The Colorado Rockies made a bizarre trade on Saturday, sending Nolan Jones back to the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for Tyler Freeman. Yes, Jones struggled in 2024 and has injury concerns, but he looked like a budding star in 2023. It's strange for the Rockies to have given up on him as quickly as they did when all they acquired in return was Tyler Freeman, a bench player in an ideal world.
The Rockies making a trade like this raises the question of whether GM Bill Schmidt will look to continue making moves or not. The answer is probably not until we get closer to the MLB trade deadline, at the very least, but we know where the Rockies will be by then - at the bottom of the NL West, and selling parts of their roster.
Once the Rockies do entertain selling more players, the New York Yankees and several other contenders should look to pounce on these three individuals.
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3) Scott Alexander can fill a hole most bullpens have
The Rockies didn't do much over the offseason, but they did make one solid under-the-radar move when they signed Scott Alexander to a one-year, $2 million deal. Colorado's bullpen isn't good, and how Alexander will fare pitching half the time in altitude remains to be seen, but his track record suggests he'd be a solid addition for any bullpen in need of a left-handed reliever.
Alexander has parts of 10 MLB seasons under his belt and has a career 3.20 ERA in 218 appearances and 309.1 innings of work. His stuff is far from flashy, and he doesn't strike many guys out, but he does often get the job done when he's thrown into a game, particularly against left-handed hitters.
The 2024 campaign saw Alexander post a 2.56 ERA in 45 appearances and 38.2 innings of work for the Athletics. Most notably, he held left-handed hitters to a .161 average and a .419 OPS in 67 plate appearances, which is nothing short of dominant. This is nothing new for Alexander, who has held left-handed hitters to a .211 average and a .564 OPS in his career.
Alexander does typically struggle against right-handed hitters, which makes him a bit of a tricky option with the three-batter rule, but when used right, he's effective. His cheap price tag makes him affordable for any team, and the fact that he has posted sub-3.00 ERAs in four of the last five seasons makes him reliable.
2) Ryan McMahon would fit the Yankees perfectly
There are two things that the Yankees could really use right now - a third baseman, and some added thump (especially now, with Giancarlo Stanton sidelined.) Ryan McMahon offers both of those things, and he's also in the fourth year of a team-friendly six-year, $70 million extension he inked ahead of the 2022 campaign.
Like Alexander, McMahon's style of play is far from flashy, but he's rock-solid. The 30-year-old has hit at least 20 home runs and has driven in at least 60 runs in each of his last five full seasons (excluding 2020). He does benefit from playing half the time at Coors Field, but Yankee Stadium is very hitter-friendly for left-handed sluggers like McMahon. There's reason to believe he'd do well in pinstripes, and when surrounded by more talented players, he might unlock another level to his game at the dish.
McMahon isn't a star offensively, but he has 20+ home run power, which is valuable by itself. Where he really shines, though, is on the defensive side of the ball. McMahon has accumulated 37 OAA since the start of the 2021 season according to Baseball Savant, which ranks only behind Nolan Arenado and Ke'Bryan Hayes among all third basemen. If he wasn't in a league with Arenado and Hayes throughout his career, he'd have at least one and probably more Gold Gloves by now - he's that special at the hot corner.
The Yankees have made an effort to improve defensively, and adding McMahon will do that. They've also attempted to lengthen their lineup with Juan Soto departing - McMahon would help with that as well. If the Rockies are willing to trade him, which they should be considering McMahon is 30 years old and won't be with the organization when they're ready to compete, the Yankees and other contenders in need of a boost at third base should be all over this.
1) Contenders should try and trick the Rockies into trading Ryan Feltner
One quick peak at Ryan Feltner's career numbers would suggest he's not very good. He has a 5.29 ERA in his 62 MLB appearances (61 starts) across four seasons, which is very subpar. He had a 4.49 ERA in 30 starts and 162.1 innings of work in 2024, which isn't great either.
It's important to note, however, that Feltner pitches half the time at Coors Field. While many Rockies pitchers struggle on the road in addition to when they pitch at home, Feltner doesn't fit that bill. Yes, he had an ERA approaching 4.50 last season, but he had a 3.93 ERA in his 15 starts away from the extreme altitude. His ERA was over 5.00 in 15 home starts.
In his career, Feltner's 4.61 road ERA might not be great, but it's a whole lot better than his 6.01 ERA in Colorado. The simple fact of the matter is that Feltner cannot pitch at Coors Field. He has improved steadily on the road, but he, like many pitchers, cannot conquer the Rockies' home ballpark. If we're being honest, there's no shame in that.
The Rockies should be focusing on figuring out a way to get Feltner to succeed at their home ballpark since he has proven he can pitch away from Coors Field, but the Rockies have made questionable decisions before, like the Nolan Jones trade that just went down. Perhaps a contender can trick the Rockies into dealing him.
Feltner is far from an ace, but can potentially be a mid-rotation arm. He's 28 years old and is entering his first year of arbitration. He's under club control through the 2028 campaign. Cheap, controllable starting pitching is always super valuable, and Feltner would provide that with some upside pitching away from Coors Field. If the Rockies can be tricked into trading him, contenders should do what they can to get him.