NASHVILLE — The Rockies’ road to contention is steep and narrow, with little room for error.
But is there hope for a team coming off a 103-loss season? The 2023 World Series says yes.
In 2021, the Texas Rangers lost 102 games and the Arizona Diamondbacks lost 110. Yet there they were, just two years later, playing in the Fall Classic, with the Rangers prevailing in five games.
The two organizations followed different yellow brick roads to reach their destinations. The Rangers spent big in free agency and traded boldly. The D-backs developed their young players and made shrewd trades.
“(The Diamondbacks) have good young players,” Rockies general manager Bill Schmidt said last week during the winter meetings. “I said a year ago at this time that they were running ahead of us and were in the process of getting better.”
Although the D-backs and Rangers built their teams differently, the clubs had a couple of things in common, beginning with a passion to win.
“That’s a credit to (general manager) Chris Young and the ownership, Ray Davis,” first-year Texas manager Bruce Bochy said. “They were determined to get winning baseball back to the Texas Rangers. And when we met that’s what we talked about, that’s what they talked about to me. And they did everything they said they were going to do.”
Secondly, both teams got hot at just the right time.
Texas fumbled away the American League West title but claimed a wild-card spot and then rallied to go 13-4 in the postseason en route to its first championship. The D-Backs won just 84 games and barely snared the final wild card, but they made it to the World Series for the first time since 2001. Arizona had a minus-15 run differential during the regular season but became the first NL team to be outscored during the regular season and still win the pennant.
“It’s about getting in and getting hot,” Schmidt said. “The key is just getting in and then anything can happen. They proved that.”
The Rockies’ path to redemption will have to follow the D-backs’ plan because Texas is out of the Rockies’ league when it comes to spending.
The Rangers’ total $251 million payroll, inflated by their free-agent spending and mid-season trades, was the fourth-highest in the majors. Texas’ investment of more than $800 million during the last two offseasons mostly paid dividends. Shortstop Corey Seager and second basemen Marcus Semien, signed for a combined $500 million on the same day (Dec. 1, 2021), finished second and third, respectively, in the American League MVP vote this past season. Former Rockies right-hander Jon Gray, as well as right-hander Nathan Eovaldi, were signed for a combined $90 million and helped revamp the starting rotation.
Arizona was much more frugal. Its $119.3 million payroll was the 10th-smallest in the majors, and the D-backs relied more heavily on homegrown talent. The D-backs had 12 homegrown players on their postseason roster, trailing only Houston’s 13 among the 12 playoff clubs, while Texas ranked next-to-last with five. The Rangers’ nine free-agent signings tied the Phillies for the most, while the D-backs were second-to-last with five.
Unlike the Baltimore Orioles, who lost 115 games in 2018, 108 in ’19 and 110 in ’21, the Diamondbacks never resorted to a complete teardown and rebuild.
“Our approach to want to compete every year got torpedoed because our lack of farm system depth caught us in 2021 and into 2022,” general manager Mike Hazen told the Arizona Republic. “The goal was to contend the whole time. Everybody was like, ‘Oh, the Diamondbacks are going to rebuild.’ We didn’t rebuild in 2021. We stunk. That’s the facts.”
But Arizona didn’t reach the World Series on homegrown talent alone. Smart trades were essential to its rise. In 2016, a month after Hazen was hired, he made one of his best moves, shipping Jean Segura, Mitch Haniger and Zac Curtis to the Mariners for second baseman Ketel Marte and right-hander Taijuan Walker. Though Walker didn’t pan out for the D-backs, Marte has been their best player over the last seven years and won NL Championship Series MVP honors this year.
Hazen then traded hot shortstop prospect Jazz Chisholm Jr. to the Marlins for right-hander Zac Gallen at the trade deadline in 2019. Gallen was not a top-100 prospect at the time but he’s become the D-backs’ best pitcher and finished third in the NL Cy Young Award voting this season.
The trade that stands out for Rockies manager Bud Black was the December 2022 deal in which the D-Backs acquired catcher Gabriel Moreno and outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. from Toronto for outfielder Daulton Varsho. Not only has Gurriel helped offset the loss of Varsho, but Moreno has given them a skilled defensive catcher with a lot of offensive potential.
“That was a very good trade,” Black said.
Before this year’s trade deadline, the D-backs acquired closer Paul Sewald from Seattle for infielder Josh Rojas, outfielder Dominic Canzone and infielder Ryan Bliss.
“It was dicey for them for a while, but they got the closer they needed,” Black said.
The D-backs’ speed also caught the attention of Black and Schmidt. Arizona ranked second in the majors with 166 stolen bases and led the majors with 44 triples. Dynamic leadoff man Corbin Carroll, the NL rookie of the year who projects to be a star for years to come, ranked third in the majors with 54 stolen bases in 59 attempts. Four other D-backs players stole at least 10 bases.
In the NLCS Arizona beat the Phillies using its speed and pressing the action. After stealing just one base in the first five games, the Diamondbacks stole eight in the final two.
“They built that club on speed, they didn’t necessarily build that club on power,” Schmidt said. “Most of their guys were smaller guys who are athletes who can run. That’s how they built the club.”
The Rockies, by contrast, were not a speedy team, ranking 28th in the majors with only 76 steals.
Plans are in the works to change that. Gold Glove center fielder Brenton Doyle swiped 22 bases and left fielder Nolan Jones stole 20. Both are athletic young players whom the Rockies believe have power potential. Gifted shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, a Gold Glove finalist, swiped 11 bases and Black believes Tovar can steal even more.
When the Rockies traded away first baseman C.J. Cron, corner infielder Mike Moustakas and outfielder Randal Grichuk near the deadline, they not only acquired much-needed pitching in return, but also freed up playing time for their young players.
“During the second half of our season, after the trade deadline, I think our team got more athletic,” Schmidt said. “I think we just have some better athletes now. I think you will see that (going forward).”
But, of course, the Rockies must do more than just add speed if they want to become a contender two years after the first 100-loss season in franchise history. They have to improve a pitching staff that ranked as the worst in baseball in 2023 and pump up an offense that was one of the worst in franchise history.
That’s a tough row to hoe.
Building the 2023 Diamondbacks
The D-Backs lost 110 games in 2021 but squeaked out a wild-card spot with 84 wins and made it to the World Series. Here’s how general manager Mike Hazen constructed his team:
| Homegrown players (12) | Trades (9) | Free agents (5) |
|---|---|---|
| RHSP Ryne Nelson | RHP Zac Gallen | RHSP Merrill Kelly |
| RHSP Brandon Pfaadt | RHRP Paul Sewald (closer) | RHRP Miguel Castro |
| RHRP Slade Cecconi | LHRP Kyle Nelson | LHRP Joe Mantiply |
| RHRP Luis Frías | OF Lourdes Gurriel Jr. | RHRP Ryan Thompson |
| RHRP Kevin Ginkel | 2B Ketel Marte | 3B Evan Longoria |
| LHRP Andrew Saalfrank | OF Tommy Pham | |
| OF Corbin Carroll | 3B Emmanuel Rivera | |
| C Jose Herrera | C Gabriel Moreno | |
| INF Jordan Lawlar | 1B Christian Walker | |
| SS Geraldo Perdomo | ||
| OF/1B Pavin Smith | ||
| OF Alek Thomas |
Building the 2023 Rangers
The Rangers lost 102 games in 2021 but finished the 2023 season 90-72, earned a wild-card berth and powered their way to the first World Series win in franchise history. Here’s how general manager Chris Young (and before him, Jon Daniels) built the Rangers’ roster:
| Homegrown players (5) | Trades (12) | Free agents (9) |
|---|---|---|
| LHRP Cody Bradford | RHSP Dane Dunning | RHSP Nathan Eovaldi |
| RHRP José Leclerc (closer) | LHSP Jordan Montgomery | RHSP Jon Gray |
| OF Evan Carter | RHSP Max Scherzer | LHSP Andrew Heaney |
| 3B Josh Jung | LHRP Aroldis Chapman | LHRP Martín Pérez |
| OF Leody Taveras | Josh Sborz RHRP | LHRP Will Smith |
| RHRP Chris Stratton | OF Robbie Grossman | |
| C Austin Hedges | OF Travis Jankowski | |
| OF Adolis García | SS Corey Seager | |
| C/DH Mitch Garver | 2B Marcus Semien | |
| C Jonah Heim | ||
| 1B Nathaniel Lowe | ||
| INF Josh H. Smith |
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