The Rockies announced the acquisition of infielder/outfielder Greg Jones from the Rays in exchange for minor league left-hander Joe Rock this morning. Colorado designated outfielder Sam Hilliard for assignment in order to open a spot on the 40-man roster.
Jones, 26, was the Rays’ first-round pick back in 2019 — the 22nd overall selection that year. He climbed as high as sixth on the team’s top 30 prospects at Baseball America, heading into the 2022 season, but he’s seen his stock dip since that time. Jones hit just .238/.318/.392 in Double-A that season and followed with a 2023 campaign that saw him bat .244/.318/.432 between Double-A and Triple-A. He’s touted as an 80-grade runner (on the 20-80 scale) and excellent athlete with a plus arm but has defensive concerns at shortstop. Tampa Bay began getting him work in the outfield last year in order to bolster his versatility.
The switch-hitting Jones still has two minor league option years remaining but increasingly looked like he’d been pushed down the organizational depth chart — both in the infield and in the outfield. With the Rockies, he’ll have a clearer path to playing time, particularly in the outfield, where elite-fielding Brenton Doyle is ticketed for regular center field work but will need to improve upon last year’s woeful debut showing at the plate. In theory, an outfield alignment with both Doyle and Jones would give the Rox two elite runners who could cover considerable ground in Coors Field’s expansive outfield grass.
Jones could also give the Rockies some long-term cover in the infield. Touted prospect Ezequiel Tovar is slated to get a continued audition as the everyday shortstop this season but has yet to prove he can hit in the big leagues. At second base, Brendan Rodgers is looking to bounce back from a rough showing in his return from a shoulder injury. He’s only controlled for two more seasons, though, so it’s feasible that Rodgers could emerge as a trade candidate this summer if he’s able to recapture something closer to his 2021-22 form. That’d open further opportunities for Jones.
For the time being, Jones will have an outside chance at cracking the Rockies’ roster. Manager Bud Black told Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post (X link) that he couldn’t rule out an Opening Day nod for his team’s newest acquisition but also acknowledged that the window to take a look at the speedster is quite short.
In exchange for their 2019 first-rounder, the Rays will receive the Rockies’ 2021 Competitive Balance Round B pick. Rock, 23, was the No. 68 overall pick that summer and climbed as high as the Triple-A level last year — just for a couple innings late in the season.
Heading into the 2024 season, Rock ranked 26th among Colorado farmhands at Baseball America. He spent the bulk of the 2023 season in Double-A Hartford, where he logged 90 innings with a 4.50 ERA, an impressive 27.3% strikeout rate, a solid 8.1% walk rate and a 44.4% grounder rate that’s a couple ticks better than average. Rock was plagued by a .343 BABIP and proved slightly homer-prone (1.30 HR/9), but it was a generally encouraging season for the Ohio product, who’ll give the Rays some upper-level pitching depth and could make his way to the majors at some point in 2024.
MLB.com’s already-updated prospect rankings slot Rock into the No. 19 in Tampa Bay’s system. Scouting reports from BA, MLB and FanGraphs all give Rock the chance for three average or better pitches — two-seamer, slider, changeup — but note that his arsenal is undercut by below-average command. That hasn’t been apparent yet through Rock’s minor league walk rates, but there’s an important distinction between “control” (consistently throwing strikes) and “command” (precisely locating the ball within the zone).
If Rock has more of the former than the latter, that could be exploited by more advanced hitters who take advantage of mistakes within the zone. Then again, the Rays have a reputation for maximizing pitcher performance, so it’s always possible he’ll find another gear following a change of environs and exceed the modest back-of-the-rotation projection he draws on most scouting reports.
For the Rays, adding an upper-minors, close-to-MLB-ready arm like Rock is plenty sensible. Tampa Bay just lost Taj Bradley for a yet-to-be-determined stretch as the promising young righty deals with a pectoral strain. They’ll also be without Drew Rasmussen, Jeffrey Springs and Shane McClanahan to begin the season — and likely for the entire season in McClanahan’s case. Rasmussen had an internal brace procedure last July. Springs had Tommy John surgery last May. McClanahan had Tommy John in August. Touted young right-hander Shane Baz is also still working his way back from late-2022 Tommy John surgery.
Tampa Bay signed old friend Jake Odorizzi to a minor league deal earlier this month after the Bradley injury. He could be the favorite to take the fifth spot in the rotation early in the season, but he signed late enough that he might not be ready for an Opening Day roster spot. As it stands, the Rays have four pitchers locked into rotation spots: Zach Eflin, Aaron Civale, Zack Littell and Ryan Pepiot. At least early in the season, swingmen Tyler Alexander and Chris Devenski could make some spot starts. Both were stretching out to three innings in camp even before Bradley’s injury.
Hilliard only just returned to the Rockies earlier this month after the Orioles placed him on waivers. Baltimore had claimed him from Atlanta earlier in the offseason. He appeared in 40 games and hit .236/.295/.431 through 78 plate appearances with the Braves, fanning in an eye-popping 42.3% of his plate appearances. A heel injury wound up costing him the bulk of the 2023 season.
From 2019-22, Hilliard appeared in 214 games as a Rockie, playing all three outfield spots and batting a combined .212/.294/.423 with 29 homers, 15 steals, a 10% walk rate and an ugly 32.7% strikeout rate over a total of 639 plate appearances. Strikeouts have long been an issue for Hilliard, who touts an impressive .265/.346/.570 slash and 62 homers in just 942 Triple-A plate appearances but has punched out at an unsightly 28.5% clip at that level. The Rockies will have a week to trade Hilliard, attempt to pass him through outright waivers, or release him.
Robert Murray of FanSided was first to report the Rockies and Rays were swapping Rock for Jones.
Why would the Rockies give up Rock?
I was looking forward to him simply because of the name, but he has not pitched well in the minors at all. Maybe he can turn it around, but his ERA the past two years has just not been good.
If the rays wanted him, they will turn him into an elite reliever. It’s what they do. Win trades and develop draft picks. Consistently.
i saw this guy touch 100 this spring at salt river fields. it was early in spring, the first time i saw a pitch at 100mph this calendar year
nope. i saw jaden hill hit 100, my mistake
Yeah Jaden Hill is definitely a guy that could be great and could be a major flop. I don’t see a lot of in between with him. He’ll either be an ace (starter or reliever) or he will not be around long. He just doesn’t seem like the type that could make it as a #4 or #5 starter. or a mid reliever.
Joe Rock was born to play for the Rockies…this is a travesty.
More like Joe C-
Now he’ll appear in the 2024 ASG and be a fixture on that Rays staff……until his arb figure exceeds $5M, then it’s bye-bye as they trade him to like LAA for their next big thing while Rock turns into a pumpkin. TB has remade this movie so many times – same story, difference actors.
Joe Ray does have a good ring to it if he opts for a name change.
Never…trade…with the Rays!
Especially when you’re giving them a pitcher.
Not true…Padres traded a highly tout prospect Patino and came back full circle, back in the minors. Good trade win for the Padres.
Well….Greg Jones has some skills. He had no where to go as the Rays waited for him to harness those skills.
Rockies usually do well in trades with the Rays. They got Jason Hammel in one deal and German Marquez in another.
“Never..trade”…That’s some pretty good advice; the Rays are too good at putting their players in position to succeed and making them seem much better than they really are. And when you receive one of their players, the clock immediately strikes twelve and the player turns back into a pumpkin.
Unless you’re the Padres!
The Rockies just lost their Rock.
Nolan and Greg are the best pair of Jones since Harrison Ford and Sean Connery
I think you are about a year behind with your analysis. Ezequiel Tovar is not auditioning for the job. He played over 150 games there last year. He hit 37 doubles last year as a 21 year old and was arguably a top 5 shortstop defensively in the league. How much more proven does he need to be. I think the job is his for the next 5+ years at a minimum.
OPS+ of 77 is the concern I guess?
He was 21 the whole year and had a slow start. Plus OPS+ dings Rockies players WAY too much. Coors Field doesn’t play like 1998 anymore. There were many 1-0 and 2-1 games there last year. But OPS+ treats Rockies hitters as if every game at Coors is 14-11 or something. I mean they only had two hitters with more than 15 home runs in 2023 and 23 led the team. The humidor works…probably too well.
This is true. When Rockies hitters leave Colorado they tend to get better, not worse.
Did anyone besides Nolan Jones and Elias Diaz not have a rough/down/injury plagued season last year for COL?
I was happy with Tovar’s year. Kyle Freeland pitched well for the most part, but had some tough luck as well. Ryan McMahon had a good year, especially defensively. But yeah, that’s about it.
Diaz actually wasn’t all that good. But yeah, it’s Jones, Tovar, Doyle on one side of the ball, and a couple relievers. At one point they had their top SEVEN starting pitchers all hurt, most long-term, and that’s not including three of their top five SP prospects, who all got TJ the same week. For a franchise that has nothing but bad luck, last year was the creme de la creme. Just awful.
Diaz was REALLY good in May and June, which got him in the All Star Game. Then very not good the rest of the way. I think the Rox made a mistake not selling high on him at the deadline last season, if they had an opportunity that is. I don’t see him as being better than those two months at any time in 2024.
Tovar is already one of the top 5 Rockies. The trade makes sense as speed in the outfield is always needed there. If he can hit it’s a bonus. I see him as eventually a 4th outfielder and late inning defensive player, that is if they ever have a late inning lead.
Former Metallica producer Joe Rock?
Bob Rock.
You fail to grasp sarcasm, grasshopper.
odds say it’s not true, forget odds, talking about one of the best FOs in baseball dealing with the single worst, rays probably turn rock into a reliever who helps them now and in the near future, could be a nice pick up. don’t hink i would have just given up a potential (not a lock) above avg everyday player for that reliever. though they did say they were in win now mode, whatever that means in tampa
Never trade a pitcher to the Rays.
Does anyone else remember when Tim Raines wanted everyone to call him Rock? I’m guessing maybe ’92.?
Ball cards then updated to Rock Raines.
It was…strange.
It was earlier than 92 because I was done with cards by then. I know was at least as early as 88 or 89.
one of my first signatures. great guy. never got why he called himself ‘rock’ though, called him Tim in person
Tovar was the Rockies starting SS all last season and produced pretty solid offensively and defensively not really sure why he has to “audition” for his job
Another failed 1st round pick by the Rays.
So so many of them casted by the wayside. Rays are good at plucking guys that are developed by other clubs but seriously struggle to choose guys who become stars in the draft.
“Touted prospect Ezequiel Tovar is slated to get a continued audition as the everyday shortstop this season but has yet to prove he can hit in the big leagues?!”
What?????
a .695 OPS isn’t wonderful.
When you are 21 in the majors playing top notch defense at short, it’s not that bad.
A 70 wRC+ playing half your games in Coors Field doesn’t seem good.
Maybe you should look at more than one stat. Like maybe his 37 doubles which was good for 5th in the entire NL. That seems good.
When will people start realizing that the “+” sign means the guy’s home stadium is ALREADY BAKED IN. Everything after “playing …” is duplicate.
As an Ohio University graduate who briefly overlapped with Rock on campus, I’m contractually obligated to love this for the Rays. He also threw a no-hitter in his draft year at OU.
Hopefully the Rays can maximize his skills because there’s a lot to work with.
Rock looks pretty decent, given he pitched in the higher offense league and has a kwERA of 3.11 last year. At worst, he might be a decent piece in the pen in the future.
This might be what the Rays are going to do with him, given Keith Law’s evaluation of him:
“Rock shows three pitches with a low-90s fastball, average slider, and above-average changeup, but works with 40 command and doesn’t show great feel for using his stuff. He was a disaster from the stretch last year as well. He has the stuff to start but the lack of command and feel probably points to relief.”
Cedric Mullins of Orioles got good offensively after he gave up switch hitting. Encourage Jones to try the same experiment. Is there a better home venue then Coors Field to try it?
For a guy like Rock , there’s always a role
Adriaaaaaaaaaaan!
Good move for when Rodgers will gets injured 5 minutes into the season
Rodgers has had one major injury in his entire career. Why does everyone act like he is Troy Tulowitzki or something?
He’s played one full season and he’s 27
Yes. That’s correct. Do you have a problem with that?
I answered hiflew’s question. I’m not bothering with yours.
What does the statement “his type isn’t welcome on the team” supposed to imply?
It implies that you should hit the mute button on whomever wrote that. I already have apparently because I didn’t see the OP.
Tampa / Colorado trade? Think we’re all in agreement in who we assume to come out ahead in any swap between those 2 organizations
Yeah, Colorado. They always do well when trading with the Rays.
Would you say the best Rockies trade ever was with the Rays? Germán Márquez.
I always put that one at #3. My #1 Rockies trade was getting Huston Street and Carlos Gonzalez from Oakland for Matt Holliday. My #2 is getting Dante Bichette from the Brewers for Kevin Reimer on the day of the expansion draft.
I can’t say I remember the last trade between the two clubs. Very rare occurrence.
Similar profile to when the Rays traded Miles Mastrobuoni, not quite enough defense for an everyday SS, not quite enough of a hitter for 3B/CF, and as a result not quite worth the 40-man spot for the Rays.
Charlie Brown works for the Rays?