3 Rockies who will make the Opening Day roster but won't last the season

A Starting Pitcher (Quantrill or Hudson)

The Rockies have really struggled to acquire and retain talent, especially starting pitchers. They have let a lot of talent go without anything in return (Jon Gray and Trevor Story). Why would they trade one of their starting pitchers at the deadline then? It's simple, every year at the trade deadline, the hottest commodity is starting pitching. Every team wants to add pitching at the deadline and there is no better time to capitalize on a pitching desperate team than at the deadline. Teams will make aggressive moves in hopes of securing that final wild card spot. With the playoff format, allowing the most teams in the playoffs we have ever seen, there is surely going to be a number of teams battling to add pitching.

The Rockies also have a few arms that should be ready by the middle or end of the year. As things currently stand you have Freeland, Gomber, Hudson, Quantrill, Feltner, Lambert, and even Noah Davis, who will all get starts throughout the year. The Rockies expect German Marquez to return later in the year, along with the expected debuts of Carson Palmquist and Joe Rock. The Rockies could look to capitalize on the value of the veteran pitchers, while clearing a spot for a youngster to join the big-league club, similar to what they did last offseason.

Elias Diaz

Remember talking about how at the trade deadline the most valuable commodity is starting pitching, well a solid catcher, at an affordable financial cost, is a pretty valuable asset as well. Austin Hedges was the only catcher that was dealt at the deadline last year and he is far inferior offensively that Diaz. Hedges fetched some international bonus pool money, a similar path the Rockies could go with their recent success on the international market.

Capitalizing on the catcher market could be a good move for the Rockies as Diaz is on a one-year deal and they will most likely let him go in free agency to make room for their top catching prospect, Drew Romo. Romo has done a great job defensively throughout his time in the minor leagues, but his success as just a 21-year-old switch-hitting catcher has been impressive. I would expect Romo to start in Double-A or possibly Triple-A, but come summertime, the Rockies should look to maximize their value out of Diaz and open the door for Romo.

Brendan Rodgers

For many it seems like Rodgers has been around for awhile and has been a little disappointing, but a lot of that might be because he has played just 317 games across five different seasons. Now, the first season he was just 22, then the COVID year happened. After those two years, he played 239 games over the next two years and looked to be taking some steps in the right direction, but an injury plagued 2023 in which he played just 46 games, left a lot of people frustrated.

Rodgers has a ton of talent and will hope to put it together in 2024. Rodgers is just 27 years old, but only has two years left of club control and the club could look to move him this year. Rodgers having success this year could help the Rockies win a few more games, but he will probably be more valuable in having success and the Rockies taking advantage of it by flipping him to a contender come summer time. The Rockies will most likely not be in playoff contention during Rodgers prime years and having to extend him, when you have Ezequiel Tovar and Adael Amador (not to mention Sterlin Thompson) as the core of your future infield, just doesn't make a lot of sense. If Rodgers can get off to a hot start and have a solid first half, he could be one of the more valuable trade chips come July.

Call to Action

Are you a fan of the Rockies? Do you love talking about all things Rockies? Do you want to write about the Rockies on your own schedule with the potential to earn some extra cash? Go to https://openings.fansided.com and look for the Rox Pile site and apply to join our staff.

More from Rox Pile