8 trade targets from the Atlanta Braves for the Colorado Rockies

The Atlanta Braves and Colorado Rockies are in two completely different worlds in baseball. The Atlanta Braves won the World Series for the first time in more than a quarter of a century in 2021, as they defeated the Houston Astros in six games.

The Braves did that, largely, because their general manager, Alex Anthopoulos made some big moves at the trade deadline. Their outfield was depleted due to Marcell Ozuna having injured fingers (and eventually, sexual assault allegations), a torn ACL by All-Star outfielder and NL MVP candidate Ronald Acuña, Jr., and a hamstring (and just plain awful hitting) by Ender Inciarte.

The Braves were without all three of their former All-Star outfielders just before the All-Star Game and by the end of the month, Anthopoulos acquired outfielders Joc Pederson, Adam Duvall, Jorge Soler, and Eddie Rosario between July 15 and the July 30 trade deadline.

All four of them were crucial for the Braves to get to the postseason and Rosario and Soler ended up being the NLCS and World Series MVPs.

Rox Pile’s Kevin Henry caught up with former Colorado Rockies infielder and current Atlanta Braves coach Eric Young, Sr. on how the Braves weathered through the injuries and on their moves at the trade deadline for our sister site, Call To The Pen, back in September.

The Braves still have a lot to do this offseason (like resign Freddie Freeman) and the Rockies do as well if they plan on taking a step forward in 2022, and not taking a step back like their roster moves (or lack thereof) have shown.

Here are eight players from the Atlanta Braves 40-man roster that the Colorado Rockies could (or should) look at as a trade target.

Atlanta Braves outfielder Marcell Ozuna could be a target for the outfield

In theory, Atlanta Braves outfielder Marcell Ozuna would be a perfect fit for the Colorado Rockies. We mentioned him as a target for the Rockies all the way back in July 2017, when the Marlins (Ozuna’s team at the time) were reportedly looking at Rockies prospects to make a trade before the trade deadline. That never happened, though.

The Colorado Rockies need an outfielder and Ozuna is that. They need a power bat, which Ozuna is as well. And, preferably, they would like a decent defensive outfielder as well, and Ozuna is.

He only played in 48 games in 2021 and he was struggling, partially due to injury, as he was only hitting .213 with an OPS of .645. However, in 2020, Ozuna led the NL in both homers (18) and RBI (56) and he had an OPS+ of 177. He came in 6th in NL MVP and won a Silver Slugger Award as well.

From 2016 through 2019, he averaged 146 games per season with 28 homers, 94 RBI, a .277/.339/.478 slash line, and an OPS+ of 119. In that four-year span, he was an All-Star twice, won an NL Gold Glove Award, won a Silver Slugger Award, and had MVP votes in one season.

Ozuna, 31, is also still fairly young and he is entering the second year of a four-year deal worth $65 million plus a $16 million team option for a fifth year.

The problem is that he has a lot of baggage. While his bat would help the Rockies and he will be able to play in 2022, he was arrested in May 2021 (while on the injured list) and initially charged with felony aggravated assault by strangulation as he was caught strangling his wife in his home when police, who were called moments before, caught Ozuna in the act. (WARNING: Graphic video linked).

According to the New York Post, Ozuna ultimately was charged with misdemeanor family violence and entered a pretrial diversion program. He had to complete 200 hours of community service and anger management counseling.

So his bat would help but the Rockies (and Braves) seriously have to consider whether or not they want him on their roster.

Atlanta Braves left-handed pitcher Tucker Davidson could help the Colorado Rockies

One thing that the Atlanta Braves have a lot of (at least in comparison to the Colorado Rockies) is pitching. As they say, you can never have too much pitching but, at least with the way things stand, the Braves have some guys that are young and still might not have a spot on the team or they are veterans who could be on the move for one of the younger players.

Tucker Davidson is part of the former category and he is the first of many pitchers we will look at today considering one of the biggest issues for the Colorado Rockies is their pitching depth, or lack thereof. This was very evident in September when the Rockies had to dip down into Double-A to get somebody to make a start (Ryan Feltner). With Jon Gray leaving, it is even thinner.

Davidson, 25, has only appeared in five regular season games in the majors but he started in game 5 of the World Series. He was injured for most of the season (left forearm inflammation) but he is highly regarded.

He is the Braves #7 prospect and he has a good fastball (grade 60 on a 20-80 scout scale) that is in the mid-90s and an average curve, slider, and changeup.

Essentially, he is similar to Rockies prospect Ryan Rolison in that he has four average to above-average pitches but Rolison has a bit better command and a better curveball.

Atlanta Braves pitcher Sean Newcomb could be of help in the rotation or bullpen for the Colorado Rockies

Atlanta Braves left-handed pitcher Sean Newcomb has had experience both as a starter and reliever and, perhaps, he could be a fit for the Colorado Rockies as a long reliever/spot-starter.

Newcomb, 28, has not lived up to his prospect hype (was MLB.com’s #21 overall prospect entering 2016) and that’s partially due to injury but partially due to his control issues. He appeared in 32 games (all in relief) in 2021 and he had a 4.73 ERA. He did have some bad luck as his FIP (3.60), hit rate (7.8 H/9), and strikeout rate (12.0 K/9) indicate but he walked 7.5 batters per nine innings.

He didn’t have the walk problem in Triple-A, though, as he only walked 2.2 batters per nine innings in 15 games (all in relief).

He only made four appearances (all starts) in 2020 and he had an 11.20 ERA but in 2019, he had a good season. He made 55 appearances in the majors (four starts) and he had a 3.16 ERA (145 ERA+). He had a FIP of 4.24, a WHIP of 1.317, a walk rate of 3.8 per nine innings, and a strikeout rate of 8.6 per nine innings.

In 2018, he made 31 appearances (30 starts) and he had a 3.90 ERA (105 ERA+) with a FIP of 4.14 and a WHIP of 1.329. A walk rate of 4.4 BB/9 and a strikeout rate of 8.8 K/9 was a bit off, though.

Newcomb is eligible for arbitration for the first time this offseason so if the Rockies got him, they would have (at least under the current CBA) a few years of control before he becomes a free agent. But he is out of minor league options.

Atlanta Braves pitcher Touki Toussaint could also help the Colorado Rockies pitching depth

Like Sean Newcomb, Touki Toussaint is another young pitcher that may not be able to get onto the Atlanta Braves roster, another pitcher that hasn’t quite lived up to his prospect hype, and another pitcher who hasn’t lived up to the hype due to injuries and control issues. But he could help the Colorado Rockies.

Toussaint, 25, has spent parts of four seasons in the majors but the former #50 overall prospect entering 2019 per MLB.com, has only pitched in 145 innings in the majors in 49 appearances (21 starts).

He has two above-average pitches (fastball and curveball) with an average changeup but the control has been his downfall so far. In the majors, he has averaged 5.3 walks per nine innings, which has led to a 1.497 WHIP, a 5.37 FIP, and a 5.46 ERA.

In 2021, between the minors and majors, Toussaint only made 20 appearances (16 starts) due to a shoulder strain. In 2020, he only made seven appearances (five starts) since he tested positive for COVID-19.

Toussaint, due to the numerous ups and downs between the majors and minors, only has a little more than of two years of MLB service time so the Rockies would have four years control on him (at least with this current CBA). However, Toussaint only has one minor league option remaining.

Atlanta Braves reliever A.J. Minter could help the depleted Colorado Rockies bullpen

Atlanta Braves relief pitcher A.J. Minter would bring an experienced left-handed reliever to the Colorado Rockies bullpen, as no Rockies lefty reliever has even one year of MLB service time.

Minter, 28, has nearly four years of MLB service time as he made his debut in 2017. Minter was very good for the Braves in 2017 and 2018 before he had an awful 2019 season (7.06 ERA in 36 appearances after his walk rate more than doubled) but he has been for them since.

In 2021, Minter appeared in 61 regular season games and he had an ERA of 3.78. However, his 2.69 FIP suggests some bad luck. He had a 1.223 WHIP and he walked 3.4 and struck out 9.8 batters per nine innings. In the postseason, he appeared in eight games and he had an ERA of 3.00 with a FIP of 1.42.

In 2020, he was terrific. Minter had a 0.83 ERA in 22 games with a 2.82 FIP, a 1.108 WHIP, and he averaged 3.7 walks and 10 strikeouts per nine innings. In five postseason games, he had an ERA of 3.00.

He is eligible for arbitration for the first time this offseason so the Rockies, if they acquired him, would have three more years of control on him (at least under the current CBA). He is estimated to get roughly $2.1 million in arbitration.

Atlanta Braves reliever Luke Jackson could also provide some bullpen help for the Colorado Rockies

Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Luke Jackson could also provide the Colorado Rockies bullpen with some much-needed help.

Jackson, 30, has had a spotty career overall but in 2019 and 2021, he had good years for the Braves.

In 2021, Jackson appeared in 71 regular season games and he had a coruscating ERA of 1.98. He had a FIP of 3.66, a WHIP of 1.162, and he walked 4.1 and struck out 9.9 batters per nine innings. In the postseason, he appeared in 11 games and had a 5.19 ERA but he had a 4.32 FIP. Four of the five runs he allowed in the postseason, though, were in one game (Game 3 of the NLCS).

In 2019, Jackson had an ERA of 3.84 (120 ERA+) in 70 appearances. He had a FIP of 3.24, a WHIP of 1.404, and 3.2 walks and 13.1 strikeouts per nine innings. He also had 18 saves

Also, among relievers with at least 100 innings pitched since 2019, Jackson’s groundball rate of 57.9 percent is 10th-highest. That would make him the highest groundball pitcher in the Rockies bullpen.

As Rockies fans well know by now, groundball percentage is the way that pitchers tend to pitch well at altitude. The Rockies starting pitching staff has thrived on this model in recent years, whereas the Rockies bullpen has struggled in recent years at Coors Field with a low groundball percentage (and a high flyball percentage).

He is entering the final year of arbitration before he is to hit free agency and he is slated to earn around $3.8 million in it.

Atlanta Braves reliever Tyler Matzek could reunite with the Colorado Rockies

Tyler Matzek was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the first round (11th overall pick) all the way back in 2009. 14 picks later, the Los Angeles Angels drafted Mike Trout. Not the best draft for the Rockies. But now, Matzek is a very good reliever for the Atlanta Braves.

For the Rockies, Matzek appeared in parts of two seasons in the majors in 2014 and 2015 before he was out of baseball since he was injured and then had the “yips.” In total, he combined to pitch in 139 2/3 innings with a 4.06 ERA (107 ERA+) for the Rockies in the majors.

After bouncing around to a few teams both professionally and independently, Matzek latched on with the Braves late in the 2019 season.

He made his return to the majors in 2020 and he was great for the Braves, as he pitched in 21 games and had a 2.79 ERA. His FIP suggests that he still had some bad luck as his FIP was nearly a full run lower than his ERA at 1.92. He had a 1.138 WHIP and he walked 3.1 and struck out 13.3 batters per nine innings. In seven postseason games in 2020, he had a great 1.04 ERA.

In 2021, he continued that success as Matzek had an ERA of 2.57 in 69 regular season appearances. He had a 3.20 FIP, a 1.222 WHIP, and he struck out 11 batters per nine innings. The only area of concern was his high walk rate of 5.3 BB/9. That was part of his issue with the Rockies as well.

He is arbitration-eligible for the first time this offseason and slated to make around $1.5 million it.

Considering his success, the Braves are unlikely to trade him but especially with relievers, they always could be on the move.

Next in our trade target series for the Colorado Rockies will be the Miami Marlins as we continue through the National League East.