The Colorado Rockies have made their first move during this trade cycle, getting reliever Seunghwan Oh from the Toronto Blue Jays. Oh will join a bullpen that has struggled for most of this season, but has come along in the past month. In return, Colorado gave up a few minor leaguers – first baseman Chad Spanberger and outfielder Forrest Wall, along with a player to be named later.
Oh has been impressive this season. In 48 games this year he has given up only 14 earned runs, and has 55 strikeouts. He has blown three saves in five opportunities. He will join fireballer Adam Ottavino and closer Wade Davis, who has picked up his game in the month of July, in the backend of the bullpen. He could see action as a setup man in the seventh inning. He has good numbers against both right-handed and left-handed batters, so he can be used in a variety of situations. The 36 year old veteran has played only three seasons in MLB since coming over from Japan. In his short career, he played two seasons with St. Louis before signing with Toronto as a free agent. He’s played in 186 MLB games and has a 2.81 ERA with 212 strikeouts.
Oh came at a relatively cheap price for Colorado. The Rockies will only pay $500,000 of his contract this year, with a club option for the 2019 season. First baseman Spanberger was rated as the #24 prospect in Colorado’s system. At Class-A Ashville, he hit .314 and had 22 home runs for the Tourists. He also had 75 runs batted in. Spanberger was drafted in the 6th round of the 2017 draft by the Rockies. At High-A Lancaster of the California League, Wall hit .305 and had 19 RBI’s in 47 games. He struggled a bit since moving to Double-A Hartford, but was still rated as the #13 prospect in Colorado’s system. For the Yard Goats, Wall hit .206 and had six home runs in 46 games. Wall can play both infield and outfield, as he was drafted as a second baseman but moved to centerfield in the Rockies farm system.
Oh addresses a need in the bullpen, but the Rockies still need a left-handed reliever. Jake McGee has struggled all season, and Chris Rusin is currently on the disabled list. He too has struggled this year as well. More than likely, this will not be the last move Colorado makes before the trade deadline. The Oh trade will be a good bargain for the Rockies as they make their drive to postseason.
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