoma).

Chicago Cubs – Ian Happ

The Chicago Cubs got rid of most of their talent at the trade deadline this past season so, frankly, Ian Happ is probably the best player left.

Happ is a switch-hitter that had a down year in 2021 but he has shown that he can be a good player. In 2020, he got NL MVP votes after he had an OPS+ of 131. He is also versatile, which is something the Rockies prefer to have in their players. He has played every position except catcher and shortstop at the MLB level but he has played center and left field the most.

Cincinnati Reds – Nick Senzel

The Colorado Rockies and Cincinnati Reds have partnered up for a pair of trades within the last calendar year. The first trade involved Robert Stephenson and Jeff Hoffman and both have worked out well for their new teams (Stephenson has been better for the Rockies, though).

Nick Senzel, 26, could be another player that needs a change of scenery.

He has been injured a lot so he has not played well in the majors in parts of three seasons. His best season was his first season (2019) when he had a WAR of 0.1. But Senzel was ranked as high as the #6 prospect in all of baseball before the 2019 season.

His most consistent tool recently is his speed as if he was on the Rockies, the only player with a better sprint speed would be Garrett Hampson. But in 2018, MLB Pipeline ranked his tools (from 20 to 80) as such:

• Hit: 70 | Power: 55 | Run: 55 | Arm: 60 | Field: 60 | Overall: 60

He is also versatile as he can play second, third, and center.

Milwaukee Brewers – Jackie Bradley, Jr.

Jackie Bradley, Jr. is not a great hitter. Frankly, it’s as simple as that.

In 2021, he hit .163/.236/.261 with an OPS+ of 34 with the Milwaukee Brewers.

But the reason why the Brewers kept him around was his defense. Here’s his DRS by season (per Baseball-Reference):

• 2014: 16 DRS
• 2015: 6 DRS (only 73 games)
• 2016: 14 DRS
• 2017: 14 DRS
• 2018: 4 DRS (ironically, this is the only season he has won a Gold Glove)
• 2019: 0 DRS
• 2020: 5 DRS
• 2021: 12 DRS

His speed has declined in recent years as well but he is still above average. He also usually hits better than he did in 2021 so he could be a good target for the Rockies even just as a defensive replacement late in games.

Pittsburgh Pirates – Bryan Reynolds

The Pittsburgh Pirates (with the exception of a few seasons half a decade ago) have been a bad baseball team for nearly 30 years.

The 2021 Pirates were no exception as they do not have much talent that teams would look for. But Bryan Reynolds is the Pirates best player and someone a lot of teams would like to have.

In 2021, he played in 159 games and hit 24 homers, 90 RBI, a slash line of .302/.390/.522, and he had an OPS+ of 146.

He had his worst defensive season in his MLB career but prior to 2021, he had combined for 13 DRS in 2019 and 2020.

Reynolds isn’t a free agent until after the 2025 season so the Pirates would, presumably, want a lot for Reynolds, though.

St. Louis Cardinals – Harrison Bader

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Harrison Bader falls into the same category that Jackie Bradley, Jr. does in that he would be a phenomenal defensive center fielder for the Colorado Rockies.

But Bader is younger and his bat is way better than Bradley, Jr.

In 103 games in 2021, he had an OPS+ of 116 with a slash line of .267/.324/.460.

With the exception of 2020 (since it was only 60 games), Bader has had at least 15 DRS in each season since 2018.

Since he is one of the best players on the list and a player on a playoff team, the chance that the Rockies could get him is the lowest of anyone on the list but we had to include him for the Rockies fan to dream that the Rockies would be acquiring a franchise talent from the Cardinals instead of the other way around. Just imagine him in center field at Coors Field.

Back to more realistic players but in the most unrealistic division for trades (the NL West).

Arizona Diamondbacks – Daulton Varsho

We’ve already established how the Colorado Rockies love position players who can also catch and that’s what Daulton Varsho does. Varsho has primarily been a catcher at the MLB level but he can play all three outfield spots.

He had an OPS+ of 102 last season as well so he was one of the best players on a putrid Arizona Diamondbacks team.

But he was in MLB.com’s Top 100 prospects before 2020 so it would take a lot to get him.

Los Angeles Dodgers – Zach McKinstry

The chance that the Los Angeles Dodgers trade anyone to the Colorado Rockies is negligible.

The Rockies would love to get Max Muncy just so they wouldn’t have to face him 19 times a season but the Rockies would love just about any of their players. Frankly, most of their 26-man roster would be, at worst, amongst the top five players on the Rockies.

Zach McKinstry is one of the players that has been up and down with the Dodgers in the last two seasons but he has shown (at the Triple-A level) that he can hit.

He hasn’t quite done that at the MLB level yet in 64 regular season games but he can play second, short, third, left, center, and right field.

He may find himself with another team just for the fact that he may not be able to get on the Dodgers roster since it’s so deep.

San Diego Padres – Mark Melancon

Yet another reliever on our list as San Diego Padres reliever Mark Melancon could be a big reliever for the Rockies.

Melancon, who will turn 37 before the start of the season, led the NL in saves in 2021 as he had 39 saves for the Padres. The four-time All-Star had a 2.23 ERA in 64 games and in the last four seasons, he had combined for a 2.97 ERA in 194 appearances.

He has a great groundball rate between 56 and 61 percent each season for the last four seasons and, to top it off, he is familiar with altitude as he was born in the Denver suburb of Wheat Ridge and graduated from Golden High School in Golden, Colorado (another Denver suburb).

San Francisco Giants – Tyler Rogers

For the last team on our list, we have (you guessed it!) another reliever.

Tyler Rogers is the twin brother of Minnesota Twins reliever Taylor Rogers so Rogers is from Colorado   (Littleton) so he knows how to pitch at altitude.

In the last two seasons, he has had the most relief appearances in the NL and the submarine-style pitcher has a good groundball rate (53.5 and 57.3 percent) in the last two seasons.

What do you think of our picks for each team? Let us know in the comments below or on social media.