Rockies Have Decisions to Make This Off-Season

The Colorado Rockies are team that raced out of the gates on fire, going 13-4 shocking the baseball world, to a team that finished the season 74-88, back in the cellar of the National League West with the continual theme of injuries surrounding the team.

One area the Rockies have failed at is spending money on free-agents and trading for players while they are in contention. But this offseason, the Rockies were active, bidding on Cuban superstar Jose Dariel Abreu for roughly around the $63-million dollar mark. The Chicago White Sox outbid the Rockies, signing Abreu to a six-year deal worth $68-million. But nonetheless, this action seems like the Rockies are moving in the right direction.

This current ball club has holes to fill, especially with 17-year veteran Todd Helton retiring. They like the idea of moving NL Batting Champion Michael Cuddyer from right field to first base, leaving the Rockies searching for an outfield bat. With the outbreak of Charlie Blackmon in the 2nd half of the season, and the steady play from Corey Dickerson, Dexter Fowler has been a topic of conversion with the team. According to Troy Renck of the Denver Post, the Rockies are listening to offers for the centerfielder, who only played in 119 games, hitting .263. Rockies have shown interest in acquiring Oakland Athletics’ outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, who would provide a power bat, moving Carlos Gonzalez to centerfield.

Heading into the 2014 season, the Rockies have a formidable rotation they are excited about. Jhoulys Chacin (14-10), Jorge De La Rosa (16-6), and Tyler Chatwood (8-5) all had good seasons for the Rockies. In the games started by those three, the Rockies went 49-32, but here lies the problem. In the other 81 games, the 4-5 starters accumulated 25 wins and 56 losses. This includes right-hander Juan Nicasio. He went 9-9, but in his 31 starts, the team went 14-17. Juan had an odd-season, in June he was sent down after giving up seven runs on 2 1/3 innings to the eventual World Series Champion Boston Red Sox, and was struggling to find the zone. He was sent down to the Colorado Spring Sky Sox, and that’s when the Rockies took a chance on veteran Roy Oswalt. Oswalt was signed on May 2nd to fill a void for Jeff Francis and John Garland, who struggled mightily. Oswalt would wind up finishing 0-6, with an atrocious 8.63 ERA, giving up 31 earned runs in 32 1/3, and battled a hamstring injury. Juan Nicasio was called back up on July 12th to face the Dodgers to face ace Clayton Kershaw, and shut them out 3-0.

Rockies head coach Walt Weiss said the Rockies will be active in search of a starting- pitcher, and bullpen help. Rockies closer Rafael Betancourt went down on August 23th after what was a season-ending elbow injury, which he elected for Tommy John surgery. This injury paved the way for next season’s closer Rex Brothers. Rex had a great season. He didn’t make the All-Star game, which was a surprise, but managed to save 19 games, supporting a 1.74 ERA, with 74 strikeouts in 67 1/3 innings. He and Adam Ottavino were the bright spots of a weak bullpen. Ottavino went from being a spot reliever to a potential set-up man next year. He finished 1-3, with a 2.64 ERA. Expect to see Chad Bettis and Adam Ottavino in the set-up role in the upcoming season, pending a trade. They did however pick up the $4.25 million option on Matt Belisle; he could be in the mix as well.

The Rockies do however have promising young pitchers in their minor league system, Jonathan Gray (2013 1st round pick, 2nd overall) and Eddie Butler. Gray was stellar in his pro-ball debut at High-A Modesto. In nine starts, he went 4-0 with a 0.75 ERA. A stat to keep in mind is in 37.1 innings pitched, he struck out 51 batters. Butler on the other hand was promoted to Double-AA Tulsa in the middle of the season. He went 1-0 in six starts, with a 0.65 ERA. If these two pitchers can come up some time in June or sooner with the Rockies contending, they could be a dangerous team going forward.

It will be interesting to see how free-agency pans out for the Colorado Rockies. What will they do about 1st base, right-field, bullpen, and starting pitching. They have shown that they are now aggressive and willing to spend the money for the talent, it just all comes down to depth. Also, keep your eye on centerfielder Dexter Fowler; he is a possible candidate to get moved this offseason.

Also, the Rockies have shown interest in relief pitchers, Brian Wilson, Grant Balfour, & Jose Veras, all hard-throwing righties, and have signed Greg Burke, former New York Met, to a minor-league contract.