The Rockies have never liked the term rebuild. Retooling or restocking is probably more to their liking.
But no matter the semantics, the Rockies’ actions in the weeks, days and hours leading up to Tuesday’s MLB trade deadline revealed their blueprint. Namely, fill their minor-league cupboard with young pitchers, and provide playing time for young position players already on the roster.
The Rockies have added seven pitching prospects to their system while trading veterans C.J. Cron (first base), Randal Grichuk (outfield), Mike Moustakas (corner infield), Brad Hand (left-handed reliever) and Pierce Johnson (right-handed reliever).
“It was about pitching and we were looking at opportunities to play some of our young guys,” Schmidt said. “But really, the focus was on adding pitching because we do think we have some good position players (coming up).
“And we saw what happened a couple of weeks ago with some (pitching injuries), so it’s purely about (adding pitching) numbers and trying to get better. That was the focus.”
Tuesday, Colorado traded Hand to the Braves in exchange for Double-A right-handed reliever Alec Barger. The Rockies also beefed up their bullpen by acquiring left-hander Justin Bruihl from the Dodgers in exchange for cash considerations.
Bruihl was added to the 40-man roster and optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque, but he will likely be added to the Rockies’ bullpen soon.
Sunday, Colorado shipped Cron and Grichuk to the Angels for two potential starters: right-hander Jake Madden and lefty Mason Albright. Both prospects have been assigned to Low-A Fresno to begin their Rockies careers.
Two players who opposing teams showed some interest in as the deadline loomed were veteran outfielder Jurickson Profar and veteran catcher Elias Diaz, but the Rockies did not move them.
Within the last few weeks, the Rockies lost three of their top pitching prospects to Tommy John surgery: Double-A right-hander Gabriel Hughes (No. 6 prospect according to MLB Pipeline); Single-A Fresno righty Jordy Vargas (No. 11); and Fresno righty Jackson Cox (No. 12).
Schmidt, however, said those injuries did not expedite Colorado’s need to add pitching depth.
“Those injuries had nothing to do with it,” he said. “We have been planning this for a while, about how we were going to approach this.”
Moving Cron and Grichuk immediately opened up more big-league playing time for first baseman Elehuris Montero and first basemen/outfielders Nolan Jones and Michael Toglia.
“We are very happy with the young men that we were able to add,” Schmidt said of the young pitchers Colorado has stockpiled. “And it creates some opportunities for young players and that’s what we are trying to do in the last two months of the season.”
Schmidt also said: “I think we are as good defensively as we have been in a while.”
It certainly looks that way, with rookie Ezequiel Tovar, 22, at shortstop, Ryan McMahon, 28, at third base, Brendan Rodgers, 26, finally back at second after his shoulder injury, Toglia, 24, at first, and rookies Brenton Doyle, 25, and Jones, 25, in the outfield.
Manager Bud Black said he’s eager to see what progress Toglia, Doyle and Jones can make during the final two months of the season, although he noted that veteran outfielders Kris Bryant and Charlie Blackmon will be returning from the injured list soon and will see extensive playing time.
“In the near term, those young guys will be playing, and it is exciting to see what these young guys can do,” Black said Tuesday before the Rockies hosted the Padres at Coors Field. “We hope they are here for a solid two months and we hope they play well enough to stay up here.”
Bruihl, 26, will provide the most immediate help to the team. He was designated for assignment last week by the Dodgers. He went 1-0 with a 4.07 ERA in 20 appearances for Los Angeles.
“We’ve seen him and he’s pitched against us in big-league games,” Black said. “He’s got a fastball in the low-90s with a nice breaking ball. He’s left-handed. He’s a strike-thrower with big-league experience.”
Bruihl was originally signed by the Dodgers as a non-drafted free agent in 2017. He made his big-league debut in 2021 and he is 2-2 with one save and a 3.65 ERA in 65 outings across three seasons for the Dodgers.
Barger, 25, was a 17th-round pick of the Braves in the 2019 draft out of North Carolina State. He’s posted a 3.29 ERA with five saves in 30 outings at Double-A Mississippi this year. Over 38 1/3 innings (30 appearances), he has 48 strikeouts and five saves.
In 111 minor league appearances (19 starts), Barger is 10-10 with a 4.51 ERA.
Hand, 33, was signed by Colorado on March 4 to a one-year deal with a club option for 2024. In 40 relief appearances, he’s posted a 4.54 ERA with 41 strikeouts and 16 walks. Hand received a $1 million bonus for making the roster and is making $1.5 million in salary this season.
Trading for Pitching
Over the past five weeks, the Rockies have made a number of trades in order to stock up on pitching prospects:
• June 24: Traded infielder Mike Moustakas to Angels for RHP Connor Van Scoyoc.
• July 24: Traded RHP Pierce Johnson to Braves for RHPs Victor Vodnik and Tanner Gordon.
• Sunday: Traded 1B C.J. Cron and OF Randal Grichuk (and cash considerations) to Angels for RHP Jake Madden and LHP Mason Albright.
• Tuesday: Traded LHP Brad Hand to Braves for RHP Alec Barger.
• Tuesday: Acquired LHP Justin Bruihl from Dodgers in exchange for cash considerations.
Want more Rockies news? Sign up for the Rockies Insider to get all our MLB analysis.
