Rockies finalize their infield, sign Thairo Estrada to a one-year deal

One of the biggest question marks the Rockies have faced during the 2024 MLB Winter Meetings was regarding their plans at second base. 

As a team that stands on a platform of A+ defenders, the second base spot had spent nearly a month in limbo. 

But just after it seemed as though the Rockies might leave Dallas empty handed, Mark Feinsand broke the news that the Rockies had signed second baseman Thairo Estrada to a one-year deal.

Before we look into Estrada, let’s build the context of how we got here in the first place.

Early into the offseason the Rockies chose to part ways with Gold Glove second baseman Brendan Rodgers. 

The Rodgers move wasn’t entirely shocking, given the shift to a youth-focused movement for the Rockies last season. However it still left a lot up in the air on how the Rockies planned to move forward with the position. 

Initially it looked like the move to cut Rodgers was in line with the recent payroll cuts that the team announced. Rodgers was owed roughly $5.5 million next season so the move made sense, given their inability to find a suitable trade for him. 

But not too long after Rodgers was let go the Rockies announced that they were signing 34-year-old utility infielder Kyle Farmer to a one-year deal worth $3.25 million plus incentives. The total deal could end up costing the Rockies upwards of $4 million in the end. Not necessarily the big pay cut we were all expecting. 

During the Winter Meetings roundtable between Rockies General Manager Bill Schmidt and reporters, Schmidt gave some clarity on the Farmer signing. 

“The idea was always to have him play a variety of infield positions,” said Schmidt. “The idea is to try to rest [Ryan] McMahon, [Ezequiel] Tovar, and keep our guys fresh.”

“The job is to get a better bench for Bud and I think Farmer is the type of guy to do it.”

Based on that reasoning, the Farmer deal seems to be built as nothing more than an expensive depth piece. A guy who can play pretty much anywhere– even catcher if the world was on fire– and allow players like McMahon, Tovar, or even Toglia to take a day or two off. 

But again, that still leaves the second base position wide open. So what about Aaron Schunk, who saw some growth off the bench at the end of last season? 

“Aaron’s making some progress, getting his feet wet last year, but I’d still like to add another infielder” said Schmidt. “We’re still looking at the market out there. The idea is to bring somebody in up the middle.” 

That leads us to the here and now, with the Rockies agreeing to terms with 28-year-old Thairo Estrada on Tuesday.

Estrada will earn $3.25 million with the Rockies in 2025 with a mutual option for 2026 ($750,000 buyout), making it a $4 million guarantee, according to Feinsand.

If the option isn’t exercised, Estrada will still be arbitration-eligible for the final time in 2026.

In 2021 the San Francisco Giants acquired Estrada from the Yankees for cash considerations. Estrada served as an above-average hitter for three seasons with the Giants, during which he mustered a 4.4 WAR hitting +.260 each season.

The wheels fell off a bit in 2024 as he struggled to combat wrist and thumb injuries. His stats dipped to a .217/.247/.343 spread in that window. He played a total of 96 games.

Looking ahead, the Rockies desperately needed a middle infielder who complimented their star shortstop Ezequiel Tovar. Estrada is a plus defender with the potential to be a serviceable bat.

Is he in line for a bounce back season with the Rockies in 2025? I sure hope so. But either way, the Rockies found a key missing piece to their 2025 puzzle.