DENVER -- The Winter Meetings are all about splashes. Since taking over as the Rockies’ general manager during the 2021 season, Bill Schmidt has (mostly) been about maintaining a steady flow that is expected to pay off in future years.

But going into the event that officially starts Sunday in San Diego, there are places where the Rockies can make enough ripples to give themselves a chance to make 2023 more than a year of waiting for a solid next generation of position players to impact the team. After four straight losing seasons, bottoming out with a 68-94 finish in ’22, the waiting has gotten tedious in the Mile High city.

What will happen at the Winter Meetings? Hate to disappoint, but because the Rockies are not expected to make a move anywhere near as big as last March’s seven-year, $182 million deal for Kris Bryant, it’s possible they’ll play the waiting game while addressing their needs. As they showed during last year’s Trade Deadline, they’re not going to let the calendar dictate strategy.

Here is the list of events, followed by a look at what to expect, or not expect, from the Rockies:

Key events

Sunday, Dec. 4: HOF Contemporary Era Ballot results released (Albert Belle, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Don Mattingly, Fred McGriff, Dale Murphy, Rafael Palmeiro, Curt Schilling)
Monday, Dec. 5: All-MLB Team announced
Tuesday, Dec. 6: Inaugural Draft Lottery, AL/NL Relievers of Year announced
Wednesday, Dec. 7: Rule 5 Draft

Club needs

Left-handed bat and outfield, possibly two in the same guy: Given how poor the offense was, especially on the road, this has to be addressed. But the Rockies truly believe in their prospects. So how enthusiastically will they participate in the chase for Brandon Nimmo, the top free-agent center fielder? Or do they put most of their negotiating capital toward a shorter deal for, say, Cody Bellinger, Kevin Kiermaier or Andrew Benintendi -- all with a history of impact, but also at a stage of their career where building their value in a hitter’s park on a short deal is not the worst idea?

Pitching -- starting or relief: Unless the Rockies pull off a trade involving prospects, it’s hard to see them making a Winter Meetings splash for the rotation. Expect something on the level of the re-signing of José Ureña. Schmidt’s slow and steady approach to the bullpen -- signing closer Daniel Bard to a two-year extension in July, claiming Dinelson Lamet after the idle Deadline and avoiding arbitration with a one-year deal, claiming Brent Suter off waivers -- has given that group a foundation.

Potential trade candidates

First baseman C.J. Cron and his $7.25 million contract could attract other teams, but his struggles after a midseason hand injury discouraged clubs at the Trade Deadline. The Rockies may be covered if they deal Cron. Left-handed-hitting Nolan Jones, acquired from the Guardians in an under-the-radar November deal, has played first base well and shown power at the Minor League level, and switch-hitting Michael Toglia and right-handed-hitting Elehuris Montero had their moments as rookies last season.

Teams ask Colorado about moving big-contract starting pitchers Kyle Freeland or Germán Márquez, but given the difficulty in developing pitching, the Rockies will bank on them rebounding from difficult stretches in 2022. An interesting figure is Gold Glove second baseman Brendan Rodgers, who had a breakout 2022. He looks to be a key lineup piece rather than someone to bring future-enhancing players in a trade, but one never knows what can happen when teams get together at the Winter Meetings.

Prospects to know

The Rockies have made it clear to agents that they are not going to block their best prospects. This was the case in 2022 with the Rockies giving José Iglesias only a one-year deal so they would not block Ezequiel Tovar, who arrived at the end of the season. Going into ’23, the presence of outfielder Zac Veen, No. 23 in MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects and atop the Rockies’ rankings, dictates that Colorado is more likely than not to sign a short-term left-handed bat for the outfield. Veen is expected to begin the year at Double-A Hartford, but he could arrive in Denver by season’s end, and No. 22 prospect Brenton Doyle should begin at Triple-A Albuquerque and could make the Majors sooner than Veen.

Nimmo could solve the Rockies’ center-field problem, but if the team goes short term, it could bring in a lefty bat to pair with right-handed-hitting Yonathan Daza. Such a move would leave the path clearer for No. 6 prospect Benny Montgomery, whose Major League debut is more likely to come in 2024.

Rule 5 Draft

Righty Brayan Castillo has shown velocity but needs polish and was left unprotected. He comes closest to the type of big arm that gets selected away in the Rule 5 Draft. If the Rockies make a pick, it would likely be for a hard-throwing reliever. But the preferred bullpen move would be to re-sign free-agent righty Carlos Estévez, whom the club would like to bring back if he doesn’t find a closing opportunity elsewhere.

Burning question

Can the Rockies turn things around with what they have? A theme from 2022 was they had Bryant for just 42 games, and Colorado never learned what would have happened had he not battled back and foot injuries the rest of the time. But Freeland, Márquez, third baseman Ryan McMahon and catcher Elias Díaz are part of a long list of players who had long stretches of ineffectiveness. With the team believing the future is in its prospects, ’23 is in the hands of players who saw ’22 slip through their hands.