The Rockies announced this as a right-hander Cal Quantrill was acquired through a trade with the Guardians. Cleveland will receive a minor league catcher Kody Huff in return, Colorado selected the right-hander Tommy Doyle to make room on the 40-man roster.
When the Guardians designated Quantrill for assignment earlier this week, a move seemed imminent, regardless of whether that move was a trade or whether the Guards simply released Quantrill as an early non-tender. The right-hander is expected to make $6.6 million in the second of three arbitration-eligible years, which was perhaps a bit high for a Cleveland team that has traditionally had modest payrolls, and considering Quantrill struggled in 2023.
However, it was an acceptable price for a Rox team that desperately needed to start pitching. Denver’s thin air has always placed an additional burden on the Rockies’ pitchers, but things went particularly wrong in 2023 as the club was hit by a long list of injuries to pitchers in both the major league and minor leagues was. Colorado’s rotation wasn’t expected to be a strong group even early in the season, but as injuries dwindled the roster, the Rockies’ pitching staff (both starters and relievers) ended up falling short in most statistical categories at or near the bottom of the league.
Health was also an issue for Quantrill last year, as nagging shoulder inflammation sent him to the injured list twice and limited him to 99 2/3 innings. This was a big drop from the 168 frames average he averaged in the 2021-22 seasons, as well as a drop from his quality numbers in the previous two years. Quantrill posted a 3.16 ERA for Cleveland in 2021-22, but that rose to 5.24 in 2023.
A look at the secondary numbers is necessary, as Quantrill’s 4.50 SIERA in 2021-22 shows that he was, in some ways, fortunate to deliver such a solid ERA on the bottom line. Quantrill has always been a below-average strikeout pitcher who still had high chase rates, but his chase rate dropped significantly last season to 26.5%, and his strikeout rate was nearly 13.1% in 2023 the worst in baseball. The right also allowed significantly more hard contact in 2023 than in previous years.
Coors Field isn’t exactly the best stadium for a pitcher who needs a rebound year, so Quantrill will face a difficult challenge at his new club. Simply staying healthy and eating a few innings would be a good outcome for both Quantrill and the Rockies, and Colorado’s ever-present need for pitching probably means Quantrill has a good chance of getting a contract barring injuries or His final year of arbitration comes after a drastic decline in performance.
Doyle made his MLB debut pitching 2 1/3 innings over three appearances with Colorado in 2020 and then didn’t make it back to the exhibition until posting a 6.85 ERA over 23 2/3 innings for the past Rox scored season. The 27-year-old Doyle battled some injury issues between those two major league appearances and posted a 3.41 ERA in 37 frames with a 26.6% strikeout rate this season with Triple-A Colorado Springs. and a grounder rate of 48.9% were helpful paper on some less flattering secondary metrics.
It wasn’t enough for the Rockies to keep him on the 40-man roster, although Doyle could remain in the organization if he clears waivers and elects to accept an outright assignment to Triple-A. Doyle has been used as a direct player before in his career, so he has the option of turning down future direct assignments in favor of free agency.
Cleveland’s ability to draft and develop young pitchers has been the backbone of the organization for years, and that strength was on display again in 2023 Tanner Bibee, Gavin WilliamsAnd Logan Allen Everyone looked good in their rookie season. That’s not to say the Guardians are fully in the rotation – the rookies could suffer some setbacks now that the league has a book on them, and Triston McKenzie And Shane Bieber both had injury problems last year. Bieber is a free agent next winter and was widely viewed as a trade candidate this offseason, but even though Bieber’s departure may be imminent, it’s a sign of how much Quantrill’s stock has fallen that the Guardians were willing to move on.
Instead of non-tendering Quantrill for nothing, the guards got something in return with Huff, a Stanford product who was a seventh-round pick of the Rockies in the 2022 draft. He spent the 2023 season with the Rockies’ A-ball affiliate in Fresno, hitting .262/.357/.374 in 340 plate appearances. Baseball America’s scouting report on Huff describes him as a “baseball rat” and “his versatile game and keen instincts give him the chance to be a backup catcher.” Cleveland has long emphasized defense from the catcher position, and that attitude doesn’t seem to be changing, especially now that a former catcher is involved Stephan Vogt is the new manager of the Guardians.