How are members of the 2023 Rockies doing on their new teams?

As the 2024 season heats up, it's always interesting to see where some of the players from the 2023 squad who didn't return to the Rockies ended up. Let's take a look at some of these guys and check in on their seasons so far.

Two Guys Who Went Unsigned

Mike Moustakas

It’s not totally unsurprising, but at age 35 and well removed from his prime years with the Kansas City Royals, Mike Moustakas couldn’t land a contract this offseason. After a resurgent .270 batting average in 47 games with the Rox to end his 2024 season, Moustakas joined the White Sox for the spring but scuffled through 19 games and was ultimately released. If this is the end of the road for Moustakas, he has a great career to look back on. In 13 seasons, Moustakas was a career .247 hitter with 215 home runs and three all-star appearances while being a key cog in the 2015 World Series winning Royals lineup.

CJ Cron

Cron has turned in a solid big-league career through his age 34 season. Cron flourished into a dangerous power hitter with the Rockies, racking up seasons of 31 and 28 home runs in 2021 and 2022. After a decent season in 2023 with the Rockies, he was flipped at the deadline to the Los Angeles Angels along with Randal Grichuk for pitching prospects Mason Albright and Jake Madden.

Cron struggled with the Angels, hitting .200 with little power output. Cron was unable to land a major league deal in the offseason, ultimately ending up with the Red Sox on a spring training invitation. After an underwhelming spring, Cron was sent to the Minors and eventually granted his release by the organization. I don’t know what else he’s got going on at the moment, but I know he’s enjoying the NHL playoffs.

Two Impact Bats 

Jurickson Profar signs a 1-year deal worth $1M with the San Diego Padres

Profar is looking like the most successful player off this list. The once super prospect turned utility player, turned left fielder had a mediocre season in Coors. He signed a one-year, $7.75 million deal after his free agent market failed to materialize like he had hoped. Profar hit just .236 with eight home runs before being released by the club in August.

He was picked up and brought back to the Padres for the remainder of the year, earning himself another contract with the team in 2024. Thus far, Profar is putting up a career year with the Friars, hitting .338 with six home runs and a .958 OPS. While that rate of production might not last for a career .242 hitter, he’s had the best 2024 season of anyone on this list so far. Profar may just be best suited for San Diego, as he has enjoyed some of his most successful seasons there and has carved out an important role on teams with postseason aspirations.  

Randal Grichuk signs a 1-year deal worth $2M with the Arizona D-Backs

Randal Grichuk’s tenure in Colorado was a pipe dream last year, as he exploded for a career best .308 average and eight home runs in 64 games before finding himself shipped to the Angels along with Cron. As tends to be the case for the Angels, Grichuk’s production tapered off and he hit the free agent market on a downswing. Grichuk inked a one-year deal with the Diamondbacks as a left-handed specialist. He’s currently hitting .271 on the season but has mashed left handers to a .323 rate. At age 32, this will likely remain his role for the rest of his career. He does it well and was able to parlay his successful Rockies tenure into another contract.

Two Bullpen Arms

Pierce Johnson signs 2-year, $14.25M deal with Atlanta Braves

Pierce Johnson had an up and down tenure in his half season with the Rockies. He was given the reins of the closer position, going 13-15 in save opportunities yet recording a rough ERA of 6.00. Johnson was flipped to the Braves and was dominant, giving up just two earned runs in 23.2 innings. The Braves gave him a two-year contract totaling over $14 million. Johnson has had a solid start to his season, holding a 3.00 ERA in 13 games while also recording a save. Johnson should have a few more good years left in the tank as a back-end bullpen arm. 

Brent Suter signs 1-year, $3M deal with Cincinnati Reds

Ah yes, the crafty lefty from Harvard. Suter has carved out a solid big-league career despite throwing just 85 miles per hour. In the pitcher’s nightmare of Coors, Suter turned in a quality season, recording a 3.38 ERA and thriving at limiting hard hit baseballs. For his efforts, Suter was rewarded with a $3 million contract from the Reds, where he currently sits with a 4.15 in 21.2 innings. Because of his control over velocity style, Suter should be able to pitch as long as he can continue to avoid barrels.