The Rockies have made progress on the field this season. But making the right moves off the field are required to accelerate the rebuilding process.
With the trade deadline two weeks away on Aug. 3, the Rockies executed the first of what could be several deals, shipping hard-throwing Seth Halvorsen to the Dodgers for Triple-A reliever Nick Frasso and Class-A outfielder Landyn Vidourek.
Rockies general manager Josh Byrnes spent 11 seasons in the Dodgers organization as the senior vice president of baseball operations. So, he is leaning on familiarity in this transaction, which centers on Frasso.
The 27-year-old features a crossfire delivery, creating some funky movement. The Dodgers acquired Frasso from Toronto when Byrnes had his fingerprints on Los Angeles’ minor league system. Frasso brings heat, his fastball sitting between 97 and 100 mph in his last Triple-A outing for the Oklahoma City Comets.
He has 40 strikeouts in 24 2/3 innings this season with a 4.74 ERA in 21 games.
The Rockies are gambling that he will be a better fit than 26-year-old Halvorsen, who boasted a live fastball, but failed to gain traction.
Halvorsen, selected in the seventh round of the 2023 draft by the previous Colorado regime, showed potential with a 100-mph fastball. However, he struggled with his command. He posted a 4.74 ERA in 21 games this season in the big leagues, issuing 15 walks in 19 innings and was a frequent victim of the longball. The right-hander allowed 12 home runs over the past two seasons, including nine on the road where he owns a career 5.46 ERA.
In Vidourek, the Rockies appear to be taking a flier on a young left-handed hitter with power and position versatility who has to tame his strikeouts.
Byrnes was part of the LA front office that drafted Vidourek out of Cincinnati in the third round a year ago. He can put a charge in the baseball — 18 extra-base hits in Class-A — and has nine stolen bases this season. But he must show better plate discipline as evidenced by his 100 strikeouts in 210 at-bats.
The Rockies have several players who are expected to garner trade interest in the coming days, including reliever Antonio Senzatela and outfielder Mickey Moniak.
