Rumors: Colorado Rockies to be “heavily involved” in outfield free agent chase

It likely won’t come as a surprise to many Colorado Rockies fans, but the rumor mill is once again churning about the team acquiring a high-profile free agent outfielder once the current Major League Baseball lockout ends.

The Colorado Rockies are said to be among the teams that will be targeting a free agent outfielder once the MLB lockout ends

According to a tweet from Jim Bowden of The Athletic, the Colorado Rockies are among a handful of teams, along with the Seattle Mariners and Chicago White Sox, that are expected to be “heavily involved” in the chase for an upper-end free agent outfielder in the coming days or weeks (depending on when the lockout ends). Among those outfielders named by Bowden as potential targets are (in alphabetical order) Kris Bryant, Nick Castellanos, Michael Conforto, and Seiya Suzuki.

Related reading on those four outfielders:

We examined the fit for Conforto with the Rockies here.

The latest rumors connecting Kris Bryant and the Rockies can be found here.

A look at why the Rockies should pursue Suzuki can be read here.

What it might take for the Rockies to sign Castellanos can be found here.

The Rockies pursuing an outfielder who could add some power to an area of the team that severely lacked it in 2021 is no surprise to those who have followed the team for any length of time. And the Rockies won’t just need power in the outfield, but also throughout the entire lineup should Trevor Story leave the team (which is expected) once the MLB lockout ends.

With the designated hitter coming to the National League, Colorado does have options for bringing in a slugging outfielder and ensuring he can bat every day. While Charlie Blackmon is currently entrenched in right field defensively, center and left field are both positions where Colorado could potentially upgrade through a free agent signing.

Of course, with the MLB lockout in effect, no transactions impacting the 40-man roster can be made. However, the Rockies could well be very active in the free agent market once the lockout is over.