The Rays announced Tuesday that they’ve acquired right-hander Tony Locey from the Rockies in exchange for a player to be named later or cash. He’s not on the 40-man roster, so a corresponding move isn’t necessary.
Locey, 24, is one of four players the Rockies acquired from the Cardinals in the trade that sent Nolan Arenado to St. Louis. The Cardinals also sent Austin Gomber, Elehuris Montero and minor league infielder Mateo Gil to Colorado in that swap.
In 2022, Locey reached the Double-A level for the first time but saw his longstanding command issues continue while opponents hit him harder than ever before. After beginning the ’22 season with a 3.09 ERA through 67 innings in High-A (despite a 13.9% walk rate), Locey was hammered for a 12.11 ERA in 35 2/3 innings. He yielded 48 runs on 60 hits, 28 walks and five hit batters, striking out just 28 of his 197 opponents along the way (14.7%).
Overall, Locey has walked 14.7% of the opponents he’s faced since being selected in the third round by the Cardinals out of the University of Georgia back in 2019. FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen wrote in his 2021 report on Locey that he had a heater that could run up to 97 mph but noted the following year that his velocity had dipped. Locey was used as a starter in 20 of his 26 appearances with the Rockies this past season, but it’s possible the Rays will shift him into a bullpen role, given the ongoing command troubles and poor results in the rotation.
Why do the Rays want him? What is their analytic team seeing that the Rockies missed? How long until the Rays fix whatever needs an adjustment and this guy is an integral part of their bullpen?
Boy, the Rockies sure got hosed on that Arenado deal.
Not at all. I think they did pretty well considering he had demanded a trade and only the Cards bid. Montero looks like a stud. Gomber is a useful back end starter. And they used all the money they saved to sign Kris Bryant, who has looked like the old KB this spring (and is younger than Arenado). Locey was just a flyer they tacked on and has eaten his way out of competitiveness (dude weighs like 300 lbs now).
I guess I’m not as high on Montero (some of his great minor league numbers were in the PCL) but I’m happy to be proven wrong. Gomber is nearing 30 and was awful last year, too. Though maybe some of that was bad luck as his FIP was in line with 2021 when he was useful as a back end starter as you say.
Putting a lot on KB to hope he’s healthy and mashing. imo, baseball is not like the NBA or NFL and a trade demand doesn’t mean that much. Should have tried harder to just keep Arenado.
Gomber is really interesting, he has reverse splits for a Rockies pitcher. ERA at Coors is 3.88, which is solid for a Rockies pitcher. He got lit up on the road.
First it was Rockies got a great deal because Gomber is great and is the front line starter. Um, nope. Now it is Montero is budding star. Then why sign Moustakis? Locey is gone for next to nothing. But there is still Gil to pump next. This was an absolute steal by Mozeliak and getting the Rockies to pay good money for him to play elsewhere is icing on the cake. Mo—I forgive you for the Ozuna deal because of this
Oh right, Gil is gone to Mets now for nothing
Good change of scenery. Much different pace in the Tampa organization.
By “much different pace,” are you saying the Rockies don’t care about winning? The Rays’ pace is that of a team that has gone to the playoffs 4 straight years and the WS 2 years ago. Rays demand excellence from their pitchers and they largely get it.
Reliever Jake Sommers was also in the Arenado deal. It was 5 for 1.
Knowing the Rays ability to see something in a player that the other team doesn’t, it wouldn’t surprise me to see them turn this guy into a bullpen weapon. In all fairness to the Rockies, they weren’t going to tap into this guy, so I wouldn’t say they got fleeced.
If it makes you feel any better the Rockies fleeced the Rays in the Germain Marquez deal.