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Rays acquire Dickerson from Rockies in 4-player deal

Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

The Colorado Rockies eased the congestion in their crowded outfield Thursday by trading Corey Dickerson and minor-league third baseman Kevin Padlo the Tampa Bay Rays for left-handed reliever Jake McGee and minor-league right-hander German Marquez.

Dickerson, who had been linked to the Rays since Colorado signed Gerardo Parra last week, will head to Tampa Bay following an injury-shortened season in which he hit .304/.333/.536 (118 OPS+) with 10 homers and 18 doubles in 65 games, missing time with plantar fasciitis. Since debuting with the Rockies in 2013, the 26-year-old owns an .879 OPS (125 OPS+) in 265 games, but has struggled mightily away from the hitter-friendly confines of Coors Field.

Split AVG OBP SLG K%
Home .355 .410 .675 16.7%
Away .249 .286 .410 25.6%

Still, Dickerson is cheaper and offered more years of team control than either Charlie Blackmon or Carlos Gonzalez, both of whom were bandied about in trade rumors, as well. Dickerson, an eighth-round pick in the 2010 draft, will likely take over as either Tampa Bay's primary right fielder or serve as the strong side of a platoon with Brandon Guyer and/or Steve Pearce.

Along with improving their outfield depth, the Rays also added Padlo, a fifth-round pick in the 2014 draft, to their increasingly impressive stable of prospects. Still just 19 years old, Padlo managed an .819 OPS with 11 homers and 35 stolen bases in 97 games split between Colorado's affiliates in the short-season Northwest League and Low-A South Atlantic League in 2015.

McGee, meanwhile, will likely serve as closer in a revamped Rockies bullpen bolstered in recent months by the additions of Jason Motte and Chad Qualls. Like Dickerson, McGee spent a considerable part of 2015 on the disabled list, but the 29-year-old still fashioned a 2.41 ERA (165 ERA+) with a 0.94 WHIP over 39 appearances while posting a 32.7 percent strikeout rate.

Though McGee remains under team control for two more years, his salary climbed to $4.8 million this season in his second year of arbitration eligibility - a likely motivation for the cost-conscious Rays to swap him for Dickerson, who will earn close to the league minimum in 2016.

"It was kind of crazy," McGee told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times about the deal, adding that he was "sad" to leave the only organization he's played for since being drafted by Tampa Bay back in 2004.

In addition to unloading McGee's salary, the Rays also parted ways with Marquez, a 20-year-old Venezuela native who crafted a 3.56 ERA with a 3.59 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 139 innings for High-A Charlotte in 2015. One of several pitching prospects acquired by the Rockies in recent months, Marquez will likely open the 2016 campaign with Double-A Hartford.

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