Ah, the poor, hapless Colorado Rockies. From their weird stadium to their awful contract extensions given to horrible pitchers, it's an organization that has been the butt of many jokes over the years.
Whether it's making fun of their unwillingness/inability to make trades or their player development system, which has been rumored to be years behind others in the league, they just haven't had much to be happy about in recent memory. But you know what? I'm sold on their direction.
They had a great draft, picking up slugger Charlie Condon out of Georgia, who should be really fun to watch in the thin air of Coors Field, and flamethrower Brody Brecht, whose severe command issues and otherworldly stuff make for a super fun project player who, at worst, should end up as an elite reliever.
Chase Dollander's selection out of Tennessee last season has also been widely regarded as a success, and they even made a trade recently, dealing reliever Jalen Beeks to the Pirates for left-hander Luis Peralta, the younger brother of Brewers starter Freddy. Alas, there's still more that could be done to improve their surprisingly promising major league club and its future. Here are my ideas.
Trade Elias Diaz
The most obvious trade candidate on this team, Diaz, has always been a decent hitter for a catcher, making last year's All-Star team and this year turning in similarly fine results at the plate.
But what has stood apart this year from last season (where his hitting dropped off in the second half) is Diaz' defensive prowess. He is not Prime Jose Molina in regard to framing, but he's turned himself into a very respectable, if not above-average, framer. This skill is so highly sought-after by teams that they're willing to pretty much put up with no offense in pursuit of this skill for catchers.
Luckily, Diaz is still a only slightly below-average hitter with an 84 wRC+, but now he's at least an above-average catcher, with a 1.2 frame rate grade, improving on his -16.5 rate from last year. This gives him almost a full win in the WAR category on FanGraphs.
Truth be told, the market for Diaz might not be as robust as one would think, as the majority of contenders have a backstop that is at least as valuable as Diaz, but it'd be silly to think there's not a team seeking a backup catcher at the very least, say the Phillies.
J.T. Realmuto is coming off the IL, and backup Garrett Stubbs has been hovering around replacement level pretty much all year, so Diaz might not be a massive upgrade or need, but he'd be an improvement. For a team serious about World Series contention, it never hurts to have some insurance in case Realmuto's right knee flares up again.
Philly has already shown a willingness to give up significant prospect capital, even for positions they have seemingly shored up (see Carlos Esteves), so a deal for Diaz could at least net the Rockies one of those lottery prospect tickets that teams like the Rays seem to convert into gems so often.
Deal Cal Quantril
Quantril has been a very nice addition for Colorado this season, taking advantage of Cleveland giving up on another player too soon, as Quantril has posted a solid season, accumulating 1 WAR through a slightly above-average FIP.
His Stuff+ metrics are around average, and he's arbitration eligible again next season, giving a team an extra year of control. No contender is done adding pitching, so Quantril's list of suitors would be long; the question is just how much the Rockies could get for the former Guardian.
Looking at a return like the Rays got for Zack Eflin, who has been quite a bit better than Quantril in terms of his track record but about even this season production-wise, would probably be the best-case scenario for the Rockies.
A plus in Quantril's case compared to Eflin's is that his arbitration case is unlikely to grant a salary anywhere close to Eflin's $18 million for next season. This makes Quantril a bit cheaper yet similarly valuable, which might make up for Quantril's lack of a solid track record compared to Eflin. But Eflin was a borderline Cy Young candidate last season, making up some ground in that regard.
So the Rockies would have to temper expectations a bit when dreaming of whatever prospects they'd seek in return for Quantril's services, but not too much.
Give 'The Kids' Time to Develop
Granted, there's no real talk of fast-tracking any of their top prospects to the majors, but with an organization like Colorado, you can never be too sure.
They're not Condon, Brecht, or Dollander away from competing, so give them as much time as needed in the minors to work out whatever issues they have and, in Condon's case, find a position that sticks. Brecht will probably need the most work despite being a college arm due to his severe command issues, but the payoff could be big enough to warrant giving him plenty of time to work it out.
I still really love the Rockies' future, even if they don't make any more deals; the returns for Diaz and Quantril would be inconsequential enough to warrant keeping both, even if it is for no reason since the Rockies are completely and totally out of the playoff race.
Brenton Doyle, Nolan Jones (despite a massive drop-off this season), and Ezequiel Tovar are all promising young position players who provide enough defensive value to ease any pressure of being able to hit at a high level, even at Coors Field. So hey, let's ease up on the Rockies hate until they give us reason to do otherwise.
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