Rockies bolster bullpen with veteran lefty Alexander

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The Rockies added to a competitive situation in their bullpen by finalizing a one-year agreement with left-hander Scott Alexander on Wednesday.

Alexander, 35, is 20-15 with 10 saves and a career 3.20 ERA in 328 appearances (13 starts) with four teams. He spent last season with the Athletics (1-3 with a 2.56 ERA in 45 games), during which he missed the first two-plus months at the start of the year with a left rib bone contusion and half of August with left rotator cuff tendinitis.

The club designated utility infielder Aaron Schunk for assignment. Schunk debuted with the Rockies last season and batted .234 with two home runs and seven RBIs in 39 games.

Rockies general manager Bill Schmidt has been seeking a veteran lefty to add to what is a hard-throwing but youthful bullpen. Alexander, who broke in with the Royals in 2015 and spent time with the Dodgers (2018-21) and Giants (2022-23), has a career 1.46 ERA in 14 career games (two starts) at Coors Field and owns a career 67.9 percent ground-ball rate.

“He has the ability to get a left-hander out,” Schmidt said. “He’s a one-inning guy. With a lot of young guys in the bullpen, it gives you a veteran to add to the group down there.”

In 2024, Alexander posted a 155 ERA+ (100 being MLB average), struck out 31 against 15 walks in 38 2/3 innings and held opposing hitters to a .223 batting average and .642 OPS. Left-handed batters hit .161 against him.

Alexander joins a lefty bullpen crew that has previewed possibilities.

Luis Peralta, 24, began last year at High-A in the Pirates' Minor League affiliate, joined the Rockies in a Trade Deadline swap for veteran lefty Jalen Beeks and debuted in the Majors with a 0.73 ERA in 15 games.

Evan Justice made a fast rise to debut in 2023 and was limited to one Major League appearance because of a lower back injury he sustained in Triple-A, but he threw seven hitless Arizona Fall League innings before closing the championship game for the Salt River Rafters.

Lucas Gilbreath, who was developing into a dependable lefty before Tommy John surgery in 2022 and saw his comeback in ‘24 limited by shoulder issues, is building up for a comeback. Doctors discovered compression in the neck-shoulder area and Gilbreath underwent neurogenic thoracic outlet surgery in October. He hopes to face hitters next week.

Non-roster rookie Jack O’Loughlin, who debuted with four games for the A's last season, has looked good in the early days of camp, Schmidt said.

Schmidt and manager Bud Black have raised the possibility of Rockies No. 14 prospect Carson Palmquist being carried as a reliever if he doesn’t earn a rotation spot. Palmquist posted a combined 3.98 ERA with 144 strikeouts in 117 2/3 innings at Double-A Hartford and Triple-A Albuquerque.

If Schunk, 27, is not claimed by another club, he will compete for a utility job on the team.

Prepping for technology

The Rockies will have an MLB-high 27 Spring Training games with the experimental Automatic Balls and Strikes (ABS) challenge system. To prepare, they’ve been using their Trackman ball-tracking system during live batting practice on the back fields at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick.

Those who have not recently played in the Arizona Fall League or Triple-A have not experienced the system in a regular-season game. This spring, each team will have two challenges per game. If a team is wrong, it loses a challenge.

“There’s going to be a little more interaction with the guys behind us -- the technology people,” said Black, who said he has met with Triple-A Albuquerque manager Pedro Lopez and staff for guidance on judiciously using challenges. “They can catch a pitch: ‘Hey, was that a strike?’ just to get a feel for that.”

Veteran non-roster catcher Austin Nola, who spent last season at Triple-A Omaha with the Royals, said he embraced the technology.

“I’ve always been more traditional, coming up on my 13th or 14th Spring Training,” Nola said. “I’ve seen what technology has done. It’s good for the fans -- more enjoyment from a fan’s perspective. Whatever to grow the game. As a player, you want to make it more popular.”

For openers

Righty Bradley Blalock, who went 1-3 with a 5.87 ERA in seven appearances (six starts) with the Rockies last season after arriving in a trade with the Brewers, will start Friday’s Cactus League opener against the Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick.