Fansided

One free agent each MLB team needs to target this offseason

By Joshua Sadlock

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 27: Gerrit Cole #45 of the Houston Astros pitches in the first inning during Game 5 of the 2019 World Series between the Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on Sunday, October 27, 2019 in Washington, District of Columbia. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 27: Gerrit Cole #45 of the Houston Astros pitches in the first inning during Game 5 of the 2019 World Series between the Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on Sunday, October 27, 2019 in Washington, District of Columbia. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /
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WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 01: Yasmani Grandal #10 of the Milwaukee Brewers points to the sky and touches home plate after hitting a two-run home run in the first inning during the NL Wild Card game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on Tuesday, October 1, 2019 in Washington, District of Columbia. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 01: Yasmani Grandal #10 of the Milwaukee Brewers points to the sky and touches home plate after hitting a two-run home run in the first inning during the NL Wild Card game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on Tuesday, October 1, 2019 in Washington, District of Columbia. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

Colorado Rockies: Yasmani Grandal

Two-thousand-nineteen was a massive disaster for the Colorado Rockies, who had made the playoffs two years in a row and felt like they were taking a huge step in the right direction in terms of developing the type of pitchers who could thrive in Coors Field.

The Rockies had signed Nolan Arenado to an eight-year extension before the year and had huge expectations. Everything looked good as late as the end of June, but Colorado collapsed after a 44-39 start, finishing 27-52.

Most shocking of all in the team’s dismal slump in the second half was the complete meltdown of the young pitching staff. Kyle Freeland finished fourth in the 2018 NL Cy Young vote but finished the year 3-11 with a 6.73 ERA. Antonio Senzatela managed to win 11 games but had a 6.73 ERA. German Marquez went 12-5 but saw his ERA rise by over a run from the previous season.

There isn’t much the Rockies can do to repair their pitching staff heading into next season but hope for a major rebound for their young staff. One thing they could do to help the group is bring in one of the best handlers of a pitching staff in the league, free agent Yasmani Grandal. The 31-year-old is also highly familiar with the NL West.

In addition to being a major offensive upgrade over Tony Wolters, Grandal is one of the better pitch framers in baseball. He was the third-best framer in the league last year, while none of the Rockies rotating cast of backstops made the top 30.

Wolters had the most at-bats at catcher on the team last year and hit .262/.337/.329 with a single home run in 121 games. Grandal, on the other hand, hit .246/.380/.468 with 28 home runs and 77 RBI. His offensive production could reach even higher levels with 81 games in Denver.

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