The Rockies have expressed interest in free agent outfielder Grady Sizemore, reports Troy Renck of The Denver Post. The team is casting a wide net as they look for offensive help, but Renck says they are not expected to aggressively pursue Sizemore until they exhaust all trade options with the Braves for Martin Prado.
The Red Sox and Phillies have checked in on Sizemore, but the Mets are unlikely to get involved. Yesterday we heard that the 29-year-old outfielder is looking for a one-year contract in order to rebuild his value, similar to Adrian Beltre's stint with the Red Sox. The Rockies need help in left field as Tim Dierkes wrote in his Offseason Outlook, and Coors Field is a pretty good place to hit. Obviously the key for Sizemore at this point is staying healthy.
I think the rox should be more interested in adding pitching this offseason, along with improving the infield aside from SS. Carlos Gonzalez, Dexter Fowler, Seth Smith, Charlie Blackmon, and Eric Young Jr. is already a nice crop of OF. If they are to sign another OF, I think they should just bring Spilborghs back, he’s a nice right handed pinch hitter off the bench.
Gonzalez, Fowler, Smith & Sizemore are an excellent OF. Anyone of them can play any OF spot in a pinch. Sizemore wants a 1 year deal to increase value, and Colorado is a known hitters paradise. Seems like a logical fit. Blackmon & Young need another year of seasoning, or they can come up if Smith or Sizemore go ham and other teams need OFs and want to offer the Rox prospects in a trade.
pretty sweet target for the rockies as long as they don’t offer him a 6/100 extension in august
Smith can play LF, but only marginally. CarGo and Fowler can both play CF, but I’m not certain that Sizemore can cover the needed ground at Coors at this point given his health issues.
That’s why I wrote “in a pinch”. Obviously Fowler is the man in CF moving forward. Smith has played CF in big league games before, and I assume can still do that “in a pinch”.
As a fan of the Rockies I appreciate your optimism on Smith, but even in a pinch it would be hard to me to imagine him running out to CF. On the Rockies as they sit right now, Smith would be fifth (at best) in the pecking order for CF behind Fowler, CarGo, Spilly, and even EYJ.
How ia a guy with a .357 wOBA and 1.9 WAR be 5th in the pecking order behind a guy with a .263 wOBA and -1.1 WAR? Ryan Spillborghs has been one of the worst players in baseball statistically over the last 3 years, and was especially bad last year. How he has a job is a difficult question to answer. Smith is a pretty good player statistically, check his fangraphs page, looks like a better than average player to me.
I’m speaking from the defensive side of things. All those other guys would have to be injured before Smith was trotted out to CF.
Throw in Sizemore’s noodle-like arm and it makes even less sense. Coors is one of the few parks in baseball where you would want your LF to have at least average arm strength and accuracy.
Agreed. Wouldn’t be surprised if the Braves include Jair with Prado for bigger pieces. This has potential to end up being a pretty big trade if it happens.
But do they “love” Sizemore as they do other players?
Not as much as they love God!
The Rockies mgmt do and say just enough to make their fans think they’re trying…but they aren’t really.
Coors might be a good place for a hitter to rediscover his swing. But it’s a miserable place for a center fielder trying to re-establish his health. That is a BIG outfield, IIRC.
He would play LF maybe RF
aIf they do sign Sizemore it makes Seth Smith very expendible or less likely Fowler. Sizemore is better than any of the FA 2Bs. So if they sign Sizemore and can trade Smith or Fowler or 1 or 2 of their OF prospects for a 2B then it makes more sense. I think its probably obvious that Spilborghs is not part of the team next year.
OR trade Fowler for David Wright (who the Rockies have been very interested in)
Not straight up I assume . Wright would be worth more than just Fowler .
i know but its just a general idea more than a proposal
1. It’s highly unlikely that the Mets trade Wright at this point.
2. The Rockies have Nolan Arenado. They don’t need Wright.
Seth Smith is better than Sizemore right now, not sure why they can’t seem to realize he’s a quality player, even though he can’t hit lefties well.
I’m a Smith fan, but he doesn’t come close in every aspect of the game if Sizemore is healthy…but thats a big IF.
Sizemore is never healthy and his OBP has been poor the past two years, he’s a hacker. He will be the biggest risk/reward player in the FA class though because no one has any idea if he will ever be his former self again yet so many teams are interested in him that he won’t be a low cost signing.
They know he is a quality player but have Wheeler, Blackmon and Mathes in the system so he is their most expendable trade chip
good fit for philly in left?
I hope they have already exhausted all trade possibilities with the Braves for Martin Prado. #14 needs to stay a Brave.
I agree, but I wouldn’t mind the Braves trading Prado in the right deal. Seth Smith is not the right deal.
I don’t thnk we would want another lefty who can’t hit left handed pitchers . I don’t think Smith is in the talks anymore . Doesn’t make sense from the Braves stand point .
Spilly will be non-tendered, EY Jr. has really only the one tool: speed, and Smith is probably the trade chip in the Martin Prado deal (if it happens.) Sizemore could make sense in left. One of Wheeler or Blackmon could be used as part of a package to land another starter. I hope we hold onto Blackmon, though as I’ve always thought line-drive hitters are just the ticket in the wide-open expanse of Coors.
“Smith is probably the trade chip in the Martin Prado deal’
Keep dreaming, Rockies homers.
It’s understood that he was one of the guys mentioned by Atlanta in early talks, Chief.
Sometimes I think its like people get sent directly to the comments sections without actually reading any articles here. smh
Also agree that Sizemore on a 1 year deal will outproduce Young, Blackmon, Spillborghs and whoever else. It wouldn’t even be a bad thing to keep Smith and use Cargo, Fowler, Smith & Sizemore on a rotational basis, seeing as none of those guys have ever played over 147 games or are known for their excellent health (Well Sizemore has, but that’s long ago).
I read it, and it ain’t happenin’. Smith is a platoon player at best, since he can’t hit lefties worth a sh*t, CHIEF.
I never called you chief, Swingtimeintherockies did.
But platoon players don’t generally get 500+ PA’s or have a wOBA of .357. Josh Willingham’s wOBA was .350 this year, and teams are definitely not viewing him as a platoon player.
I agree that Smith doesn’t make much sense for the Braves at this point. Another left-handed bat doesn’t seem like a fit for them at this point, unless it’s tied to additional moves later in the winter.
I could see the Rockies maybe sending Smith, Wigginton, and a couple of pitching prospects (and maybe some cash) to the Braves for Prado and Jurrjens, though.
From what I read, Atlanta likes Smith’s power. I’d sure be delighted to move Wiggy as part of any sort of deal for anything this side of a bucket of chicken. Depending upon the pitching prospects involved, sounds like the makings of a deal!
If you look at Smith’s #’s over the last three years there is a huge drop off in his power away from Coors. That’s not something that will go unnoticed by other teams. If ATL really did ask about Smith, as was reported, then it was probably because they didn’t think he’d cost very much. COL probably asked about Prado for the same reason, since he ‘s coming off an injured year. I’ve followed ATL my entire life. You never hear about what their actually trying to acquire until the deal is official or on the verge of becoming official, so I don’t think you should get your hopes up too much on that package being enough for Wren. He wanted Cain and Myers just for JJ from KC. I really don’t think they’d actually think it’d be an upgrade for the ’12 team if they lost Prado and JJ for a platoon LFer with bad defense, a utility guy that doesn’t have much utility, and more pitching prospects.
It’s looking like COL’s pretty intent on making a deal, so I guess we’ll see how this plays out. I’ve been wrong before.
I’d imagine every team is just kicking tires right now and we’re all just guessing. I think Smith is better than the platoon player he’s been used as. He’d hit lefties better if he’d be given the opportunity to face them. ( A common Rox fan’s complaint about our manager, so take that FWIW.) “A utility player with not much utility?” Brother, you said a mouthful!
I don’t think Smith is no longer a piece we want . We already have 2 starting LH OFers and we aren’t looking for another one .
Smith’s splits and numbers are very random at every turn. He’s a very interesting player and I have no idea why Rox fans posting in this thread are down on him. Because he doesn’t have consistent numbers or splits its very hard to get a read on him, perhaps if they made him an everyday player he’d be more consistent? Its one of the hardest things to do, go from being a utility player to an everyday one, it can explain why some players have trouble adjusting when going from getting 5 PA’s a game in the minors to only playing sporadically when they get the call, when just continuing to give them those same 5 PA’s a game is always the best test. Smith’s case is like that, playing everywhere and being in and out of the lineup.
I haven’t read any posts from Rockies fans “down” on Seth Smith. We’re realistic. He’s a good platoon player who possibly can become an everyday player, but most of the Rockies prospects on the near horizon except for Arenado are LFers. Smith is a movable asset that would be used to upgrade bigger holes than an LH platoon player. That said, I don’t think the Rockies dump him just to move him, thats not their MO. But, it is an expendible position if you consider Blackmon, Garner, EYJ, Wheeler, and Kyle Parker are in the stables.
Angry much? I was just speculating, as everyone does before a deal either happens or doesn’t that Smith to Atlanta as part of a Prado deal was a possibility since he was one of the guys Atlanta was reportedly interested in. I’m sure all of us are “homers” for our own teams and some of us may dream more than others but that will happen when we do not have as much front office experience as you seem to have.
I’ll retract the “chief.”
You can speculate . But another LH batter in the OF is not what we are looking for . Smith was brought because he is the most tradeable piece . But that doesn’t mean that we want him if we do trade Prado . We’d be better off keeping Prado who bats RH if that were the case .
IF HEALTHY, adding Sizemore to Fowler and CarGo would produce the best defensive outfield in all of baseball, I believe. The price tag is a significant consideration, though. The Rockies can’t just put $5-6 MM on the table for 2012 for the guy given his recent injury and performance history, and I think at least one or two teams likely will.
For me, any significant money the Rockies spend outside of the rotation will have been misapplied funds.
While you could be right, IF HEALTHY, Sizemore could be a bargain at $5-$6 million. I imagine you’d have to add second and third base to the list of Rockies needs, too. They will have a little to spend this year with Cook’s salary coming off the books plus Helton’s deal being renegotiated, they won’t spend much more than last year’s upper $80s.
One guy for fans of the Rockies to not forget about in all of this: Cole Garner. He certainly hit the ground running when he was promoted after going .330/.366/.557 in AAA in 2011 (.304/.374/.520 in 2010, so no fluke there). Unfortunately he got hurt just a few games in. He might represent the answer in LF and on the right side of the plate.
Cole Garner is a soon-to-be 27 year old who has 9 career big league AB’s, 6 of which he struck out in. He is not the answer. You’re also forgetting that those stats came while playing in Colorado Springs, which is at an even higher elevation than Denver in a park that doesn’t use a Humidor.
Grady is broken down. He has regressed so much range wise an that outfield is so spacious. There is no way he will ever be what he was.
This would be nice, but I don’t see it happening. We have other needs at pitching. And those are huge needs. 3B and 2B need to be figured out first. I want Blackmon to have a shot in the OF before we go after someone like Sizemore.
All things considered, I think I’m more interested in seeing a healthy Garner get a shot ahead of Blackmon. Garner hits from the right side, which is a need, he definitely has more power than Blackmon.
In a small sample size, Garner showed some power but I like Blackmon’s line-drive profile, something that should really play up at Coors.
I’m looking more at their overall minor league numbers than what they did in very short stints in the bigs.
Garner’s also going to be 27 next month. If he desrved to be in the bigs he would be here already. Blackmon has a much higher ceiling then Garner. Remember Blackmon was who the Rangers wanted in a Michael Young deal last year.
Garner is about 18 months older than Blackmon. I don’t see that as a huge difference. The difference between them likely lies in that fact that Blackmon possesses enough range to play CF while Garner doesn’t. I do think Garner is the better hitter, though.
Answer at 3B = Nolan Arenado
Smith’s numbers over the last few years are quite odd to me, other than the consistent home/road power splits. Take a look at his babip though:
2009
vs. LHP (69 PA): .259/.368/.500 (.308 babip)
Home (193 PA): .345/.427/.624 (.374 babip)
Road (194 PA): .241/.330/.400 (.274 babip)
2010
vs. LHP (55 PA): .154/.182/.212 (.190 babip)
Home (199 PA): .284/.352/.585 (.277 babip)
Road (199 PA): .209/.276/.357 (.236 babip)
2011
vs. LHP (103 PA): .217/.272/.304 (.253 babip)
Home (254 PA): .285/.335/.513 (.299 babip)
Road (279 PA): .282/.358/.456 (.340 babip)
Career
vs. LHP (239 PA): .202/.269/.319 (.238 babip)
Home (693 PA): .296/.366/.559 (.306 babip)
Road (756 PA): .257/.332/.418 (.303 babip)
I’m of the opinion that he probably rates more PA’s against lefties than he’s been given over the years. He’s definitely more comfy hitting at Coors than on the road, but that cuts two ways because of the way the ball moves everywhere else when the Rockies travel as well as the generous nature of Coors Field.
He’s not a AAAA player, though. Far from it.
Rockies actually posted a 92 wRC+, with 100 being league average and the higher the better. They need a good RH bat as they’re currently stocked with good lefties. They need MI help as opposed to OF help, they need health more than upside as they have plenty of upside already when healthy. So while the Rockies last year were below average offensively, they wont be able to make up for their deficiencies with Sizemore.
Also, according to ERA- (100 is average, lower is better) the Rockies were at 105, their FIP was at 100 and xFIP at 103. So while their pitching is pretty average, they do still need some help there as well.
If they moved one or more of those guys for pitching, though…
Except that EY and Spilborghs both suck. So there goes that.