Rockies wrap up Winter Meetings, identify remaining needs

DALLAS -- Rarely in recent years have the Rockies been frontburner buzz at the Winter Meetings, but they made some news by filling a need at second base with the reported agreement with former Yankee and Giant Thairo Estrada on Tuesday.

Estrada’s $3.25 million deal with a mutual option for 2026 -- which is pending a physical and has not been officially announced by the club -- saves some 2025 payroll. The club non-tendered Brendan Rodgers, who was projected to earn $5 million or move via arbitration.

The roster naturally leads to lower costs. The young position player group has two-time Gold Glove winner Brenton Doyle in center field and Ezequiel Tovar at shortstop, and a list of prospects ready to make their mark.

That said, it’s the higher-dollar players who face the most questions:

Will key starters who should finally be beyond two seasons of injury -- lefty Kyle Freeland and righties Germán Márquez and Antonio Senzatela, all on lengthy contracts -- have bounce-back years?

Can Kris Bryant shake three years of injuries, mainly related to his back, and begin approaching the production the Rockies expected when they signed him for seven years and $182 million?

Those questions couldn’t be answered in Dallas, and won’t be until the season arrives.

Biggest remaining needs

• Improved offense
  The difference between Estrada and Rodgers, his predecessor, are negligible in batting average and on-base percentage, and both are solid defenders. The Rockies were looking to adjust their mix, and traded Rodgers’ occasional power for Estrada’s speed and willingness to steal bases.

  The team needs slugging from the corner outfield spots and better overall offensive approaches. But unless the Rockies trade from their cache of prospects, the fixes must come from within. That would mean Nolan Jones returning to his rookie performance of 2023 after a down year, and Bryant -- projected for designated hitter, first base and right field -- performing to his track record.

• Bullpen experience
  Young, hard-throwing relievers -- righties Victor Vodnik, Angel Chivilli, Jeff Criswell, Jaden Hill and Seth Halvorsen, and lefty Luis Peralta -- became the brightest development of the second half. Lefty Evan Justice, who debuted in 2023 but battled a back injury in ’24, had a stellar performance in the Arizona Fall League. If they turn the experience of last year into production next year, great. If not, they all have Minor League options and can continue developing. There are just three relievers with no Minor League options: Tyler Kinley, Justin Lawrence and offseason pickup Jimmy Herget.

• A shocking acquisition?
  Agent Joel Wolfe and various industry sources have told MLB.com that the Rockies are serious about their pursuit of Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki, a hard thrower who helped Japan to the 2023 World Baseball Classic title. The negotiations are governed by international signing bonus rules, which put teams on a more even playing field than unfettered free agency.

  Sasaki, 23, was formally posted by his club, the Chiba Lotte Marines, on Monday, and his 45-day window to negotiate with teams began on Tuesday.

Rule 5 Draft activity

The Rockies did not select anyone in the Major League phase on Wednesday. Their Major League roster sits at 39, with the lone available spot going to Estrada once his contract becomes official.

The most locally notable name to show up in the Minor League phase was infielder Jack Blomgren, who was selected by the Astros. Blomgren was chosen out of the University of Michigan in the fifth and final round of the abbreviated 2020 Draft.

The Rockies gained two players in the Minor League portion: righty reliever Tyler Burch from the Orioles, and shortstop Jose Torres from the Reds. They lost Blomgren and righty reliever Anderson Bido to the Astros, and outfielder Jake Snider to the Padres.

GM Bill Schmidt’s bottom line

The aforementioned group of growing prospects leads to an interesting thought exercise: At what point does depth grow into surplus that could lead the Rockies to remake the team via trades of prospects and young players?

Schmidt said, “We’ll see.” Then he described a farm system that is growing but not overflowing.

“It’s getting better,” Schmidt said. “All our depth is getting better. Our system is getting better because we keep adding talent. That’s all we’re trying to do, come up with a foundation to support winning games -- competitive, playoff games.”