The Colorado Rockies have traded Raimel Tapia and Adrian Pinto to the Toronto Blue Jays for Randal Grichuk and cash considerations according to Mark Feinsand:
Adrian Pinto is also going to Toronto in the deal, while the Blue Jays will send cash to the Rockies.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) March 24, 2022
Bill Schmidt continues to be busy in his first season as the Rockies’ permanent general manager as this is his third big move since the lockout ended, having signed free agent Kris Bryant and extending Ryan McMahon. Here’s a look at his latest move:
Randal Grichuk
Grichuk played in 149 games with the Toronto Blue Jays last season, batting .241/.281/.423 with 22 home runs and 81 RBI to go along with an 85 wRC+. Originally drafted in the first round by the Angels in 2009, Grichuk was traded to the Cardinals in 2013. He spent four seasons in St. Louis prior to being traded to Toronto before the start of the 2018 season. In his career, Grichuk has batted .245/.293/.473 with 156 home runs and a career 10.5 fWAR. He will now enter the mix to play center field and be a designated hitter.
According to Patrick Saunders, general manager Bill Schmidt feels that Grichuk will give the Rockies needed power in their offense. The 30-year-old has a career GB/FB ratio of 0.90 and a 16.7% HR/FB.
Grichuk is under contract through 2023 and will make $10.3 million in each season.
Raimel Tapia
Tapia was originally signed by the Rockies out of the Dominican Republic in 2010 and later made his big league debut at the age of 22 in 2016. He spent parts of six seasons with the Rockies, including being an everyday starter from 2019 to 2021. In 439 games with the team, Tapia slashed .280/.325/.395 and posted a career 78 wRC+ according to FanGraphs.
With the signing of Kris Bryant to play left field, Tapia found himself pushed from his position, and despite reports that Tapia was ready to utilize his versatility in the outfield, the Rockies decided to move on after they had recently agreed to a one-year contract worth $3.95 million to avoid arbitration. Tapia has notably struggled with keeping the ball off the ground. In 2021, Tapia hit a ground ball in 67.4% of his plate appearances and has a career rate of 56.6%.
He is set to be a free agent in 2024.
Adrian Pinto
Signed by the Rockies in 2019, Pinto spent his first professional season with the DSL Rockies in 2021. The 19-year-old batted .360/.486/.543 with 41 stolen bases and an impressive 38 walks to just 18 strikeouts in 54 games. He was named an organizational All-Star following the end of the 2021 season.
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This is a developing story and Purple Row will continue to monitor it and post updates when necessary.
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