Rockies Acquire Cal Quantrill From Guardians
On the heels of Thursday’s six-player deal between the Chicago White Sox and Atlanta Braves, the Colorado Rockies made a splash of their own on Friday, acquiring right-hander Cal Quantrill via trade from the Cleveland Guardians.
Quantrill, a free agent after the 2025 season, was designated for assignment by the Guardians organization on Tuesday. The 28-year-old made just 19 starts this past season due to multiple IL stints because of a shoulder injury.
In return, Cleveland received minor-league catcher Kody Huff, a seventh-round selection in 2022 who slashed .262/.357/.374 with five home runs and 36 RBIs across 86 games at single-A in 2023.
Landing in Colorado, home to a hitter’s ballpark in Coors Field, isn’t an ideal destination, especially considering Quantrill struggled to a career-worst 5.24 ERA a season ago. But it’s certainly worth the low-risk gamble for the Rockies.
No other team featured a higher starter’s ERA (5.91) and FIP (5.70) than Colorado’s staff during the 2023 season. Both figures, however, could improve significantly if the Port Hope, Ont., native stays healthy and returns to form in 2024.
The woes were evident for Quantrill in his final season with Cleveland, as the struggling righty surrendered five runs or more in six of his 19 starts and saw his strikeout rate plummet to a career-worst 13.1%, positioning it in the lowest percentile of the majors.
In 2022, the 6-foot-3 hurler helped lead the Guardians to an AL Central Division title, posting a 3.38 ERA while punching out hitters to a 16.6% clip over a career-best 186.1 innings. He was worth 2.0 fWAR, the highest rating of his career.
Despite a poor 2023 showing, Cleveland’s decision to DFA Quantrill was shocking, as many throughout the industry believed he could re-emerge as a front-line starter in 2024.
However, it appears the move was more about the organization’s financial hardship, as they’re being forced to shed salary due to uncertainty surrounding their regional television contract. Thus, Quantrill’s projected $6.6 million arbitration salary became a necessary sacrifice.
In addition to Huff’s arrival, removing the Canadian pitcher, as well as fellow hurler Michael Kelly, from the team’s 40-man roster created space for young arms such as Cade Smith and Daniel Espino, protecting the pair from next month’s Rule 5 draft.
Smith was teammates with Quantrill on Team Canada during last spring’s World Baseball Classic. The 24-year-old, a native of Abbotsford, B.C., fanned 95 batters while posting a 4.02 ERA across 62.2 innings over two minor-league levels in 2023.
Looking ahead to next season, Quantrill figures to headline Colorado’s starting rotation alongside left-hander Kyle Freeland. That duo is currently slated to be supported by Austin Gomber, Ryan Feltner and Peter Lambert.
They could also be joined by Germán Márquez and, possibly, Antonio Senzatela at some point, with both hurlers recovering from Tommy John surgery. Jeff Criswell and Joe Rock, a pair of top pitching prospects, may earn big-league reps later on, as well.
Even so, the Rockies seemed destined for a third straight last-place finish in the NL West next season, as they remain firmly positioned in the division’s basement.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
Photo: Erik Drost. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.