Why did the Colorado Rockies sign Orlando Arcia?
There are plenty of theories, but not many answers.
Daniel Álvarez-Montes broke the news on Monday:
The Colorado Rockies’ decision to sign yet another veteran utility player — especially one with primary defensive experience at shortstop and second base — made little sense.
It might have a month ago.
That was when Ezequiel Tovar went on the IL with a hip injury, Thairo Estrada was recovering from a wrist fracture, Tyler Freeman was out with an oblique issue, and Aaron Schunk suffered a groin strain. The Rockies quickly recalled second baseman Adael Amador and traded for old friend Alan Trejo in an attempt to field a complete team while the starters and depth options recovered.
Sure, they had Kyle Farmer, but the 34-year-old was beginning to experience some back issues given all the playing time he had received.
And while all this was happening, the Rockies were solidifying their place in the record books for being historically bad.
But last week, they seemed to be past that. Sure, they were still losing, but Tovar, Schunk, and Freeman had returned with Estrada expected to join the Rockies for their series with the New York Mets starting today.
Meanwhile, shortstop Ryan Ritter has been positively torrid. Here are his numbers in terms of the Pacific Coast League as of Wednesday: 10 home runs (1st); 10 doubles (1st); 75 total bases (1st); 31 hits (tied for 1st); 1.333 OPS (1st); .904 OPS (1st); and 24 RBI (2nd).
Yet the Rockies signed a DFA’d Orlando Arcia.
According to Jon Heyman, both the Mets and New York Yankees offered Arcia minor-league contracts, but as Ryan Herrera reported, the Rockies moved quickly in contacting Arcia’s agent and offering him an MLB deal.
“We are trying to get better,” general manager Bill Schmidt told Patrick Saunders. “Arcia gives us some versatility and he’ll be our utility infielder.” (What that means for Farmer and Freeman, who knows?)
As Herrera notes, Schmidt was clear that Arcia is not guaranteed a starting position, and he should be prepared to play all four infield positions.
Why would the Rockies make this signing? It’s worth taking a moment to game out the possibilities.
Some background
Arcia was traded to Atlanta by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2021. During his time there, Arcia slashed .238/.296/.449. In 1349 at-bats, he had 321 hits, including 62 doubles and 48 home runs. He was also an All-Star in 2023 after a playing a hot first half. However, he cooled off later in the season and has failed to post comparable numbers since.
The trend did not change in 2025. Over 25 at-bats, he slashed .194/.219/.226, hence the eventual DFA to make space on the 40-man roster for Ronald Acuña Jr.
He has played 22 games at Coors Field. In 78 at-bats, Arcia has 22 hits, including three doubles, one triple, two home runs in addition to four stolen bases for a .764 OPS.
His experience has primarily been at shortstop followed by second. However, Arcia has seven games at third as well as some outfield experience. Overall, he is an average-to-slightly-below-average defender.
What Bill Schmidt is seeing remains unclear. However, here are some possiblities.
The Rockies are continuing to collect marginal utility players — Perhaps you remember Harold Castro’s unremarkable 2023 with the Rockies in which he played quite a lot but was fairly ineffective. Or maybe you’re thinking of their trade with the Tampa Bay Rays for Greg Jones, who only played six games with the Rockies in 2024 before being DFA’d in 2025. They had hoped to use Kris Bryant in a modified utility role (first base, left field, DH), but everyone knows how that one worked out.
Their decision to sign Farmer has been fine. He has proven to be a solid if unremarkable bench player who got off to a hot start but has since cooled off. Whether the Nolan-Jones-for-Tyler-Freeman trade was a good idea remains to be seen.
Maybe they are trying to replicate the “optionality” that the Los Angeles Dodgers have excelled at developing, but this has yet to be a successful move for the Rockies.
Granted, Arcia has the benefit of requiring them to only play the league minimum. Plus, he’s got that year as an All-Star.
Still, it’s difficult to see him making the kind of offensive contributions the Rockies desperately need though it’s worth noting that Arcia did get two hits in three at-bats against the Cubs on Wednesday. The question is whether he can consistently do that.
The Rockies are planning to give players more days off — The last three seasons have seen infielders Ezequiel Tovar, Ryan McMahon, and Michael Toglia getting very little time off. During the offseason, Schmidt was clear they wanted to give their starters a little more recovery time, and Arcia, in addition to Farmer and Freeman, could fill that role.
The Rockies are preparing for the trade deadline — The organization has, famously, been reluctant to move players. However, Schmidt has shown some acuity at singing reliever on one-year deals and flipping them at the trade deadline. Cases in point include Pierce Johnson, Brad Hand, Nick Mears, and Jalen Beeks.
Surely, this was Schmidt’s thinking in signing Thairo Estrada, who has always been effective at Coors Field. Granted the trade deadline is fast approaching and Estrada has yet to appear in an MLB game. However, should the Rockies move Estrada, Arcia would be positioned to step in at second. (Adael Amador has shown he will need more time in the minors before he is ready for a full-time promotion.)
Or perhaps Schmidt is hoping to trade Ryan McMahon, one of the Rockies more valuable trade chips. If that’s the case, they might look to use Arcia in the hot corner.
Maybe Arcia is hoping that regular playing time will make him an attractive candidate at the trade deadline?
Who knows? The problem is that this seems more like hoping and less like planning.
The Rockies are trying to look like they’re doing something — This is the least-generous explanation: In the face of overwhelming negative publicity, Schmidt is trying to show that he’s being proactive in addressing the Rockies needs.
Closing thoughts — So, why did the Rockies sign Orlando Arcia?
Reader, I have absolutely no idea, and I’ve not read any explanations that provide clarity.
The flaws in the Rockies process have become clear this year, and there’s no sense that the organization will receive less attention given the historic nature of this season. The fact that there’s no clear rationale behind the signing is just very Rockies, and that’s bad.
But we’ll see how things play out.
What I’m Watching
Usually, this is where I try to provide you with a few things I think you might enjoy reading, but this week, I’ve only got one recommendation: “Spilly on the Rox,” Ryan Spilborghs’ podcast.
This is something I stumbled onto this week, and I’m still working my way through the 21 episodes Spilbroghs has recorded this season.
The podcasts vary in length: As short and nine minutes and as long as 30 minutes. But if you are a Rockies fans looking for insightful analysis, Spilborghs has it.
When he’s working for the Rockies Baseball Network, he has to be positive. When he’s on “Loud Outs” or an Apple TV+ broadcast, he’s addressing a national audience. But when he’s making “Spilly on the Rox,” it’s a Rockies deep-dive, the kind of thing Rockies fans don’t see often. For example, in this episode, he goes into some detail about Carson Palmquist’s arm release point and why it matters.
He’s not afraid to be critical, and he’s got some themes he keeps hitting, namely the Rockies need to bring in a third-party evaluator.
Seriously, if you want some thoughtful Rockies insight, this podcast is the way to go.
Closing Thoughts
And that’s it for this week.
The Rockies will be on the road this week. Tonight, they’ll start a three-game series with the Mets before heading to Miami to play the Marlins. Although the Marlins are not good, the Rockies traditionally play horribly there.
One thing’s for sure: This team needs some wins. They seem to be less bad now, but being less bad is not enough. And until the offense starts hitting, it’s difficult to see an end to the Rockies losing streak.
As always, thanks for reading, and feel free to share this with a friend.
Renee
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Rockies Pitch is a newsletter that focuses on Colorado Rockies baseball. Find me on Bluesky at @Renee.Dechert.com.
