3 free agents the Colorado Rockies should sign right now

The Colorado Rockies should sign free agent starting pitcher Brett Anderson

If Brett Anderson’s name sounds familiar to you, it should. Anderson used to play for the Colorado Rockies in 2014. That is one reason that would help matters: mutual familiarity. But there are a few more reasons why the Rockies should sign him too.

In 2021, Anderson made 24 starts for the Milwaukee Brewers and he had a 4.22 ERA (101 ERA+). That right there would probably make him their fifth-best starter, pushing Chad Kuhl to the bullpen in a long relief role and, therefore, adding some more depth.

For Anderson, another bonus would be his pitching profile. Since 2019, he has had a groundball rate of 55.8 percent, which is third-highest in the sport among starters with at least 300 innings pitched in that span. The Rockies starters who have had the most success at Coors in that span (Antonio Senzatela, Germán Márquez, and Jon Gray) are also among the top 17 in that category.

Anderson also has an extremely low spin rate on his four-seam fastball, which is something that Senzatela, Márquez, Gray, and Austin Gomber all had in common in 2021. It has been a big key to their success at Coors Field.

In 2021, Anderson’s four-seam fastball spin rate was only 1898 RPM. That was the ninth-lowest among the 567 pitchers that faced at least 250 batters. Senzatela, Márquez, and Gomber were all among the top 87.

If/when Peter Lambert or Ryan Rolison are healthy and prove themselves in the majors this season, Anderson could move to the bullpen too as a long man and as a veteran left-handed reliever. Speaking of which …