Earlier in the offseason the Colorado Rockies were trying to trade catcher Wilin Rosario and actually engaged in talks with the Texas Rangers about a deal. It appears the team has a more concrete plan for the 25-year-old Dominican.
According to Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post, general manager Jeff Bridich says the Rockies are "confident that Rosario can make the transition from catcher to first base, and possibly even right field." His defensive abilities behind the plate have come into question, with Saunders previous writing he's "regarded as a subprime game caller and had 12 passed balls in 96 games." It also doesn't help Colorado's starting rotation is one of the youngest in the league and had the second worst ERA (4.89) in 2014.
The Rockies signed catcher Nick Hundley to a two-year deal earlier this offseason and have Mike McKenry on the roster, both of whom are veterans and may help the young staff better develop. The only problem is that the team has Justin Morneau at first base and Carlos Gonzalez in right field, which makes for a personnel issue if they're going forward with moving Rosario to one of those positions. Oddly enough, both Morneau and Gonzalez were involved in trade talks in some capacity this offseason - the Miami Marlins went after Morneau and Bridich said he would "entertain" discussions for Gonzalez.
Is it possible they revisit any such talks at some point?
A little while after it was known the team was shopping Rosario, Bridich came out and said they're holding onto him unless they're "overwhelmed" with an offer. The latest trade rumors surrounding the team have involved outfielder Charlie Blackmon, but Saunders writes they're "not initiating trade talks" for him right now. A deal for Blackmon would make room in the outfield for Rosario (if they move Gonzalez elsewhere), but otherwise it doesn't look like he'll have a full-time position in 2015 if he's moved out from behind the plate. It's hard to believe the Rockies would keep his bat on the bench since he's slashed .274/.308/.483/.791 with 65 home runs and 212 RBIs in four seasons (360 games).
Rosario is also under club control through the 2017 season and is much cheaper than Morneau, who will earn $6.75 million in 2015 and carries a $9 million mutual option for 2016, and Gonzalez, who will make a total of $53 million over the next three seasons.
So although nothing has been speculated since the early discussions regarding Morneau and Gonzalez, it wouldn't be surprising if the team dealt one of these players to make room for Rosario. A number of clubs would likely be willing to make a deal for a resurgent Morneau or take on the contract of Gonzalez because of his tremendous upside when he's healthy.
