Bill Schmidt and the Colorado Rockies front office: An interim grade at the 2023 midway point

DENVER, CO - JUNE 23: In a general view as the sun sets, the scoreboard shows stats and info about Elias Diaz #35 of the Colorado Rockies as he bats in the fifth inning of a game against the Los Angeles Angels at Coors Field on June 23, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - JUNE 23: In a general view as the sun sets, the scoreboard shows stats and info about Elias Diaz #35 of the Colorado Rockies as he bats in the fifth inning of a game against the Los Angeles Angels at Coors Field on June 23, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
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Jurickson Profar.  Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Jurickson Profar.  Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Free agency

Like a lot of teams that do not have huge stores of cash to throw around, the Rockies spent much of their offseason and early season trying to add veteran marginal free agents. Schmidt added 11 of them, fellows of the stripe of Mike Moustakas, Brad Hand, Fernando Abad, Jurickson Profar and Harold Castro.

The results have been pretty much what you would expect from players rejected by their former teams.

As determined by WAA, Profar (-1.9) and Castro (-1.1) have both cost the Rockies more than one game in the standings. Abad and Jose Ureña were sufficiently bad to be released.

The one pleasant surprise has been Nolan Jones. A Cleveland castoff signed on the open market for next to nothing last November, Jones is hitting.316 in 29 games while earning regular time. He’s delivered a +1.0 WAA, making him Schmidt’s most productive personnel acquisition this season.

His most impactful departure was the decision to let veteran pitcher Chad Kuhl disappear over the horizon. Kuhl set sail for Washington, where he’s 0-4 with an 8.45 ERA in 16 appearances, five of them starts, before being released. That works out to a -1.6 WAA.

Kuhl is one of only four players to depart the Rockies’ orbit on their own for another big league team, the other being Garrett Hampson, Alex Colome and Carlos Estevez. Only Estevez (+0.9), who signed with the Los Angeles Angels, has helped his new team.