The market for second baseman Brian Dozier is beginning to heat up.
According to Jon Heyman of Fancred sports, the Colorado Rockies, New York Mets, Washington Nationals and other teams in the mix for the 31 year old. Heyman adds the Mets are the latest team to enter the mix, but that the Rockies and Nationals appear to be more “logical fits” for the former All-Star.
Dozier is coming off a down season in which he dealt with a knee injury while splitting time between the Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Dodgers, hitting .215/.305/.391. Despite the down average, Dozier still smashed 21 home runs and has eclipsed the 20 homer mark in each season since 2014.
The Rockies still find themselves without an answer to who will play second base next season and are pondering singing Dozier, but “have to balance the pursuit against payroll concerns,” Thomas Harding of MLB.com reported earlier in the week.
Nonetheless, the Rockies appear to be in the market for a second baseman, and Dozier would make sense. Especially when considering his experience and power at the plate, which would slide nicely into Colorado’s lineup. Colorado’s 210 home runs last season was second to only the Dodgers for the most in the National League. The Rockies also ranked within the Top 5 of RBI, batting average and slugging percentage.
If Dozier were to sign elsewhere, the Rockies could turn their attention to free agents DJ LeMahieu and Jed Lowrie, or stick with one of their young prospects for 2019. Read more below.
Slow offseason could benefit Colorado in search for starting second baseman
It’s also worth noting that Heyman reported the Mets indeed made an offer to free agent catcher Yasmani Grandal; however, it is believed to have been lower than the $60 million first reported. That now gives the Rockies an idea of what his services would cost, if they’re interested.
Colorado could be in the market for a catcher considering the lackluster offensive output from Chris Iannetta and Tony Wolters last season (.224/.170 averages). Signing Grandal would be a sizeable commitment, but it would help stabilize the catching situation while adding an additional 20-home run bat into the lineup.
In other news, the betting world is down on the Rockies as the new season approaches despite back-to-back postseason appearances. Caesars Palace released their over-under win totals for 2019 with the Rockies placed at 82 wins, as first noted by Rox Pile. That is a nine-game drop from their win total of 91 games last season. Perhaps this is a reflection of the lack of improvements made to the roster this offseason.