The Colorado Rockies gave up outfielder Seth Smith for something the front office has been seeking: starting pitching.
Smith had been with the organization for all five years of his career and will be joining the Oakland A’s in exchange for pitchers Guillermo Moscoso and Josh Outman. Both pitchers have seen MLB level starts, with Moscoso being the more veteran pitcher at that level. Moscoso had an 8-10 record last season with a 3.38 ERA (which qualifies within my Christmas Wish List criteria)
The trade initiated between Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd and A’s GM Billy Beane helps revamp the A’s outfield while the Rockies get much-desired pitching assistance. Smith will provide a DH option if he doesn’t break the crowded outfield in Oakland.
Smith has been a key player in the Rockies outfield, primarily right field; he has had many highlight nights for the ball club with walk-off shots and key RBIs that have brought the house down. The move to bring in Michael Cuddyer from Minnesota and the release of Ryan Spilborghs sealed the eventual deal.
It would have been nice if Smith was part of a deal to bring Martin Prado from Atlanta, but the trade with Oakland effectively kills the deal that never got legs in the first place. Time will tell if this move does anything on the Rockies end; Moscoso and Outman are not seasoned pitchers and are joining a bottleneck race for starting spots and bullpen relief positions.
Speaking of pitchers …
Drew Pomeranz — the centerpiece of the Jimenez trade — had the “disturbing the peace” charges dropped from his October 15 arrest. Naturally, he is now focused on spring training and will not have to answer questions about legal issues at the upcoming Fan Fest at Coors Field this month.
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