The Dexter Fowler trade was a total loss for the Rockies

As Jordan Lyles was giving up three more runs in the Colorado Rockies 9-8 loss to the New York Yankees last Wednesday, it became apparent that the right-handed pitcher may never return to the fine form he once displayed. Packaged with outfielder Brandon Barnes in the Houston Astros trade for Dexter Fowler, Lyles, showed signs of usability in 2014 and 2015. Those flashes that Lyles had in Denver quickly faded into an ill-conceived reasoning of why he belongs on a big league roster in 2016. To be fair to both Lyles and Barnes, this trade has looked awful from the day it was finalized by former GM Dan O’Dowd, but it looks even worse now.

Back in December of 2013, David Schoenfield quickly captured his reaction when the trade was made:

What were the Rockies thinking? Who knows. The Rockies and Mariners seem like the two franchises without any semblance of a game plan right now. Are the Rockies trying to win now? Are they trying to rebuild? Were they merely dumping a salary (Fowler will make $7.35 million in 2014, a relative bargain for a 2-WAR player)? Are they trying to improve the rotation or the offense?

Well, what were the Rockies thinking?

They traded a player entering his age-28 season with two years left of control who had produced three straight 2+ WAR seasons. The switch-hitting Fowler was the club’s leadoff hitter, and a good one at that. He was a serviceable centerfielder with an ability to make spectacular plays on occasion.

And what did the Rockies get back? A young Lyles who had been rushed through the minor leagues but didn’t “possess a quality strikeout pitch; he’s the kind of pitcher who will get absolutely destroyed at Coors Field.” Coupled with him was Barnes, who at the time was a 27-year-old rookie center fielder that posted a .289 on-base percentage and struck out 127 times while walking just 21 times. The Rockies had themselves a former first rounder turned project for a starting pitcher with little upside and a fourth outfielder that was one of the worst position players in baseball at the time of the trade.

The Rockies thought they could save themselves $7.35 million, replace Fowler with the similarly able Charlie Blackmon — who was an All-Star that year — and have enough to sign Justin Moreau to replace Todd Helton. That honestly was not a bad play. What was odd about the return for Fowler was the Rockies strange need to feel like they should rid themselves of a center fielder who had been consistently good. That is still unclear to this day, but what is clear, is that Colorado came out big losers in this transaction.

The Astros ended up dealing Fowler to Chicago after one decent season. In return, Houston got third basemen Luis Valbuena. Valbuena has been solid for them as well, factoring out to about an average big league player. Meanwhile, Fowler has garnered a 7.4 WAR since the trade from Colorado and 6.0 of that has come in his last 200+ games, all with the Cubs.

Lyles and Barnes have combined for a 1.5 WAR with the Rockies with neither looking like they’re going to make it with the organization past this season. Fowler, on the other hand, signed for one-year and $8 million with a mutual option for 2017 at $9 million in the offseason. The switch-hitting centerfielder was offered a three-year $33 million dollar deal by the Baltimore Orioles but turned it down. At the age of only 30, he looks to have several more productive years in front of him. In fact, before he was downed with a hamstring injury this season, he was having a career year. Three years removed from the Trade, Fowler is better than ever, and the Rockies are struggling to find spots for the players acquired.

Whichever way you look at it, the Rockies completely missed the mark on this trade. Not only should they probably have kept Fowler, but their knee-jerk reaction in trading him cost the Rockies a lot of value that they certainly could use.