Rockies should sell big
The Colorado Rockies are all about waiting it out. They never seem capable of making a big move to revamp the farm system and in the process, add some much-needed pitching.
Every year, it is the same old story for the baseball fans in Colorado, come for the hitting, stay for the loss. The Rockies are entering play on the night of July 5 a whopping 14.5 games behind the San Francisco Giants for first place in the National League West, currently sitting on a six-game losing streak that has officially buried the season.
Of course, the Rockies were buried when spring training began because they have another horrendous starting rotation and a bullpen that mirrors the effectiveness of a gas can. Colorado is now 37-45 and with no chance of making the playoffs once again, it should be time for general manager Jeff Bridich to start selling off pieces.
Unfortunately, Birdich will probably go the way of former general manager Dan O’Dowd and sit on his best pieces while winning 75 more games. It’s ugly in Colorado, and that’s a hard thing to be when you are surrounded by a market that isn’t exactly overflowing with casual fans.
The Rockies are wasting time getting a hammer-down fan base. The Denver Broncos are coming off a Super Bowl and will always be the top ticket in town, but the second spot is up for grabs. The NBA’s Denver Nuggets are absolutely terrible and have the look of a team not going anywhere for quite some time. The Colorado Avalanche are stuck in the neverland of being decent but not good enough to truly compete.
If Birdich had the guts, he would start making calls right now and trading off some of the key cogs in the Colorado lineup. The Rockies have a great offense but the rotation needs all the help it can get. To illustrate that point, the current staff features a quietly effective Tyler Chatwood (8 wins and a 3.15 ERA to lead the team in both categories), bu after that, it is a dumpster fire. Jon Gray and Chad Bettis are the next two starters down the line, and they are rocking 4.81 and 5.85 ERAs, respectively.
It’s time to step to the proverbial plate and move Carlos Gonzalez for some real arms. He’s only 30 years old and is signed at a reasonable rate through next season. He could fetch a great haul at the moment, something that could include at least two quality arms. If Birdich really wanted to jumpstart the farm system, he could deal second baseman D.J. LeMahieu or third baseman Nolan Arenado. Neither is liekly to move and would require a huge haul in return, but it remains an option.
At some point, Colorado has to realize that all the hitting in the world won’t make up for horrifying pitching.
