Rockies trade Joe to Pirates for Minor League righty

DENVER -- Looking to build depth throughout their organization, the Rockies acquired Minor League right-hander Nick Garcia from the Pirates on Sunday night for outfielder Connor Joe -- who returns to the team that drafted him in the first round in 2014.

Garcia, who turns 24 on April 20, was a Pirates third-round pick in 2020 out of Chapman University in Orange, Calif. Last season in 25 appearances (23 starts) at High-A Greensboro, Garcia went 4-4 with a 3.66 ERA and 109 strikeouts to 46 walks in 113 innings. In two professional seasons, Garcia is 9-8 with a 3.88 ERA in 46 games (36 starts), with 192 strikeouts in 187 2/3 innings.

“We had interest in him as an amateur,” Rockies general manager Bill Schmidt said Sunday night. “He has a good arm, a solid-average fastball, at times plus. He has a solid changeup and a breaking ball that has a chance to be average. We’re trying to build depth, so he is another guy that’s ready to go to Double-A. We’re trying to add arms.”

Joe, 30, established himself as a Major Leaguer in 2021, after battling testicular cancer in 2020. He began the 2022 season receiving regular playing time, at times leading off, but tailed off during the second half. He finished last season with a .238/.338/.359 slash line, with seven home runs and 28 RBIs.

During the recent Winter Meetings in San Diego, one of the Rockies’ objectives -- outside of filling some holes on the current Major League roster -- was improving depth throughout the organization. As the meetings progressed, it became clear that teams had interest in Joe, and the Rockies felt they had enough depth to part with him.

Right-handed-hitting Sean Bouchard showed enough in a late-season trial (.297/.454/.500, three homers) to be considered part of the future. Right-handed-hitting No. 23 prospect Brenton Doyle finished last season strong in Triple-A, and No. 1 prospect/No. 23 in the MLB Pipeline Top 100 Zac Veen could arrive at some point in '23.

“Connor did a good job for us last season, especially at the beginning of the season, with his ability to play right field and other positions,” Schmidt said. “We felt we were trading from a position of depth.”

The reputation of the Rockies’ system has grown over the past year-plus based on talented position players, but not as much among pitchers.

However, the last three Drafts and a couple of trades this offseason have added numbers on the starting pitching side. During the Winter Meetings, the club sent reliever Chad Smith to the Athletics for righty starter Jeff Criswell, who reached Triple-A in 2022 and is on the Rockies’ prospect list at No. 19.

Criswell is farther from the Majors and was not listed on the Pirates’ Top 30 list, but there is opportunity to compete for a future with the Rockies.

The trade increased the Rockies’ flexibility for other moves by reducing the Major League roster to 38, two below the limit. The team signed right-handed setup man Pierce Johnson last week and has been exploring adding another experienced reliever. The Rockies remain on the lookout for a starter ready to compete for a Major League job and a left-handed bat -- ideally one who can play center field -- for the regular lineup.