While the rest of the National League West is busy vying for some of the top talent available, the Colorado Rockies have continued a steady course of working lower-risk deals of building depth in the form of minor league deals. The team has committed guaranteed money to just three players in free agency this offseason, instead focusing on building a contingency plan to support the youth of the team as they try to build up from consecutive 100-loss seasons.

The Rockies’ two recent signings, as first reported by MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, come in the form of minor league deals for former first-round pick Keston Hiura and outfielder Nick Martini. Both players will receive non-roster invites to Spring Training next month.

On the surface, it can seem confusing that the Rockies are adding Hiura and Martini as the majority of the roster seems set after the signing of second baseman Thairo Estrada. The team has made it clear the intention of letting youth try to break through, but adding depth options that could step in should something happen between now and the start of the 2025 season is a procedural move every team makes.

Hiura, 28, was the ninth overall pick by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2017 and quickly rose through the ranks, making his debut in 2019. He excelled in 84 games during his rookie season, batting .303/.368/.570 with 19 home runs. He appeared ready to become an every day contributor for the Brew Crew but the cracks immediately began to show during the 2020 shortened season. Hiura played in 59 games during the 60-game season and swatted 13 home runs, but he also led the league with 85 strikeouts and had a meager .212 batting average and .297 on-base percentage.

He struggled in 61 games in 2021 before playing in 80 games in 2022 where he hit 14 home runs and had a slightly improved .226 AVG. However, he didn’t appear in the majors during 2023, spending the majority of the year in Triple-A where he slashed .308/.395/.565 with 23 home runs. He was granted free agency after the season and bounced around the league spending time in the Detroit Tigers system before signing with the Los Angeles Angels half-way through the year and appearing in just 10 games at the big league level to minuscule results.

Power has certainly been on display throughout Hiura’s career, as he has slugged 50 in the majors and 99 in the minors. His right-handed power has been a bright spot, but his career is still hindered by the number of strikeouts. At this point, he has 1,084 major league plate appearances and a 36% strikeout rate and in 2024 alone, he struck out 29.4% of the time in the minors. He certainly fits in well with the Rockies who had one of the highest strikeout rates in baseball a season ago, but he still appears as a backup option across the diamond in case of emergency. He came up as a second baseman but hasn’t been well-regarded, leading him to play more at first base and make occasional stops in left field. His batting profile echoes that of current first baseman Michael Toglia who the Rockies are hoping can take another step forward offensively after swatting 25 home runs last season.

Additionally, the team is hoping Kris Bryant can stay healthy after three straight injury-laden seasons while serving as the primary designated hitter and occasional first baseman and right fielder. It will take some work for Hiura to break camp with the Rockies, but should he perform well and contribute in Triple-A Albuquerque, the Rockies could turn to him when the need arises and benefit from his play.

Martini, 35, on the other hand is on the same Spring Training trajectory as Bradley Zimmer a year ago. Originally drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the seventh round back in 2011, Martini made his debut with the Oakland Athletics in 2018, playing in 55 games to favorable results. However, he bounced around the league as a journeyman outfielder spending time with the A’ and San Diego Padres in 2019, a depth piece for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2020, and 25 games with the Chicago Cubs in 2021. Martini headed to Korea for the 2022 season opting to re-establish himself by playing for the NC Dinos of the KBO League. He played 139 games for the Dinos, batting .296/.365/.461 with 16 home runs and 85 RBI, leading the Cincinnati Reds to sign Martini under a Minor League deal in 2023.

He hit .264 with six homers and 16 RBIs in 29 Major League games in 2023 before managing to appear in his first Opening Day last year, hitting two home runs in an 8-2 victory over the Washington Nationals. Unfortunately, Martini missed most of the second half of the season with a thumb injury and was removed from the roster.

The Rockies are pretty well set in the outfield with a plethora of options such as Brenton Doyle, Nolan Jones, Sam Hilliard, Jordan Beck, Greg Jones, Sean Bouchard, Zac Veen among many others. He has 575 career plate appearances over five separate seasons with a 9.6% walk rate and 21.7% strikeout rate, both of which are slightly better than average. His .252/.336/.400 batting line leads to a 101 wRC+ and defensively he has played all three outfield positions.