Rockies bringing back Charlie Blackmon as veteran presence in ’24

Charlie Blackmon will be back with Colorado Rockies for a 14th season in 2024.

The team announced a new deal with the veteran outfielder / designated hitter on Friday night. Blackmon was set to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

Another year of Chuck Nazty 💜 pic.twitter.com/aB4vx1Vrra

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) September 30, 2023

Blackmon, a four-time All-Star, has played all his MLB years in Denver. He’s a career .296 hitter with 215 home runs and 749 RBI. He’s one of the longest tenured athletes in town, along with Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog.

Blackmon’s only appeared in 93 games this year after a broken hand cost him a few months. But at 37-years-old he’s got at least one more season left in the tank. Blackmon’s hit a respectable .283 at the plate in 2023.

He’ll be a much needed leader for promising youngsters like Nolan Jones, Ezequiel Tovar and Brenton Doyle as the Rockies look to turn things around. Colorado lost 100-plus games in a season for the first time in franchise history, so the rebuild that’s been looming for years is officially here.

And GM Bill Schmidt showed at the trade deadline he’s not afraid to flip established players for prospects, so Blackmon could be on the move next summer.

But for now, he’s a Rockie once again, just like he’s always been.

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