By Jordan Long
The Colorado Rockies have big decisions looming. General Manager Jeff Bridich will look to improve this team. The first order of business is to figure out which key free agents he wants to keep.
The Rockies acquired catcher Jonathan Lucroy July 30th. He batted .310 with 2 home runs and 13 RBI’s. The Rockies didn’t trade for him because of his bat but rather for what he did behind the plate. Lucroy helped young pitchers, calming them down during games when they didn’t have their best pitches. The Rockies want him back because Lucroy could assist these young pitchers to grow at the MLB level.
The problem is he wants to win a ring. The Rockies are rebuilding and may not be a World Series contender for few seasons. Lucroy could decide that it is best for him to go to another team. If that happens, the Rockies catchers are Tony Wolters and Tom Murphy. They will want to look at a catcher to sign in free agency.
In the infield Mark Reynolds is the only unrestricted free agent. Reynolds played mostly first base for the Rockies, appearing in 115 games. He didn’t make that many errors with a total of 7. Bridich needs to keep Reynolds because he can be trusted to play first base. If they decide to let him go, the Rockies don’t have depth at first base.
In the outfield, Carlos Gonzalez is heading into free agency. Colorado has not talked to him about a new contract. It wouldn’t be a surprise for the Rockies not to re-sign him. Gonzalez was paid $20 million this year and he didn’t live up to the contract hitting .262 with 14 home runs and 57 RBI’s. His batting average was his worst since 2008 when he hit .242 for the Oakland Athletics.
In order for the Rockies to keep Gonzalez, he must take a hometown discount. His numbers are declining and the Rockies aren’t going to pay him $20 million. He proved he wasn’t worth that kind of money last year.
The difficulty with bringing him back is Colorado has a stacked outfield. The Rockies can trust Ian Desmond, Gerardo Parra, and Charlie Blackmon. Behind them are Raimel Tapia and David Dahl. There really isn’t room for Gonzalez.
Pitching wise, closer Greg Holland could test free agency. He has a player option for next year at $15 million. Holland wasn’t bad as the Rockies closer with 41 saves but blew 4 which is far too many. Colorado might want to keep him on the roster but not for $15 million. It will depend on if Holland tests free agency.
These are the top free agents on the Colorado Rockies. Bridich will do what is best for the team and try to build a winning team yet again. Some of these players will stay and others won’t.
What free agents should the Colorado Rockies keep on their team?
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