What the Colorado Rockies Should Do With Wilin Rosario

There is a lot of speculation as to what the Colorado Rockies should do with Wilin Rosario.

There are many who think the Rockies should ship him out of town while he still has some remaining value. While others think his value may increase should the Rockies decide to hang on to him for the time being. Either way, it is unlikely the Rockies see a return that improves the roster drastically.

Several years ago, when Wilin Rosario was still a highly regarded prospect in the Rockies organization, he was seen as the catcher of the future. Fast forward to 2015, and Rosario’s value is just about as low as it has ever been. At this time, he is not seen as a viable option at catcher because of his inability to defend.

Over his Major League career, Rosario has shown little improvement in his defensive abilities and recently has become a liability at the position. So much so, that in 2015, he started only two games at catcher.

At this point, Rosario’s defensive ineptitude is well known around the league and it has kept him off the field in high leverage situations.

Usually, when a player becomes a liability at their defensive position, they either make a switch to a different position or become a designated hitter.

In 2015, the Rockies had Wilin Rosario make the switch to first base in hopes of getting his important right-handed bat in the lineup more often. On paper, this decision seemed logical, but Rosario proved to be even more unreliable at first base. This move made Rosario’s value plummet, and made him nearly untradeable. 

So, logically, the Rockies ended up holding on to Rosario through the 2015 season even though he was serving no purpose on the bench of one of the worst teams in baseball.

Since the Rockies have already given Rosario a shot at first base, and there don’t seem to be any other positions that he would be capable of playing, their options appear limited.

They could consider switching him back behind the plate with Nick Hundley recovering from a season-ending injury and recently losing Michael McKenry to free agency. However, September call-up Tom Murphy showed why he deserves an opportunity next year by batting .257 with 3 home runs and 9 runs batted in only 34 plate appearances. Dustin Garneau is also worth mentioning but he is expected to be a backup catcher in 2016.

The Rockies could also decide to keep Rosario at first base in a platoon with Ben Paulsen, leaving Kyle Parker‘s role in question, but given that Rosario is the worst defender out of the three, and in need of regular at bats, that solution doesn’t seem like the best option.

At this time, although it may not seem like the most beneficial move for the organization, the Colorado Rockies may as well cut their losses with Wilin Rosario and put him on the trade block. Hopefully they can shop him around and find an offer that renders a solid return.

It is likely that a teams’ interest may depend on whether or not they are an American League team with a designated hitter position. In all likelihood, most teams will see Rosario as a buy-low option. This will make it difficult for the Rockies to get back any high level prospects.

With this in mind, here are a few teams that make sense:

Los Angeles Angels: The Angels missed out on the playoffs in 2015 and are looking to contend in 2016. Their roster is solid, but they could use an everyday DH. They finished 3rd in AL West (85-77)

Cleveland Indians: Last year’s sexy World Series pick got a taste of reality when they finished 3rd in the AL Central (81-80). They could use a solid DH who can backup both first base and catcher.

Seattle Mariners: On paper, the Mariners looked to contend in 2015 but failed to put anything together in another dismal season, finishing 4th in the AL West (76-86). With most of the roster returning in 2016, adding a DH with power like Wilin Rosario could be a solid addition that helps the team contend for its first post-season birth since 2001.

The Rockies have some difficult decisions to make this off-season and Wilin Rosario is a player with a lot of question marks surrounding him. Whether or not they decide to deal him could impact how the roster shapes out for the 2016 season.