The Rockies are still in the market for a second baseman, tweets Thomas Harding of MLB.com. Former rival of the wing Thairo Estrada could be a target, Harding adds.
Colorado has moved on Brendan Rodgers by last month’s non-tender deadline. They soon followed by signing Kyle Farmer on a $3.25MM free agent contract. Farmer is the cornerstone starter at the moment, but is coming off a .214/.293/.353 season. He is better suited for utility work than everyday second base duty heading into his age-34 season.
The Rox family hopes that the 21-year-old Adael Amador it will be a long term answer. Amador played in 10 MLB games this past season while Rodgers was on the injured list. He spent a year at Double-A Hartford. He had an average season, hitting .230/.343/.376 in 455 plate appearances. That probably knocks him out of top 100 consideration, but he’s still ranked as the #6 prospect in the Colorado program by Baseball America.
Amador needs more reps in the upper minors. Colorado will look for stopgaps on the keystone but won’t be able to make a long-term commitment. This year’s free agent class doesn’t feature long-term signings though. Gleyber Torres and remodeling Ha-Seong Kim the subject of the class. Options beyond that include Jorge Polancoan old friend Jose Iglesias, Adam Frazier again Cavan Biggio.
Estrada is a throwback candidate in that group. The 28-year-old (29 in February) is down to a .217/.247/.343 mark in 96 games. San Francisco removed him from the 40-man roster late in the season and allowed him to leave in major league free agency. Estrada was a solid everyday player between 2021-23. He compiled a .266/.320/.416 slash in just over 1200 plate appearances during that stretch. Estrada is a solid defender, so something close to league average makes him a regular quality.
If the Rockies pursue Estrada, he would be available for a minor league contract or an MLB deal with a salary close to Farmer’s. He has yet to reach five years of service time, so he will remain arbitration-eligible next season.
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