The Colorado Rockies made a trade and signed a new player on Monday. But moves are a little curious.
First, the Rockies traded for Texas Rangers utility infielder Richie Martin , per his MiLB.com page . That's a bit misleading. He was in the Rangers' organization and was playing at Triple-A Round Rock. He was signed to a minor league deal in January but didn't make the opening day roster. The terms weren't disclosed.
Second, the Rockies signed Ben Wilmes, per Hawkeye Report's Kyle Heusmann . He covers the University of Iowa for On3.com. Wilmes is a former Iowa Hawkeye baseball player who, up until this point, was playing for the Boise Hawks in the Pioneer League.
So, what's going on here?
Richie Martin takes a swing during the home opener for the Gastonia Ghost Peppers. | Mike Hensdill/THE GASTON GAZETTE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Martin has Major League experience. He broke in with the Baltimore Orioles in 2019 and played for the O's from 2021-22. He was a former first-round pick of the Athletics in 2015 out of Florida. With Baltimore he slashed .212/.261/.311 with seven home runs and 34 RBI.
After the Orioles designated him for assignment and optioned him at the end of the 2022 season, he spent the next four years bouncing around pro baseball with the Washington Nationals , the Los Angeles Angels , the Atlantic League's Gastonia Ghost Peppers and the Rangers.
Texas signed in in January as depth for their battle at second base, a position vacated after the Rangers traded Marcus Semien to the New York Mets . Martin was optioned back to the minors in March, and he played for Round Rock, where he slashed .234/.345/.362 with four home runs and 23 RBI.
Colorado probably traded for him to give them more depth in the middle infield if needed. He was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque per his MiLB.com player page.
As for Wilmes, he has never played in minor league baseball. The second baseman went undrafted after four years with the Hawkeyes. He graduated in 2025 and landed with Boise this spring. There, he slashed .290/.371/.581 with two home runs and six RBI.
This is a move designed to give Wilmes a chance to show he's worth a long-term look in the minors. Most unaffiliate baseball teams are the equivalents of either High-A or Double-A, depending on the quality of the talent. His MiLB page does not show a minor league assignment, and he's not included on the MiLB transaction log. Monday is a day off in the minor leagues so his transaction and affiliate assignment will likely hit later this week.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/rockies/onsi as Rockies' Latest Transactions Have Low-Risk, But Perhaps Not High Reward .
