The Rockies are trying to strike a deal involving catcher Wilin Rosario, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports on Twitter. As Rosenthal notes, the young slugger has not impressed with his defensive work and could make better sense with an American League club that could use him as a DH and/or convert him to another position.
Of course, the 25-year-old not only struggled in the field but at the plate last year. After two-straight .800+ OPS, 20+ home run campaigns, he fell back to a .267/.305/.435 line with 13 long balls over 410 plate appearances in 2014. On the other hand, Rosario’s strikeout rate was down markedly and his power drop could be due in some part to the wrist issues he experienced.
There should be no shortage of interest in Rosario, who is projected by MLBTR/Matt Swartz to take home $3.6MM in his first run through arbitration. That is a fairly high tag for a first arb turn, and his power bat will likely keep that price moving up, but Rosario possesses intriguing upside — especially for a club that believes he can stick behind the dish. The question, perhaps, is whether GM Jeff Bridich will be willing to sell low.
