Take a trip down memory lane to last winter, when the Rockies signed Gerardo Parra to a four-year, $38 million contract. At the time it didn't make sense. They already had outfielders Charlie Blackmon, Carlos Gonzalez and Corey Dickerson performing well at the plate, with top OF prospect David Dahl all but major-league ready.
They traded Dickerson to Tampa to make initial room for Parra, who proceeded to have an awful year offensively with a career-low .671 OPS — in COLORADO. Despite Parra's most attractive attribute as a free agent being outfield defense, he ended up spending a good chunk of time at first base once the Rockies brought Dahl up in July.