6 realistic free agent outfield options for the Colorado Rockies

Andrew McCutchen could also be a fit for the Colorado Rockies

Andrew McCutchen is another free agent that could give the Colorado Rockies some much-needed offensive help.

McCutchen has been in the majors for a long time now, as he made his debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates all the way back in 2009.

McCutchen, like most players in the sport in their mid-to-late-30s, is not the player he once was (he won the 2013 NL MVP award) but for the last three seasons, he has been a serviceable player for the Philadelphia Phillies.

In 2021, McCutchen played in 144 games and he hit .222/.334/.444 with 27 homers, 80 RBI, and an OPS+ of 109. In his 13-year MLB career, he has not had an OPS+ below 100 in a single season.

When he is healthy (which he has been for his whole career with the exception of 2019), he will give you 20 homers and 80 RBI every season. The Rockies had three players close to that bill in 2021 and one of them (Trevor Story with 24 homers and 75 RBI in 2021) is likely leaving the team. The other two were Ryan McMahon and C.J. Cron.

Eddie Rosario is another possible fit for the Colorado Rockies outfield

Eddie Rosario split the season between Cleveland and Atlanta last year and, for Atlanta, he was the NLCS MVP for them. He could also help the Colorado Rockies.

In the regular season, Rosario played in 111 games and he hit .259/.305/.435 with an OPS+ of 98. He had 14 homers, 62 RBI, 19 doubles, and an rWAR of 1.1.

For the prior six seasons, Rosario was with the Minnesota Twins and he received MVP votes in both 2019 and 2020. In 2020, he played in 57 games and he had an OPS+ of 116 and in 2019, he had an OPS+ of 107. In 2019, he also had 32 homers, 28 doubles, and 109 RBI.

Before the lockout, MLB Trade Rumors predicted that he would get a two-year deal for $15 million and it stands to reason that he would still roughly get that once the lockout ends.

Jorge Soler could provide the Colorado Rockies with some more power

Of the six players on this list, Jorge Soler would be the biggest power threat for the Colorado Rockies.

Jorge Soler spent the 2021 season between the Kansas City Royals and Atlanta Braves and like Rosario, he was a mid-season acquisition for the Braves that paid huge dividends as he was the World Series MVP.

Soler played in 149 games in 2021 and he had 27 homers and 70 RBI. He had a .223/.316/.432 slashline, an OPS+ of 97, and an rWAR of -0.3. As that WAR indicates, he is not a great defender, which could be a problem in the large outfield of Coors Field but out of the six players.

In 2019 for the Royals, he led the AL in homers with 48 and he had 119 RBI. He hit .265/.354/.569 with an OPS+ of 137. He only had an rWAR of 3.5, though, because his defense was so poor (-9 DRS).

MLBTR predicted a three-year deal and $36 million for him this offseason.

Michael Conforto could be a left-handed power bat for the Colorado Rockies

Michael Conforto has been mentioned as a possible target for the Colorado Rockies before and when he’s healthy, he could be a very good option for them.

Conforto has spent parts of the last seven seasons with the New York Mets and in 2021, he played in 125 games (missing some time due to a hamstring injury). He hit .232/.344/.384 with 14 homers, 55 RBI, and an OPS+ of 101. Due to the injury, it was the worst season for him since 2016.

From 2017 through 2020, he didn’t have a season with an OPS+ below 122. In 2019, he had 33 homers, 92 RBI, a slash line of .257/.363/.494, and an OPS+ of 127.

Conforto could be looking to sign a one-year deal to re-establish his value and if he is, he could be an even better fit for the Colorado Rockies.

Former Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson could be a fit for the Colorado Rockies

Outfielder Joc Pederson could be a fit for the Colorado Rockies and the Colorado Rockies would be able to get him on a short-term deal.

Last season, Pederson played with the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves after he spent seven seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, meaning he has been on the World Series-winning team for each of the last two seasons.

In 2021, he hit .238/.310/.422 with 18 homers, 61 RBI, and an OPS+ of 93 in 137 games. His offense was at a 0.2 rWAR but with his poor defense (-6 Defensive Runs Saved), his overall play dropped to -0.1 rWAR. He wasn’t above league average on offense either in 2020 but he was very good in 2018 and 2019.

In 2018 and 2019, Pederson played in 148 and 149 games and he had an OPS+ of 125 and 126. His slugging percentages were .522 and .538. For comparison, Rockies first baseman C.J. Cron was the only Rockies player with more than 50 plate appearances with a slugging percentage over .500 (.530).

Pederson signed with the Cubs last offseason for one-year and $4.5 million with an option for 2022. That option wasn’t exercised so he got $2.5 million in a buyout.

The Rockies could get him for probably one or two years and maybe $5-$6 million per season, which is much less than the big-ticket names.

Realistically, the Rockies probably should get two or more bats to help their team if they plan on competing in 2022 but when the lockout ends, the Rockies will have to hit the ground running as it will be a frenzy for trades and free agent signings.