What will the Colorado Rockies do at 1B?

I know: It’s not Friday.

But it’s a weird time. Classes are over, but my students’ papers don’t come in until tonight, so I find I have time on my hands and things to write about. And what’s on my mind right now are the Colorado Rockies’ first-base possibilities.

The Rockies have not been especially effective at first in many years, and this offseason, they began to address the problem. Former first-round draft pick Michael Toglia was DFA’d, and Warming Bernabel was placed on waivers and declared free agency late last week. (Read more about Toglia’s and Bernabel’s respective 2025 seasons here and here.)

That leaves Blaine Crim as the only true first baseman on the Rockies’ current 40-man roster. I wrote about Crim a few weeks ago, and although he had some big moments in September, the overall numbers are not especially promising. (TLDR: At Coors, he was good; on the road, not so much.)

It makes sense, then, that according to Rockies president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta, the Rockies are exploring their options at first:

"We're certainly entertaining the idea of some of the veterans that are out there," DePodesta said during his media session in the Rockies' suite at the posh Waldorf Astoria Hotel. "Right after this, I have a meeting with, or a couple of meetings, with some guys who represent some first basemen.

"But we also have some other guys still on the roster. One guy, in particular, had a nice September last year and did some interesting things, and then a first-round pick from two years ago is also a pretty good-looking player. So anyway, it could end up being a mix."

Clearly, top prospect Charlie Condon is the 1B of the future, but he probably won’t be MLB ready when the Rockies leave Spring Training in March, so they need a stopgap.

It’s worth considering, then, what the Rockies’ options are on the free-agent market.

Who’s available?

There is — as you probably guessed — a lengthy list, this one courtesy of MLB.com:

Naylor is no longer available, and there’s no way Pete Alonso will be signing with Colorado. Presumably, Toglia’s days in purple pinstripes are in the rear-view mirror. Further, let’s assume that Díaz and Okamoto are looking for more than a one-year contract.

How do the other players stack up? Here are the numbers per FanGraphs:

What stands out?

Clearly, Ryan O’Hearn was significantly better than his peers, but, mostly, this is not a stellar group of players. Let’s start culling this list to include the players with the most home runs. I’ll add Luis Arráez, too, given his bat-to-ball skills. I’ve also indicated whether they’re lefties or righties.

• Ryan O’Hearn (17/LHB)
• Rowdy Tellez (17/LHB)
• Josh Bell (22/Both)
• Wilmer Flores (16/RHB)
• Nathaniel Lowe (18/LHB)
• Luis Arráez (8/LHB)

Now consider their histories at Coors Field:

• Ryan O’Hearn — 25 PAs; .304/.360/.478; .838 OPS
• Rowdy Tellez — 38 PAs; .263/.263/.421; .684 OPS
• Josh Bell — 85 PAs; .306/.412/.528; .940 OPS
• Wilmer Flores — 181 PAs; .335/.409/.490; .899 OPS
• Nathaniel Lowe — 13 PAs; .364/.462/.364; .865 OPS
• Luis Arráez — 53 PAs; .280/.321/.340; .661 OPS

Who stands out? To me, there are two names: Wilmer Flores and Josh Bell. Both have, historically, had success at Coors Field, and I’m working under the theory that the Rockies care more about offense than defense. (Frankly, none of these players is an especially notable defender though Ty France is the least bad.)

The Rockies, though, are working under a budget, and they’re probably looking for someone willing to sign a short-term contract. For that, I’m going to turn to MLB Trade Rumors, a site that generally makes pretty good predictions, and if the player isn’t on MLBTR, I’ll provide their most recent salary.

• Ryan O’Hearn (32) — 2 years @ $26 million (projected)
• Rowdy Tellez (30) — 1 year @ $1.5 million (Mariners)
• Josh Bell (33) — 1 year @ $6 million in 2025 (Nationals)
• Wilmer Flores (34) — 3 years @ $16.5 million (Giants)
• Nathaniel Lowe (30) — 1 year @ $10.3 million (Nationals)
• Luis Arráez (28) — 2 years @ $24 million (projected)

Conclusions

It seems pretty clear that Arráez and O’Hearn are looking for more of a commitment than the Rockies are probably willing to offer. It would make sense, too, for Lowe to be shopping for a contract that lasts more than a year given his numbers prior to a very strange 2025.

That leaves Tellez, Bell, and Flores. Whether Flores would take a one-year deal is unclear, but given his age, he might. However, both Bell and Tellez have histories of signing one-year deals. While Bell is the better player, he would also probably demand a greater salary — let’s say $5 million. Then again, he’s a switch hitter, which would prove valuable to the Rockies and provide a possible platoon (kind of) with Blaine Crim.

The question, then, becomes whether the Rockies are willing to pay that much.

They might find the money given that they can perhaps move Bell at the trade deadline based on his past history.

We’re still learning more about Paul DePodesta’s plans for the 2026 Rockies, but if he’s talking to free agents, this might be a group he’s visiting with.

Coaching news

We learned late yesterday per Thomas Harding that the Rockies have found their pitching coach:

Read more about Alon Leichman here, here, and here.

Ryan Spilborghs gave the move his endorsement:

It’s a little disorienting, the Rockies, you know, doing things? But it’s a welcome change.

Closing thoughts

Maybe I’ll have another newsletter on Wednesday. (My papers aren’t due until 11:55 pm, so I’ve got another day to follow rumors and ponder the future.)

It’s an exciting time!

As always, thanks for reading —

Renee

Rockies Pitch is a newsletter that focuses on Colorado Rockies baseball.

Find me on Bluesky at @ReneeDechert.com or send an email to Renee@RockiesPitch.com