3 left-handed outfielders the Rockies should target

With the Rockies in a rebuild, possessing a plethora of outfield talent, you wouldn't think that it would be wise for them to target short term rental bats. With Nolan Jones, Brenton Doyle, Sean Bouchard, Hunter Goodman paired with vets Kris Bryant (who should play first base a majority of the time) and Charlie Blackmon returning for what should be his final year (the primary DH), it seems like they might benefit from giving some of their younger players an extended look.

With only those four outfielders and no other top prospects looking close to the major league level, it could benefit the Rockies to look for a short-term bat, to help bridge that gap from the start of the season to at least the trade deadline (where the Rockies could look at flipping the rental for prospects). The Rockies would essentially be investing a financially right now, in hopes that they can acquire a solid prospect that can make this team better long term (they did this with Brad Hand last year).

The Rockies have a number of decent, right-handed hitting outfielders, and a report from Thomas Harding of MLB.com states that the Rockies will look to add an outfielder, preferably one that can rotate between all three spots while hitting from the left side of the plate; that is a pretty limited list of players. They could explore a veteran option like Travis Jankowski, who is coming off a solid season with the defending World Series Champion, Texas Rangers. I opted to forego the whole centerfield option with most of my options, as Brenton Doyle is a Gold Glove level defender, and needs to be given 150+ games in hopes he can become a solid hitter. I opted for higher upside corner outfielders here.

Austin Meadows

This is perhaps one of my favorite players the Rockies should target for an outfield bat. Meadows is a former top prospect who had a really good stretch from 2019 to 2021. In 2019, he slashed .291/.364/.558 with 33 home runs and 12 stolen bases. In 2021, he slashed .234/.315/.458 with 27 home runs and 106 RBIs.

The 2022 season saw him deal with a number of injuries, being placed on the IL three different times, playing in only 36 games. He started the 2023 season with the Tigers, but after just six games, he was placed on the IL and a few weeks later, was transferred to the 60-day IL. Still just 29 years old for the 2024 season Meadows could become a key piece of this team as they look to start contending in the next couple of years.

If you can get Meadows back to the 2019-2021 version of himself, you have a true two-to-three-win player in a corner outfield spot. It gives you someone to help mentor the younger outfielders and gives you some impact alongside Nolan Jones and hopefully Kris Bryant.

Eddie Rosario

With Meadows and the final outfielder, who we will talk about on the next slide, offering high ceilings and very low floors, Rosario offers the highest floor, but probably the lowest ceiling (though he has been a solid hitter). From 2017 through 2023, Rosario has posted a wRC+ above 100 in every season except for 2022, where he only played in 80 games.

Rosario had a solid 2023 season slashing .255/.305/.450 with 21 home runs and 74 RBIs, good for a 100 wRC+ and 1.4 fWAR. Rosario has historically not been a very good defender, but surprisingly got better in his age 32 season, so while the fit might be tough, the Rockies could make it work to get his bat in the lineup. Being next to Nolan Jones and Gold Glover Brenton Doyle could help cover up some of his defense.

Rosario is going to be 32 years old for a majority of the 2024 season, bringing a veteran presence. He also has a lot of playoff experience, which could help some of the younger guys in the bigger moments throughout the year.

The hitter market has been pretty weak, but after Teoscar Hernandez got a one-year deal worth $23.5 million, it may be on the way back up. Spotrac has Rosario's market value at two years and $12.9 million. This is a fairly low risk deal and if Rosario becomes that 105-110 wRC+ bat in Coors, he either becomes a valuable bat for a team lacking some firepower for a couple of years while your prospects develop, or he becomes a valuable bat at the trade deadline.