Per Ike Turner’s very reasonable suggestion – here’s a Hot Stove (Rox and non-Rox combined) Part II thread. Hot Stove Part I has grown too long – and we’ve done virtually nothing. It’s probably a good thing we didn’t hire AJ Preller – our heads would have surely exploded by now.
Recent Comments
on Colorado Treading Water Ahead of ASBEveryone keeps bad mouthing the hitters for playing their home games at Coors Field. Only rarely do you ever hear anything similar said about
on Colorado Treading Water Ahead of ASBTrade value? - Murphy: I can see a market for him. The acquiring team would get about 1.3 years of Murphy for about $16
on Colorado Treading Water Ahead of ASBAgreed. Shake it up! Lose the expensive older guys (even if much of the expense remains). Refresh! Or Nolan's definitely going to walk in
on Colorado Treading Water Ahead of ASBIt's no secret I'm a big fan of Park adjusted factors. It seems like 1.26-1.29 has been a more typical Coors PF for runs.
FWIW – I reviewed my Tulo AB linear regression and also did one for Cargo. Subtract 2012 from Tulo and he’s projected at approximately 400 ABs for 2015. Cargo’s case is tricky because his AB’s were held down in 2008 and 2009 as he was establishing himself as a major leaguer. If I dismiss those two years – he also projects at approximately 400 ABs. I think it’s very safe to assume no more than 800 ABs when modeling projections… Read more »
My hate for the Braves is well documented – but I love the trade (from their standpoint) they made with the Yanks to get Manny Banuelos. Banuelos was the Yanks most coveted prospect a couple of years ago – then he had TJ surgery. He came back at some point during last season and was typically post TJ erratic. But the guy has awesome stuff and is still only 24. These are the type risks a mid-market, mid-salary Club (such… Read more »
Which team would you rather have (salaries are best guesses based on “baseball reference”)?: Team A – Current Configuration 1. Morneau – 7.25M 2. LeMahieu – min SS. Tulo – 20M 3. NoDo – min OF – Dickerson – min OF – Blackmon – min OF – Cargo – 16.5M C – Rosario – arb SP – JDLR – 12.5M SP – Lyles – arb SP – Chacin – arb SP – Matzek – min SP – ??? – min… Read more »
For the Twitter folks in the crowd, I highly recommend following @MonfortNation.
It’s a Dick Monfort parody account. Some good stuff.
https://twitter.com/monfortnation/status/549053798766088192
Pretty good article on MLBTradeRumors on back of the rotation starters. I wonder if the Rockies are looking at any of these pitchers.
Julian – out of the group listed in the article, I like Ryan Vogelsong the best. But (isn’t there always a “but”?) he’s been historically awful at Coors.
The article does sort illustrate how little is available via FAgency this season.
Ken Rosenthal tweeting that Rox are indeed talking to Vogelsong……and to Mets about Gee.
A snippet from MLTR (free site): “the Rockies could trade Wilin Rosario, or they could keep him and go with three catchers (Hundley, Rosario and Michael McKenry), MLB.com’s Thomas Harding writes. Many teams have two catchers but are reluctant to use the backup to pinch-hit, so having three would allow the Rockies to use their spare catchers more liberally. Also, they could have Rosario pick up playing time at first base or in the outfield. Harding adds that the Rockies… Read more »
Any way to get Hot Stove, Part Deux, moved to the top? (Thanks Ike and sdcarp)
White Sox (the team I think has done the best so far this Hot Stove season) sign Emilio Bonafacio for 3M, with a 4M club option for 2016 (7M total – in theory). Bonifacio has incredible position flexiblity (2B, 3B, and all OF positions) and is a holy terror on the base paths. Basically – an impact utility guy for roughly the same $$$$$ as non-impact Descalso.
Descalso is a good bit less expensive. But I couldn’t figure out why we signed Descalso at all given the presence of Ynoa and Adames for a lot less money. So, with the signing of Hundley, the Rockies were at the 40 man limit and released Chris Martin. I thought that Martin had the potential to become a decent reliever. Watch him get picked up by another team and become a mainstay in someone else’s bullpen. I’ll still think that… Read more »
Nick Hundley signing is official. In the related move, Chris Martin RHP was designated for assignment to make a 40 man spot for Hundley.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2015/01/rockies-designate-chris-martin-for-assignment.html
sdcarp, I know you’d mentioned Bonifacio as a good useful budget signing for us. And he would’ve been. Surely Bonifacio + freely available veteran catcher (think of all the Olivos and Ojedas we signed in the past) would have been a better use of free agent money than Hundley + Descalso. And Bonifacio’s speed would be fun to watch, whereas Descalso’s … actually, I’m at a loss as to what skill he brings. The ability to sac bunt reasonably well?… Read more »
One of the fundamental building block problems the Rockies have since the Club’s inception is lack of speed. We’ve only had a handful of guys that got significants ABs (Eric Young, Willy Tavares, Juan Pierre for a short time) that could steal bases. Hell, Cargo is 3rd on the all-time Rox list with 106. Think about that for a minute. Billy Hamilton may steal that many this year. It’s really sort of pathetic and embarrassing if you think about it.… Read more »
EYJ is available….
Step away from the crack pipe…….just say “no.”
Sign him to minor league deal and then teach him how to get hit by any pitch ala “Coach” from sitcom Cheers!
And carp, the run scoring environment is way down all across MLB. Back in the billiard ball days of Coors Field, it made some sense to play station to station ball, the old Earl Weaver 3-run homer theory. But now, speed and manufacturing runs makes sense from time to time at Coors, and makes a ton of sense when we’re playing the NL California clubs in their pitcher-friendly parks. Which is just another reason this team building is odd —… Read more »
I still think station-to-station makes some sense at Coors. In the Billy Beane era of extreme metrics (platooning, defensive alignment, pitch selection, etc) I think the Rox should give serious consideration to their 4th OF position and U infield position as “road” type players. OBP guys that can run, work counts, sacrifice, etc. Those guys get the majority of their ABs on the road and couple of the station-to-station big bopper types sit.
Stephen Drew to Yanks for 6Mish. Will play 2nd against RHers and backup Gregorius at SS (Gregorius is far from a sure thing in my opinion). Never been a Drew fan, but the man can play defense, and 6M is a little less than I guessed. For that price…..he could have split time with LeMahieu and filled in for Tulo when he gets injured. Jus sayin’ Also read that Wilin will play 1B if we’re not “blown away” (I really… Read more »
Want to get discouraged on this cold, cloudy Wednesday? Take a look at the Dodgers ZIPS projections. All that money now paired with a smart front office. Scary stuff right here:
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/2015-zips-projections-los-angeles-dodgers/
Fascinating article;
http://www.foxsports.com/mlb/just-a-bit-outside/story/finding-next-garrett-richards-carlos-frias-dodgers-010715
Relatively simplistic at it’s core. Young pitchers that have + velocity and don’t walk people have a chance to succeed (in spades) at the big league level. Yet another Mets pitcher on this list.
JUST SAY NO Nasty Dan Haren / Rockies rumors floating around today. Does anyone remember the Jeremy Guthrie experiment? Well……Haren’s flyball/extra base hit tendencies are just as bad as Guthrie’s, and he would be attempting a Coors experiment at an older age (and more used up – he’s already shown significant decline the last few years) than Guthrie was when he attempted his Coors experiment. The Marlins own Haren via the earlier Dee Gordon trade. The only way I would… Read more »
sdcarp, I really can’t improve on one of the comments by on the baseballthinkfactory thread on the Haren to the Rockies Rumor thread: “Once or twice a season, the Rockies get the bright idea to haul in a broken-down, once-famous starter to see if he has anything left. Let’s see how well that’s worked out: 2014: Jair Jurrjens, 0-1, 10.61 2013: Jon Garland, 4-6, 5.82 2013: Roy Oswalt, 0-6, 8.63 2012: Jamie Moyer, 2-5, 5.70 2012: Jeremy Guthrie, 2-9, 6.35… Read more »
Love it!
I’d much rather see the ROX roll the dice with Joan Lopez than Haren.
Two teams are befuddling me this offseason – the Braves and my beloved A’s. One minute I think they’re rebuilding, then they’ll make a deal indicating they want to compete in 2015. Ironically, I can see today’s deal between the Rays and A’s impacting the Rockies. The A’s – a short time ago the home to 3-4 catchers, sent out yet another one (John Jaso) in the deal that brings them Zobrist. In my opinion, they’re the one team that… Read more »
For reference purposes, here are the A’s SP options; “A’s GM Billy Beane hinted at the club’s plans for the rotation, writes Jeremy F. Koo for SB Nation. Sonny Gray and Scott Kazmir have rotation spots on lock down, while “Kendall Graveman, Jesse Hahn, and Drew Pomeranz are on the inside track.” The A’s also have Jesse Chavez, Sean Nolin, and Chris Bassitt in addition to injured hurlers Jarrod Parker and A.J. Griffin. As Koo notes, it’s surprising to see… Read more »
Both the A’s and especially the Rays befuddle me. I will be shocked if the Rays draw more than 10,000 for any week day game. Probably shocked if they draw 5,000. I feel really bad for Longoria. If I were him I would ask to be traded.
I think the Rays alleged “rebuilding” will compound the issues of staying in St. Pete. They have already been shot down on moving elsewhere in the region.
I fear the Rays will never be able to replace Friedman’s talent.
I’m not a NFL fan, and realize the NFL and MLB are two different animals. But I couldn’t help but see a bit of symmetry in Tulo’s situation now to Peyton’s in 2011. After sitting out 2011 after neck surgery, the Colts had a brutal decision to make – resign Peyton, the face of the franchise, or let him walk and sign Andrew Luck for a fraction of the cost. We all know what happened. 3 years later, Luck has… Read more »
I don’t know how many RWOers are Tulo haters, but I am getting tired of the trade Tulo bandwagon that I’m ready to shoot out all four tires, detach the bandwagon, and push it over the cliff. There’s nobody in baseball, past or present, that has worked harder than Tulo to get himself healthy again. His primary goal is to be on the field a full season. I love him for that and he hasn’t demanded to be traded just… Read more »
Interesting read on Purple Row regarding James Shields: http://www.purplerow.com/2015/1/12/7531581/monday-rockpile-did-the-rockies-make-an-offer-to-james-shields-signs I have previously read about the mystery $110M offer and think Mr. Gross’s theory is plausible. Waiting for Shields to decide would also provide a logical explanation as to why the Rox have done essentially nothing this offseason. Even though I’m the driver of the “trade Tulo” bandwagon (and there are people shooting at my wheels!), even I might rethink my logic if Shields were to sign. I’m guessing here –… Read more »
If the Rockies signed James Shields I would become very optimistic about their chances in 2015!
I certainly hope that Shields remember that we have Gold Glove caliber behind him – NoDo, Tulo, LeMaheiu, Morneau, CarGo, and Stubbs. That would explain why Bridich went out and got Hundley so Shields wouldn’t be throwing to Baby Bull nor McKenry. If the Rox are indeed the mystery team, Bridich clearly is his own man and not dangling on the puppet strings. And it would be historic – that would smash the “no free agents will pitch in Colorado”… Read more »
I wish Chatwood was having a healthy offseason and getting ready for 2015!
I do NOT believe the Rockies were the mystery team. The only reason I could even remotely believe it was the Rockies is because it was alleged to be a team he didn’t want to play for. Then there is the whole $110m 5yr contract that totally contradicts what Bridich has stated publicly. Thinking back to Shields’ Rays days I can think of a team or 2. I’m also pretty sure at least 2 teams in the NL West had… Read more »
I have no idea on this one – just passed along a link. But, if we offered 5 years, 110M and he turns us down for say 5 years, 95M in SF (just a hypothetical), I congratulate the Rox for trying. We’ll always have to overpay for pitching, and that’s OK. But we shouldn’t recklessly overpay. Hard to know where that line is…….but this seems like an appropriate “high” offer that shouldn’t go any higher.
I do believe the Rockies are the mystery team and I think Guthrie has advised Shields to stay away and look elsewhere even if it means less years and money.
TAKE THE MONEY JAMES!!
I think that the mystery team is the Houston Astros based on their apparent willingness to spend money this off season and he would not be the only player that took less money to go somewhere other than Houston.
For your reading pleasure:
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/2015-zips-projections-colorado-rockies/
My thoughts – few too many ABs for Tulo, but it’s close.
Few to few ABs for Cargo, but it’s close.
467 ABs for Dahl – WOW.
Borderline historically bad pitching – I agree.
There’s some just plain silly projections out there for David Dahl. He’s young, we can expect him to improve, but… he put up a .267/.296/.467 line at Modesto in 125 PAs. Which is nice, particularly for a 20 year old, but there’s absolutely no reason to think he’s ready unless he breaks out big time in spring and in the early going in AA (where I’m guessing he’ll start)
Damn it……Johan Lopez to the DBacks. The NL West is an arms race (literally and figuratively). Lopez would have been a great risk for the Rockies.
Chris Martin to the Yankees for cash.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2015/01/yankees-acquire-chris-martin-from-rockies.html
I always worry when another team quickly picks up our “trash.” I worry more when it’s the Yankees.
I have a bad feeling about losing Chris Martin.
Nick Masset signs a minor league deal with the Marlins.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2015/01/marlins-nick-masset-agree-to-minor-league-deal.html
I’ve been absent for far too long but hopefully my work load will decrease and my wife’s health will improve and I can contribute by reading, posting and sending Jared some dollars. I don’t know if this was mentioned on RWO but the philosophies of the Rockies and Broncos couldn’t be stated much better than on Monday when the Broncos fired John Fox after 4 straight division championships because the goal is to go to and WIN the Super Bowl… Read more »
Bill, there does seem to be multiple rumors alleging interest in Gee by the Rockies. I know some of the Met’s fans have posted up stuff about Brothers. It does sound like the Mets are looking for a lefty. I know yesterday they (Mets) dispelled a bunch of rumors on who is available and who is not from their prospects. NONE of the prospects that are up and comers are available according to the story on MLBtv.
Not exactly Rox hot stove, but more like television hot stove….hear this out edtheump from today’s Rockpile on Purple Row…. Nathaniel Grow pleads for Major League Baseball to fix its ridiculous blackout problem — one that has reached the initial stages of a lawsuit, in fact. As the author says, it would be beneficial for the league to amend its policy now rather than spend time and money to possibly end up with a worse result. To illustrate how awful… Read more »
RMH… thanks for the post…see you in 6 weeks or so. The blackout here in SW NM is so illogical that it seems the “powers that be” use none of their brain cells to think through a dispute. I have Directv…I live about 5 hours from Chase Field…I get Root Sports Arizona on channel 686…I get all televised games for the Dbacks (be still my heart). I live 10 hours from Coors Field…there are NO radio stations in NM that… Read more »
It has nothing to do with DirecTV. The SW N.M. area television is for the Arizona D-backs. It has everything to do with MLB.TV. They can’t distinguish which teams are covered by the local tv markets. MLB.TV needs to fix their blackouts big time: games should be blacked out only if the local TV market shows the game. In your case, DirecTV doesn’t show the Rockies’ games, therefore it should be valid for MLB.TV viewing. You should unload your complaints… Read more »
I just went into DirecTV account for my package choices. I did confirm that if went with the Premier package (most expensive package), you would get ALL of the local sports tv stations across the whole country included such as all ROOT locations (Seattle, Pittsburgh, Rocky Mountain), YES from NYC, Fox Sports stations across the country. The premier package also includes all the premier movie channels. Costs $130/month. And yes it does include BTN (Big Ten Network) so you can… Read more »
RMH… thanks for the input. I did talk to Directv (I have a big package, on Directv, that is, that did not include all the regional sports teams…the lady signed me up for it at $14/month and then added a $10 credit per month for a year after a free 3 month beginning subscription), so my net will be only $4 per month beginning in April. I am able to cancel after a year with no penalties. I will watch… Read more »
Careful, guys. I have had the premium DirecTV package for years which includes all the sports channels. However, only the Pirates games are not blacked out in my area. I do not have the Extra Innings subscription. Same with the Avs on Altitude. I have to buy the Center Ice package to see them. With hockey, I do have Blue Jackets games available as well as the Penguins. So, unless things have changed this year I suspect you will be… Read more »
Rockies sign Chatwood to 2 year deal to avoid arbitration.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2015/01/rockies-sign-tyler-chatwood-to-two-year-deal.html
Still young with upside if he can get healthy.
The track record of pitchers having two TJ surgeries is very, very bad. Very bad. If his comeback is successful, I would definitely make him a reliever.
Rockies sign Stubbs to one year deal to avoid arbitration. He will be a free agent next year since this was his final year of arbitration.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2015/01/rockies-drew-stubbs-avoid-arbitration.html
Rockies also signed a one year deal with Jordan Lyles.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2015/01/yankees-avoid-arbitration-with-ivan-nova.html
” Charlie Monfort, co-owner of the Colorado Rockies, smiled when The Post told him of the many Mets fans who would love to see Troy Tulowitzki get traded to Citi Field.
“It’s not happening,” Monfort responded.”
Monfort then took a belt from the 5th of whiskey in his hand and said “we’ll sign Kevin Correia and Crash Davis and I guarantee we’ll win 102 games and the Super Bowl.”
sd…
just to set the record straight…Charlie has quit drinking alcohol altogether.
He’s trying…give him a break…all of you.
He’s a close friend so I’m biased.
Good to hear. I know it’s a brutal disease. I wish him the best in his fight.
addictions are a bitch so I second your call for compassion.
Thank you Charlie for assisting me in pushing the “Trade Tulo” bandwagon over the cliff. 🙂
The bandwagon is not dead…..just not a lot of riders at the moment!
ROX top 5 Prospects per FanGraphs:
http://www.fangraphs.com/fantasy/top-5-prospects-for-2015-colorado-rockies/
Rockies sign Chacin to 1 year $5.5MM deal to avoid arbitration.
http://m.rockies.mlb.com/news/article/106611046/rockies-right-hander-jhoulys-chacin-agree-to-1-year-contract
I really don’t understand this. I’m hoping that Chacin is far along enough in his recovery that Rockies scouts could actually watch him throw off a mound, because otherwise you’re committing about all the money the club has left to a very iffy proposition. I was sure they were going to move on from Chacin this offseason. Shoulder surgeries don’t have a good track record (unlike TJ surgeries these days), so I hope they know something we don’t about Chacin… Read more »
Agree – makes no sense. But my bandwagon is broken at the moment, so you’ll have to find your own.
Ag – on a serious note, this tells me not to expect a significant trade this offseason. A team would only make a move like this if there were no external options they chose to pursue.
Well, I guess that’s a theory — Chacin rebounds, you trade him? Actually I saw that he never had shoulder surgery — docs told him rest and rehab could work. So again, maybe he’s shown them something in the last month or so that would warrant such faith in him. But as I do every winter:
Chacin: 5.5 million
Hundley: 3.0
Descalso: 2.0
Hey, that’s one real player!
Rockies rumored to be offering Blackmon for pitching.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2015/01/rockies-offering-charlie-blackmon-for-pitching.html
Half-dozen years ago, when offense was still king, I would have said Blackmon wouldn’t bring much SP in return. But now that the pendulum has swung to pitching, with offense at a premium, he might bring a #3 type SP. Maybe???? In most cases, the sell high philosophy is best. So with that in mind, Blackmon and Stubbs are indeed good trade candidates. Orioles and maybe the Mariners could still use OFers. Maybe the Braves as well (not sure what… Read more »
Baltimore’s projected #4/5 guy – Kevin Gausman might be a name to watch. He’s young (23) and has some upside. He’s also from Centennial, so the ROX might see some hope of a long term relationship. In his early career, he’s been a high WHIP pitcher, so that will need to improve.
Planet Alignment Theory — I love it. Pretty much sums up management’s approach these last 3 years or so. Assuming the planets don’t align over 20th and Blake, Gausman would take a Cargo level player though. And yes, I’d do that. Blackmon? I think you’d probably get a useful pitcher for him, either that or a pretty solid/not blue chip prospect. And yes, I’d do that too.
Intriguing to me that Dex is dealt for the 2nd time in two years. Lyles and Barnes was the price two years ago. Valbuena and Straily this time. The Cubs are paying a higher salary to Dex in his final arbitration year, but arguably gave up a bit less to get him. But it’s clear that Dex’s value isn’t going up and he’s at the physical apex of his career. In hindsight, DOD did well with the Dex deal.
Supposedly the other guy in the mix was C.Blackmon.Did we not find someone to like in the Cubs loaded farm system?
By signing Max Scherzer, the Nats have made Doug Fister their #5 starter. Think about that!?!? Tanner Roark to the BP. Lots of talk of a 100+ wins. But in my opinion, their current setup smells a bit like the Maddux/Glavine/Smoltz Braves of the 90’s. That insane SP will lead to lots of wins, but perhaps it’s flawed in the playoffs (boy, I wish we had this problem!). The offense looks average, and the Pen looks below average at the… Read more »
Trading Clippard could have been a major gaffe.Wish we’d gotten him—-or just about any living,breathing guy with 2 arms and 2 legs!
Clippard has been darn good for a number of years. I don’t know his contract details and if there are any back stories, but it does seem strange. Also, Billy Beane usually doesn’t take on bad contracts or “back stories.” So I agree with you – weird deal.
They’re also about to rely on Yunel Escobar to play 2nd. That’s a bit of a risk as well.
I hate to complain, but Hot Stove Part Deux is getting harder to find while the original, unused is just sitting there.
doesn’t EVEN SHOW UP ANYMORE!
Just scroll down to the recent comments and it is almost always the first one.
only way I find you guys.
Sorry, i made it “sticky” so it will now show up on the front page at the top…
Astros sign Colby Rasmus to replace Dex in CF. Almost an O’Dowd-ian move: (1) trade incumbent player with bigger salary, get a couple other useful pieces in exchange; (2) replace incumbent with cheaper player coming off a down year who has a chance of being as good or even better.
As the recent “negative” voice of the Rox – I’ll post a happy link; http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-rockies-as-a-2015-sleeper-team/ It seems that several of the projection algorithms are projecting 76-78 wins for the Rox – so someone predicting them as a “sleeper” team isn’t a huge stretch. I continue to maintain if the Rox are bent on pursuing the Planet Alignment strategy – the single highest impact “realistic” move they can make is getting bonafide, dynamic Closer. The SP is going to suck…….but I… Read more »
Rockies sign Jurrjens to minor league deal with invite to spring training.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2015/01/minor-moves-rodriguez-ohlendorf-rowen-beltre-carpenter.html
Hard to believe that dude is only 28.
I also see that the Giants signed Vogelsong for 4M.
So we give Chacin 5 mil.plus when we could have had Vogelsong for less.I continue to drink heavily every time the word Rockies is mentioned!
I thought exactly the same thing Gary. SF got the home team discount, but I’d rather have Vogelsong at 6M over Chacin at 5M. Vogelsong has been durable – a true innings eater (even though I don’t really like that term).
If you believe what you read on Twitter (and who wouldn’t – right?), Brandon Beachy is on the verge of signing with the world famous “unknown” team (that team must be really good). Good pitcher, but coming off his 2nd TJ and will not due to pitch until May – at the earliest. Probably not truly useful until after the All-Star break.
More good news from Mr. Doom (me):
One of the little snippets coming out of Rockies Fest is that Boone Logan is 100% healthy. If that’s true, and if Rex Brothers can find some semblance of his former self, then we might have the Loogy role covered and then some.
Some random thoughts from the Fan Fest: Cargo self reports as fully healthy, saying, “I have my smile back” in response to the question of his health. Jeff Bridich comes across as a thoughtful rookie GM working his rear end off. He did say that they like their pitching staff, but they are always looking at pitching like every other team in the league. Walt Weiss seemed a lot more comfortable this year. Maybe he was as happy to see… Read more »
Two comments – Shout out to Darren Holmes. He and I went to the same HS. He’s two years younger than I. Good guy. Has turned into quite the mechanics guru. File this under the flimsiest (is that a word?) circumstantial evidence ever – Cargo tweeted a photo of himself, his wife, and their two beautiful daughters Christmas day. It was seriously a lovely photo. But being the baseball junkie that I am…..I didn’t think “what a sweet looking family.”… Read more »
Me bullish on both which will correspond to the Planet Alignment Theory.
Can’t fault your optimism. I hope you’re correct.
Ottavino and Rosario still not signed.
“Two Colorado players remain in arbitration, and both are eligible for the first time: right-hander Adam Ottavino and catcher Wilin Rosario. Ottavino asked for $1,475,000 and was offered $1 million; Rosario asked for $3.3 million and was offered $2.8 million.”
Ottavino signs for $1.3MM leaving only Rosario unsigned.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2015/01/rockies-avoid-arbitration-with-adam-ottavino.html
Rox drafting is on the upswing; Forrest Wall is #3 for second basemen in MLB Pipeline ranking. Jon Gray and Kyle Freeland were in the Pipeline’s top 10 for RSP and LSP respectively. Plus David Dahl has been ranked as high as #1 on the Rockies’ prospect listing by some baseball publications. Only problem is that they are still at least 2016 or later away from appearing in the big show. The Rox say at the FanFest that Boone Logan… Read more »
When did we sign John Lannan?
November 18, 2014 as a minor league free agent.
http://rockiesroster.com/transactions/
I’m SHOCKED you don’t remember this. It was the same day there were a dozen small earthquakes in Greeley. 🙂
Don’t remember earthquakes and I live in Loveland.But I am 68 and suffer from severe CRS[can’t remember shit] Amazing I missed this “blockbuster”signing.Thanks guys.
Don’t feel too bad Gary. I’ll turn 50 in May and already suffer from CRS!
For the 2nd year in a row, Keith Law is rather bullish on the ROX Farm System, ranking us 8th. I’m no long an ESPN “insider” (it’s not worth it in my opinion), so I don’t know the details. I’ve noted more than once I’m not a huge Law fan. I think he goes out of his way to be harsh on the ROX sometimes (that sounds sorta strange coming from me). So I take note when he says something… Read more »
All sorts of talk this off-season about speed-of-play. I’ve been mostly skeptical (although I would love to see a solution). Ideas like eliminating shifts seem unrealistic. But earlier today I read something brilliant due to its simplicity (aren’t all the best ideas simple?). Impose a 3 batter minimum for relief pitchers, thereby eliminating all the late inning 1 batter matchups. Think about that for a minute. I’m not sure I can grasp all the ramifications, but it would profoundly change… Read more »
Allow the batter to step out only once to fix whatever gear! (Or to needlessly fix gear, stare around and spit, have an eye-to-eye with his bat. Whatever.) Whether it would help the time issue I don’t know; I would hope so; but it sure is irritating.
This would be brutal on Tulo! 😉
Ed and RMH, did you see my comment to you guys on the DirecTV blackout issue? I’m worried that you won’t be getting what you think you will with the Premier package. I commented above long after you two discussed it.
BinWV… Yup saw it. I will drop the premier package as soon as I determine that I don’t get the Rox on Root. It makes no sense that I got Root and the Rox when I lived 50 miles away from Denver. Now that I’m 600 miles away I can’t imagine not being able to get it…I’ll know in April when the first game is televised. Logical decisions from Directv and MLB regarding blackouts are missing and presumed lost. Update… Read more »
I believe it’s because you are now in the Phoenix market. Same reason I can only get the Pirates games here in northern WV.
biwv…
I agree…I think that is exactly why I will get the dbacks and not the rox even with the premier package…time will tell…thanks for the info.
From MLB Trade Rumors: “Though Brandon Beachy was reportedly considering multiple offers and was thought to be close to signing a new contract earlier this month, his agent Rob Martin tells Ken Rosenthal (all Twitter links) that the right-hander will wait a bit longer. “Brandon has decided not to sign a contract at this time. With each day his arm is getting stronger and he’s feeling even more confident about his progress,” Martin said. “Thus, he is going to continue… Read more »
Rockies get RHPs David Hale and Gus Schlosser from the Braves for minor league catchers Jose Briceno and Chris O’Dowd. Once Dan O’Dowd was no longer with the Rockies, I was wondering how long it would take the them to get rid of his son.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2015/01/rockies-acquire-david-hale-gus-schlosser-from-braves.html
Rockies acquire pitchers David Hale and Gus Schlosser from Braves, designate Jayson Aquino for assignment. In one of their more significant moves this offseason, the Rockies turned a pair of minor league catchers, Jose Briceno and Chris O’Dowd, into a pair of relievers and designated a young lefty (Jayson Acquino) for assignment. Nice move except that we protected Acquino from Rule 5 instead of Dan Winkler. If they did not think that highly of him, why protect Acquino over Winkler?… Read more »
Snipped from Purple Row: “The headliner of the deal is 27-year-old David Hale who made 45 appearances, including six starts, for Atlanta last season. Hale posted a 3.30 ERA in 87 1/3 innings in 2014, allowing 89 hits, walking 39 and striking out 44. He gave up just one run in 11 innings in a brief MLB appearance in 2013. According to The Denver Post’s Nick Groke, Hale may get a shot at a spot in the Rockies’ starting rotation… Read more »
Interesting – I vaguely remember Hale last year. Seems to me we gave up 2 guys with no future in the organization for a serviceable pitcher that can fill multiple roles. Nothing wrong with that!
The Colorado Rockies have signed free agents Rafael Betancourt and Omar Quintanilla, presumably to minor league deals, according to Baseball America’s Matt Eddy.
Nice to have Betty back to give his last shot but Omar? Don’t we have Descalso and Culberson?
The “speed of game” emphasis may cause Betancourt, JDLR, and Tulo to explode.
Rockies have a history of unexplainable 40 man roster moves[mistakes}.
The reason Winkler was not protected is that the Rockies did not want to pay him at the Major League rate to be on the DL. The minor league pay rate is much less. They wrongly assumed that he would be safe from the Rule 5 draft because he is recovering from TJ surgery. If Winkler had not been injured, he would definitely have been on the 40 man roster especially since he would have been one of the call… Read more »
Bob – in my opinion, there’s at least a 50/50 chance we’ll see Winkler again. The Braves always have a solid SP staff, so it will be hard for him to crack that group and stay in the Majors. Couple that with all the uncertainties in a TJ rehab…….I can see him on our opening day 2017 roster.
Both the Braves and Rockies were looking at Winkler as a relief pitcher. The Braves must have really felt very strong about Winkler since they are willing to have him on the DL at the Major League level and understand just what it will take to be able to keep him. There is always the possibility that the Braves and Rockies could work out a trade allowing the Braves to Keep Winkler without having to meet the Rule 5 regulations.
Yep, we gave up 1 nonprospect (O’Dowd … Does this suggest that daddy is taking a job with the Braves?) and one marginal prospect (Briceno) for a guy who at a minimum is better than our anticipated 5th starter (Bergman?) and at best could be a Jordan Lyles repeat. So that’s good. The other guy, Schlosser, doesn’t really have anything impressive in his history. So I guess this is the big Rockies move of the offseason that we’ve all been… Read more »
I read that Bricerno would have had to be put on the 40 man roster after this season, which seems unlikely. So, if we were going to lose him after this season anyway, I’m glad that we got something for him. And it seems like we got a pitcher who has a chance of making our roster, which is great. We can’t have enough pitching.
Monfort’s latest comments.
http://m.rockies.mlb.com/news/article/108036224/rockies-owner-dick-monfort-believes-colorado-has-the-talent-to-win
Same as it ever was. Tomorrow IS Groundhog Day (I reference Bill Murray and the movie). And this is the year the planets align! Dick is sure of it!
He’s such a Dick!
Per MLB Trade Rumors: “The Rockies are in agreement with right-hander John Axford on a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training, per the team’s transactions page. Axford is a client of the Beverly Hills Sports Council. Axford, 32 in April, began the 2014 season closing games for the Indians but quickly ceded the job to standout Cody Allen, who took hold of the ninth-inning reins and never looked back. Things weren’t so rosy for Axford, who issued… Read more »
MLB.com’s 2015 top 100 prospects.
16. Jonathan Gray
35. Eddie Butler
59. David Dahl
60. Kyle Freeland
http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2015
Looks like — as Bridich said in the Fest — they are still going after pitching. First, as sdcarp noted above, we signed John Axford; never a bad deal in my mind to sign a reliever who was a bit of a disappointment the year before. These guys tend to rebound. Now we’ve signed Kyle Kendrick formerly of the Phillies for $5.5M. Since it isn’t directly my money, this seems like a good one year pickup for us. Our pitching… Read more »
I really like the Axford move. Low risk, minor league contract to an experienced dude that still has velocity. And if the Ax man gets his act together, he’s easily mid-season flippable for a prospect. Kendrick – meh. I do like the depth aspect of it. I really do. Last year proved we can’t have enough of that (even if we think we do). The thing that has me puzzled though is that Vogelsong went to the Giants for 4M.… Read more »
As poorly as Vogelsong has pitched at Coors Field, he had no wish to sign with the Rockies and I suspect that they had very little interest in him also.
Hoorah, Rockies sign Kyle Kendricks. That’s our best #5 option. Bridich is looking good now. Not Shields quality, but not a scrap heap signing either.
RMH, I know we’re all grasping at straws here, but “Bridich is looking good now?” Really? Kendrick projects as right around replacement level. No, he’s not as awful as Jon Garland or Jamie Moyer, but he’s also not as good as even Jeremy Guthrie, or to be honest, the Jason Marquis pickup c. 2009. About all you can say is that if things go really well he’ll give you 180 marginally acceptable innings. Which would be great if he was… Read more »
So you’re saying that Culberson, Flande, Bergman, Kerosene and Rosario’s game calling are better than Descslso, Hale, Hundley, etc? That’s the whole idea of Bridich upgrading depth while setting up for 2016. So I have to totally disagree with your argument.
Guys – the concept that we’re somehow setting up for 2016 is way off base. In fact – just the opposite is occurring. Our refusal to trade Tulo and Cargo leaves us with our two cornerstone players as depreciating assets with backloaded contracts. I can understand the “PAT,” play for this year concept (although I personally disagree with it at the most fundamental level). But to think that by doing this somehow sets us up better for the future is… Read more »
Both Bridich and Weiss explicitly said if we are out of contention by trade deadline, there will be wholesale changes. We didn’t make the big trades cuz that would be 60 cents return on the dollar. Brooch wants to rebuild their trade values. Then that will set up for 2016 when we have Jon Gray, David Dahl, and Eddie Butler ready. It is of my opinion that 2016 is the year we start fresh, not 2017 or later.
Rockies DFA Flande to make room for Kendrick.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2015/02/rockies-designate-yohan-flande.html
Rockies trade Jayson Aquino to Blue Jays for LHP Tyler Ybarra. Nice to see they aren’t just letting their DFAs go for nothing like they used to do.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2015/02/rockies-to-acquire-tyler-ybarra-from-blue-jays.html
RMH, some time every spring I start feeling optimistic and I put forth my Planet Alignment Theory of how the Rockies can compete. I’m not there yet this year … but it’ll come. For now, I’ll grant you this: Kendrick is an upgrade over Bergman (who was our likely #5) and also over Hale, who in turn was an upgrade over Bergman Axford should be an upgrade over Belisle (but maybe not, or not by much) Descalso is a minor… Read more »
We are viewing the winter season through the same prism, but at different color bands. I view this winter season as the time to raise the “floor” and solidify the floor so it is harder to have a free fall. It goes hand in hand with the PAT. Ag, you view the winter season as the time to make the team better now and win now, no? At least I know we can agree that the Rockies are collecting a… Read more »
I really want to be proven wrong, I really do. Several of the projection algorithms have the Rox in the 76-78 win range. I think we can all agree the Nats are the favorite in the NL East, and may be a 95-100 win team. The Cubs and Cards will likely battle for supremacy in the NL Central. Of course the West has the reigning WS champs Giants and the revamped, already strong Dodgers and a new kid in town… Read more »
Honestly – my biggest worry is that the projected wild card group (Giants, Padres, Marlins, Cubs/Cards) muddle around 85 win pace (I actually think this WILL happen) and the Rox play a couple of games ahead of the 76-78 projection (let’s say they go 81-81)…..and that’s just close enough to keep the difficult but necessary changes for the future from being made at the trade deadline…….just prolonging our stay in Netherworld.
Some interesting? names still out there-Matt Lindstrom,R.Soriano,Joba C.,D,Aardsma[a former Rockies target] and Joe Beimal.A starter who I really wanted the Rox to look at last year,and who signed very late with Seattle,Chris Young is still available.
Good stuff here;
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/what-does-coors-field-do-to-pitch-selection/
I see where Johan Flande (too bad that guy isn’t Belgian – what a great name) cleared waivers and is likely Isotope bound. Josh Vitters and Jeremy Barfield also signed and smell like minor league depth. One under-the-radar move made by the Rox this offseason that I maintain will pay huge dividends was to move the AAA team to Albuquerque. Better ballpark, better weather, better elevation……..I think we’ll see our best minor leaguers there instead of Tulsa (oops, New Britain).… Read more »
RWO Quiz – who is XXXX in this quote: “A common component among the No. 1 starters’ won-lost success in Denver? Superb strikeout-to-walk ratios. For different reasons, XXXX and former YYYY teammate ZZZZ have become the poster pitchers for Coors Field. XXXX has posted a 5.70 ERA and allowed a whopping 50 hits in 36 1/3 innings at Coors Field, yet has a 5-0 record at the ballpark. Why? Because he has issued just four walks here and, as he… Read more »
sdcarp Greg Maddux?
Brutal recitation of numbers from 2014 by Saunders in today’s Post. And telling. You contemplate them and just “feel” the pain of watching the Rox in 2014. 21 Road wins. So we’ll have to double that to eke out a winning road record. Scary.
Maybe you can now understand my pessimism.