Could the Colorado Rockies Trade For This A's Outfielder?

The Colorado Rockies need an outfielder, and the A's have plenty

The Oakland A's have a number of young outfield options on the roster, with more on the way. As of right now, it appears as though Seth Brown is set to be in a platoon role with newcomer Miguel Andújar to start the season, and that is if Lawrence Butler, part of the A's core group moving forward, begins the year in the minor leagues.

The way it looks right now, the A's would have Brown/Andújar in left or right field, Esteury Ruiz in center, and then JJ Bleday in the corner not occupied by the platoon. That's four outfielders on the roster already. Brent Rooker can also roam out there, so the A's would have plenty of options even without Butler on the roster. 

From a roster construction standpoint, it wouldn't be surprising if the A's traded an outfielder away, and given that Brown is projected to be the third-highest paid player on the roster at $2.3 million via arbitration and that he has three years of team control left, if someone is traded it could be the 31-year-old. This would open up playing time for some of the younger players in yet another rebuilding season for Oakland. 

The Colorado Rockies make sense as a trade partner for Brown since they're reportedly looking for a left-handed outfielder that can preferably play all three outfield spots. Brown is mostly a corner outfielder these days, but has played center in the past, most recently in 2021 and he graded out above average defensively. He's also been a solid bat since his debut in 2019. Despite low batting averages, he has been an above average hitter in two of the three seasons. 2023 was his worst season by wRC+ with a 92 (100 is league average), but even then he was close to average. 

The Rockies could also benefit from some of his veteran experience, and the A's would be doing him a solid by getting him out of their whole relocation mess. As one of the only veteran players on the club last season, he was constantly asked about Las Vegas, and that had to get old. 

In his career, Brown has hit right-handers much better than lefties, holding a .237 average with a .305 OBP and a 116 wRC+. If the Rockies are interested, he could be available, and a potential trade could go in a few different ways. 

The A's would likely want to keep adding arms to their system, so we're likely looking at a pitcher unless Colorado is willing to trade away Elehuris Montero, 26-year-old a third/first baseman with some pop. 

If he's not available, someone like Ryan Rolison, a former first rounder that is also 26 and hasn't pitched regularly since 2021 after undergoing surgery in June of 2022. He missed some time at the beginning of '23, tossed 11 innings in the minors from the middle of May to early June, then landed on the 60-day IL for the second season in a row.

Rolison was outrighted from the Rockies roster earlier this off-season. The left-hander was also Colorado's number five prospect in 2022. MLB Pipeline says his ceiling is a number four starter if he can stay healthy. That doesn't sound like a terrible swap for either team.