Colorado Rockies: The grades for their post-lockout moves

The Colorado Rockies have made some big moves in the 11+ days since the MLB lockout has ended and they range the gamut from very good to awful since they have had some gains and a big loss.

For the moves the Rockies made prior to the lockout (which included multiple contract extensions), we ranked them all the way back in early December in the early days of the lockout.

For this version, we are only considering players on the 40-man roster and not non-roster invitees. Why? The NRIs may not even make the team. They could be none other than a minuscule footnote in the depths of Colorado Rockies history, like Javy López (who was among our 26-man roster of Rockies to play one season or less with the Rockies) or they could be like C.J. Cron (their best hitter in 2021).

Without further ado, let’s begin.

The Colorado Rockies have made some good moves

Signing reliever Alex Colomé via free agency: A

The Colorado Rockies needed to lengthen their bullpen by adding a quality reliever(s). With Alex Colomé: Check

They needed a good reliever: Check.

They needed someone with legitimate closing experience: Check.

They needed a reliever that was a groundball pitcher unlike most of their relievers: Check.

They needed to get a reliever that did not cost a ton of money or years (aka learn from their mistakes with Wade Davis, Jake McGee, and Bryan Shaw): Check and check.

Alex Colomé signed for one year and $4.1 million.

The only reason why this isn’t an A+ is that we still need to see how he will pitch at Coors Field. Considering his groundball rate and his experience, he should be good. But even if he isn’t, it was a low-risk, high-reward signing.

Signing shortstop José Iglesias via free agency: C-

The Colorado Rockies addressed their shortstop situation with a stopgap shortstop in José Iglesias.

He signed a one-year deal for $5 million so, like with Colomé, it is a low-risk move. However, Iglesias is taking over for Trevor Story. When healthy, Trevor Story was putting up numbers comparable to Hall of Famers. José Iglesias is far from that.

Iglesias has shown glimpses of being great defensively but it was not in 2021. Offensively, he was a dead ringer for a bat the Rockies already have that’s not great. The Rockies downgraded from a perennial All-Star to a player that (on a playoff-contending team) is someone on the bench, if at all.

But since it’s a short-term, low-risk move, this is why we have it as a C- and not lower.

Signing Chad Kuhl via free agency: C

The Colorado Rockies signed former Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Chad Kuhl to, in all likelihood, be their fifth starter to start the season.

Kuhl’s manager with the Pirates for Pirates at the beginning of his career was Clint Hurdle, who came back to the Rockies as a special assistant this offseason.

He will be a decent stopgap for the Rockies but he is, at least to start off, replacing Jon Gray in the rotation. Gray has a carer 107 ERA+. Kuhl has a career 95 ERA+ so it’s a downgrade from that perspective. However, he is better than Chi Chi González, who was the team’s long reliever/spot starter/fifth starter through the season.

As a long-reliever/depth option, Kuhl is a better fit which he may be as the season progresses, as Peter Lambert and/or Ryan Rolison could look to slide into the rotation.

So it’s another low-risk move but he doesn’t have a very high ceiling and is replacing Jon Gray, which is why he gets a C.

Signing Kris Bryant via free agency: C

This may be a bit of a controversial grading but before you jump down my throat, hear me out.

It’s a good move for the Rockies for a few reasons. Bill Schmidt knows Kris Bryant well and has for a decade. He provides them with a big bat in their lineup. The Rockies needed a bat in the outfield. The Rockies wanted someone that is versatile. Kris Bryant wanted to be a Rockie and has wanted to be for a decade.

But there are plenty of negatives too.

First off is the length of contract. Will Kris Bryant be an All-Star caliber player when he’s 37? Probably not. Just look at some projections for him then. They aren’t pretty.

Secondly, there are other teams that got bigger bats or comparable bats for much less (in length and total money). Carlos Correa, Nick Castellanos, Kyle Schwarber, and Freddie Freeman all fall into this category. Correa and Freeman were the only ones who had a higher AAV than Bryant.

Thirdly, Bryant is not replacing Story defensively. He’s not as good of a defender and he’s not playing shortstop.

Fourth, he has had his fair share of injuries. Since 2018, he has spent time on the IL for shoulder inflammation twice, a finger injury, an oblique injury, and an elbow injury. Total he missed about 110 games for those injuries and a few day-to-day injuries since then.

Lastly, does Kris Bryant make them a playoff contender right now? He does not.

That’s why we have his signing as a C: five positives and five negatives.

Losing Trevor Story: D-

This grade may be a bit too harsh or a bit too generous, depending on your point of view.

The Rockies wanted to keep Trevor Story. We know that they were willing to give him more than the six years and $140 million that he got from the Red Sox so it was his decision to leave.

However, Story’s relationship with the team’s higher brass started to fall apart after they didn’t add anything of note for their 2018 playoff team or after. Story is very good friends with Nolan Arenado and Arenado made it clear he wasn’t happy with the higher-ups either. That’s why they traded him to the St. Louis Cardinals in February 2021.

In 2021, Story wasn’t happy when he wasn’t traded at the trade deadline and not because he wanted out of Colorado but because he thought that the team could get something to help them win in the future. Instead, all they have is a comp draft pick.

So it was Story’s decision to leave but it was because he had had enough of the Rockies front office and ownership. He also wants to win and the Rockies are not a playoff contender. The Red Sox are perennial playoff contenders.