The Rockies have agreed to a deal with free-agent righty Chris Flexen, reports Thomas Harding of MLB.com. The O’Connell Sports client will join Colorado’s Triple-A rotation in Albuquerque for the time being and provide the Rox with some much-needed starting pitching depth.
Flexen, 29, was designated for assignment by the Mariners earlier in the month and went through an unusual cycle that saw him traded to the Mets and immediately designated for assignment a second time. The Mets took on the remainder of Flexen’s $8MM salary as a means of effectively purchasing reliever Trevor Gott from Seattle but weren’t interested in retaining Flexen themselves; he was released a few days after that second DFA.
Originally drafted by the Mets in 2012, Flexen never found his footing in his first several looks at the big league level but broke out overseas in the Korea Baseball Organization, thriving with the Doosan Bears in 2020. His lone season of KBO excellence (3.01 ERA in 116 2/3 innings) was enough for the Mariners to sign him to a two-year, $4.75MM deal the following offseason.
Flexen made good on that investment during his first two seasons in Seattle, logging a tidy 3.66 ERA in 317 1/3 innings, mostly working out of Seattle’s rotation. He was pushed to the bullpen following the 2022 trade deadline, when the Mariners acquired Luis Castillo, but generally continued pitching well in a relief setting. Even with that move to shorter stints, Flexen’s combined workload from 2021-22 was enough to trigger an $8MM vesting option for the 2023 season.
Heading into the 2023 campaign, Flexen was locked in as the Mariners’ long reliever and sixth starter — not because of his own performance but simply due to the depth the M’s had in the rotation. He quickly returned to the rotation after Robbie Ray required season-ending flexor surgery and a UCL repair, but things haven’t gone well for Flexen in any role this year. He appeared in 17 games — just four of them starts — and was tagged for a grisly 7.71 earned run average.
Flexen’s 3.66 ERA from 2021-22 never quite lined up with his below-average 16.5% strikeout rate, but a downturn of this magnitude still couldn’t have been expected. He’s been extraordinarily homer-prone this year (2.36 per nine innings) and has seen his generally strong command trend to worse-than-average levels as well (9.7% walk rate). That said, Flexen has also been plagued by a .350 average on balls in play, and his staggering 21.6% homer-to-flyball rate is sure to regress closer to his career 10% mark (though pitching in Colorado or Albuquerque likely won’t help that cause).
The Rockies aren’t in a position to be particularly picky with their rotation at the moment. Colorado entered the year with a suspect rotation in the first place and has seen the vast majority of its starters hit the injured list or perform poorly enough to be cut loose. Right-hander Jose Urena was released less than two months into the season despite signing a guaranteed $3.5MM deal over the winter. German Marquez underwent Tommy John surgery on May 12. Antonio Senzatela returned from last year’s torn ACL early in the season but lasted just two starts before being shut down with an elbow strain; he’s on the 60-day injured list at the moment. Young righty Ryan Feltner suffered a skull fracture in mid-May when he was hit by a Nick Castellanos comebacker. He thankfully avoided a more catastrophic injury but, like Senzatela, is on the 60-day IL and hasn’t pitched in two months.
Lefty Kyle Freeland was the lone member of the team’s Opening Day rotation who looked like he’d make it through the first half of the season unscathed — until he suffered a dislocated right (non-throwing) shoulder in the team’s final game before the All-Star break. He’ll quite likely head to the injured list himself.
In the wake of that staggering slate of injuries, the Rockies are left with a patchwork starting pitching staff that’s in dire need of reinforcements. Flexen may be bound for Triple-A right now, but that seems like it could be a short-term stay. Colorado’s only healthy starters at the moment are lefty Austin Gomber, righty Chase Anderson — another veteran acquired amid this wave of injuries — and right-hander Connor Seabold. They’ve taken looks at younger and less-experienced arms like Peter Lambert, Karl Kauffmann and Noah Davis this season, but none have performed well. On the whole, Rockies starters have “overtaken” the A’s for the worst ERA in baseball, currently sitting at a disastrous 6.47 mark in that regard.
There’s a clear path back to the Majors for Flexen in Colorado — perhaps clearer than with any other club that might’ve had interest. The Rays, for instance, were linked to Flexen over the weekend but have a deeper staff. There’s a short-term opening in Tampa Bay’s rotation, but it’s plenty feasible that as they get healthier, Flexen would again be pushed out. While pitching his home games at Coors Field certainly isn’t an enviable task, Flexen surely recognized the broader opportunity to settle back into a consistent starting role in Colorado and the staying power it presents. Even if his struggles continue, the Rockies will likely welcome a veteran innings eater to simply patch things over in the season’s final months. And, as the previously mentioned Urena demonstrated last year when he was acquired under relatively similar circumstances, if he handles that role well the Rockies could well be open to re-signing him on a guaranteed deal.
For now, Flexen will build up in Albuquerque and wait for a spot in the big leagues, but that opportunity could — and very likely will — present itself before long.
How long until he’s up with the major league team? A week?
Less than that. As soon as Sunday I’d guess, but definitely early next week. Rockies just don’t have 5 starters right now. What a freakin’ bloodfest they’ve had in their rotation. They’re scouring Indy leagues for warm bodies.
“freaking bloodfest” is fantastic. It’s so tough to come up with new superlatives for this team.
When Kyle Freeland is your ace….that’s gotta be rough for Bud Black.
It’s partly Bud’s fault. His reputation as a pitcher whisperer is vastly overstated. Tries to convert everyone into his “type”, to disastrous results and often injury.
Yeeesh. Flex in Coors doesn’t sound like a great fit. Good luck to him!
Catch 22 for him. Might be the easiest team for him to get back on the MLB roster, but now he’ll have to pitch in Coors
Honestly, I think the Rox are the best team for him to get his career back on track. Jumping from the rotation to the pen back to the rotation back to the pen with the Mariners seems to have screwed up his approach to pitching. As long as he stays healthy and doesn’t start giving up 10 runs a game he will be given a long leash to figure it out. I can’t see any other team offering that to him.
The Cardinals could offer him a spot in the rotation immediately. Plus with the impending potential trades of Flaherty and Monty and no hope of competing this season, they could keep running him out there even if he struggled.
But the Cardinals want flame throwers who can get lots of strikeouts. They just haven’t been able to find any at waiver wire prices.
Ryan Rolison has not gotten a look at the big league level this season yet.
He’s hurt. What else is new.
Rolison hasn’t pitched a game since the beginning of June. He made 2GS in A+ Fresno and 2GS in AAA ABQ
Not looking great
baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=rol…
Oh I know. My comment was about Rolison being included in the story before. It has since been corrected.
Look at the bright side; at least now if he’s bad there’s an explanation!
Speaking of signings, why do teams seem to wait a few days and then suddenly start announcing which draft picks they have signed? I would expect them to have a steady flow once the draft is over. The All Star game and draft ended Tuesday. I don’t like this procrastination with draft picks (or trades).
The Draft is over but sometimes it takes some days/weeks to actually sign said players. I don’t believe news of these signings is intentionally delayed for any reason.
Don’t they have deals already in place for first-rounders, contingent upon drafting them? I just saw thr Schanuel deal, but why draft Max Clark if you don’t have an underslot deal in place, for instance? I also remember there being a deadline that same month for signing picks. An internet search says it’s the 25th.
Sure, there are some deals in place, under slot and for slot. This doesn’t apply to all draftees, 1st Round or otherwise. The next several days will see a bevy of announcements, but we all know just about everyone will be signed.
I’m not sure I’ve ever said this before, but good move by the Rox. They have a stranglehold on 28th place, so Flexen can’t do any damage. And he has enough talent where he could eventually morph into a #5. It reminds me of when BA picked up Mateo. You don’t win the lottery, but you might get a serviceable player for cheap wages.
Yeah, I liked the guy in Seattle. He loves to pitch and sounds like you got damage free innings to burn. HIs first year he provided a lot of memories.
Hope he does well. The Rockies rotation is wiped out due to injuries so they have to take a chance on whoever they can acquire. Says a lot about their farm system doesn’t it!?
He should have chosen the Rays.; it’s a better career move.
How did he go from interest from the Rays to the Rockies where pitching goes to die?!…strange decision huh?
Apparently,The Rox had a better career, sales pitch than did the Rays. Maybe he’s not interested in being a Ray’s bullpen “starter”. When he’s right, “Flex” is a pitch to contact, groundball guy, exactly what you need in the thin air of Denver. I wish him well.
Rays go through arms like a 3 pack a day cigarette habit. And he’d be way down their depth chart as soon as a couple guys get healthy. Probably be released again. With Colorado he starts rest of year and teams know how to discount numbers for what home park you pitch in.
Also a helleva lot nicer place to live in summer, if you ask me.
It worked for Jose Urena last year. Even though he imploded, he still got a $3MM guarantee this year.
Rockies told the Rays “we will send you $50M if you back off Flexen”
Like the article says, better opportunity for consistent playing time.
Also I would dispute that the rays are actually a better career move. The fact that they have depth means he will be competing for more consistent playing time and more likely on the bubble to be optioned. Assuming he has options remaining. At this point, I doubt he’s thinking about long-term career, and more thinking about just accruing service time with a major league club so he might be able to get past certain service time thresholds for insurance and pension reasons
I mean remember, this guy has already done a stint in Korea and been cut by a major league team and already seems to be throwing unsustainably. Or was throwing in sustainably before he got cut. Service time. Innings. Retirement.
Thought me made sense for the White Sox, who have openings in the rotation already and are about to have a couple more in the coming weeks.
With Eppler’s luck Flexen will go 11-0 with a 2.10 ERA.
Awful fit for Flexen. He doesn’t strike out anyone. Opposing teams are going to hit bullets off him. Flexen’s best bet would be to sign with a team that has a top 5 defense. Ground balls are is way to get outs
More stupidity from Rockies management. Instead of focusing on acquiring and developing youth, and looking at their prospects, they keep bringing in retreads.
What makes you think they aren’t also doing that? Teams are capable of doing more than one thing at a time. They have looked at their starting pitcher prospects and didn’t like what they saw. You gotta have someone to pitch this season and bringing up guys from AA or A+ would kill their development.
If you liked Jose Urena, you will love Flexen.
If you liked Jose Urena, you will love Flexen. .
Steve, you really need to learn how to use commas properly. This is wrong:
“He thankfully avoided a more catastrophic injury but, like Senzatela, is on the 60-day IL and hasn’t pitched in two months.”
The first comma should either be after “injury” or not there at all. It should never be after the word “but.”
Then here, never put a comma after the word “and” if it starts the sentence:
“And, as the previously mentioned Urena demonstrated last year when he was acquired under relatively similar circumstances, if he handles that role well the Rockies could well be open to re-signing him on a guaranteed deal.”
It needs to be “and as the previously mentioned Urena…” Also, my goodness, this is an exceptionally wordy sentence. Do you get paid more for longer words? Or adding unnecessary ones like previously and relatively?
Best of luck to Chris Flexen. This Mariners fan wishes him well