The Colorado Rockies starting rotation was one of their strengths last season, but so far in 2019, the starting five have hindered the club from establishing consistency on the diamond.
Just about every starter has struggled at some point this season, some more than others, but collectively the Rockies’ rotation is a significant problem that needs to be addressed.
Colorado has already tinkered with their starting rotation a few times this season, opting to shift Chad Bettis to a bullpen role and demoting Tyler Anderson to Triple-A Albuquerque. Antonio Senzatela has been inserted into the back end of the rotation and Jeff Hoffman made a spot start, but neither arm has been able to right the ship.
Even one of the Rockies’ workhorses has struggled out of the gate. Kyle Freeland dazzled for the Rockies last year and wound up finishing fourth in National League Cy Young voting. The opening portion of 2019 has not been kind to him as the southpaw has posted a 2-5 record with a 5.90 earned run average.
Collectively, the Rockies starting rotation has been the worst in the National League, owning a league-high 5.46 ERA to pair with a .269 opponent’s batting average.
Through 34 games this season, it’s clear that if the Rockies want to be competitive and challenge for a spot in the postseason, they will need a serious upgrade in the starting rotation.
There is still ample time to turn things around this season with over 100 games left to play, but the starting rotation needs correction swiftly and the Rockies would be wise to look outside of the organization for starting pitching help.
There are a few options the Rockies for rotation pieces, both internally and externally. The best-case scenario for the Rockies would be to trade for Toronto Blue Jays’ starting pitcher Marcus Stroman.
Toronto recently went public saying they are looking to trade their current star players and Storman is one of them. Stroman’s credibility as a starter would help stabilize the Rockies rotation.
Stroman is 42-38 with an ERA of 3.81 over six major league seasons and has evolved into one of the better pitchers in the American League. Stroman is by no means an ace, but he is a proven pitcher that would bring depth to the Rockies’ while fitting their timeline.
Stroman’s 2.20 ERA this season is one of the lowest amongst starters in the AL.
At just 28, Stroman is around the same age as many of the Rockies’ core players and is under team control through the 2020 season.
Additionally, the Rockies have a recent history of coming to terms on trades with Toronto, garnering deals for Troy Tulowitzki in 2015 and Seung-Hwan Oh last season. It’s not unreasonable to haggle with the idea that the two could strike yet another deal considering the Rockies’ needs and a plethora of young talent in the farm system.
The Rockies have a glut of young players that are on the fringe of establishing themselves at the major league level. Raimel Tapia, Garrett Hampson and Yency Almonte could intrigue Toronto. Players like Colton Welker and Grant Lavigne could also be sought after by Toronto considering their progression throughout the Rockies minor league system.
Acquiring Stroman would require the Rockies to trade away parts of their young core, something they have been reluctant to do in the past. However, the Rockies window of opportunity is now. The team should consider pulling the trigger on a deal that could help them in the present even if it means sacrificing a sliver of their future.
There are other options should the Rockies’ want to go in a different direction for rotation help. Former CY Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel is still available; however, signing him before June 5th would require the Rockies to a surrender a draft pick
Truthfully, the Rockies might be more inclined to trade away prospects as opposed to losing a pick to sign a player.
Prospect Peter Lambert is also an option, but at 21 years old, he still has work to do before cementing himself at the major league level.
The problem is evident. The solutions are far less visible without sacrifice.
