The late innings were a nightmare for the Rockies a year ago and McGee should help in that area. He slashed.294/.404/.502 at Low-A Boise last season but struggled at the next level, batting.145/.273/.277 at High-A Asheville.
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This July 11, 2015 photo shows Tampa Bay Rays reliever Jake McGee pitching against the Houston Astros during a baseball game in St. Petersburg, Fla.
DEVELOPING: The Rays are finalizing a deal to send LHP Jake McGee to the Rockies for OF Corey Dickerson.
Colorado had an abundance of left-handed hitting outfielders with the recent signing of Gerardo Parra. The Rays are used to having more than enough viable arms, and now they can sit back and let teams in need of an outfielder come to them. The left-handed hitter was coming off an injury-plagued season, landing on the disable list twice with plantar fasciitis in his left foot and once for a broken rib. Since the Colorado Rockies acquired McGee, they must have acquired a minor-league starting pitching prospect in the process.
There are more than a few teams looking for outfielders at this time, including the Kansas City Royals, Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Angels.
The Rays now have a crowded outfield, with Desmond Jennings, Kevin Kiermaier and Steven Souza originally locked in to man the outfield grass in Tropicana Field.
Rockies left fielder Corey Dickerson is the subject of persistent trade rumors. Over the past two seasons, he’s thrown 108⅔innings with a 2.07 ERA.
Still, if McGee has continued to recover from his surgery and return to the form that he showed during the 2014 season, the Rockies will have added a valuable arm to their bullpen, something that every team can always improve on. He went 1-2, 2.41 ERA and six saves in 39 appearances in 2015.
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He is expected to earn $4.8 million in 2016 with one more year of arbitration remaining before becoming free agent.
