Denver Post sports writer Patrick Saunders with the latest installment of his Rockies Mailbag.
Pose a Rockies — or MLB — related question for the Rockies Mailbag.
Do you think the Rockies attempt to sign any big-name pitchers like Jack Flaherty? If not, who do they go after?
— James Weber, Denver
James, the answer to your first question is no.
Your second question is the question facing the Rockies as they head into the offseason. Colorado’s starting pitchers posted a 5.91 ERA, the worst in the majors and the second-highest in franchise history (6.19 in 1999 is the highest). Right-handers German Marquez and Antonio Senzatela underwent Tommy John surgery this past season, leaving the rotation incredibly thin.
While the Rockies won’t sign any high-profile starting pitchers — Sonny Gray, Blake Snell, Julio Urias, etc. — they might pick up a pitcher or two on a minor-league deal and bring them to spring training. The most productive way to bolster the rotation would be to engineer smart trades for Double-A or Triple-A pitchers ready to debut. That brings us to our next question.
With the need for good major league starting pitching and the inability to sign notable free agents to pitch at Coors Field, what players could be used as trade chips to acquire pitching? Could we see a rumored trade like last offseason’s “Brendan Rodgers to Marlins” come to fruition? Or will it be more of the same bargain bin-hunting and low-risk/low-reward waiver claims etc? Appreciate all the work you do covering the team.
— Skyler Timmins, Alamosa
Skyler, you laid out the scenario well. The Rockies did explore a Rodgers trade with the Marlins last winter and also explored a deal with the Mariners. Neither trade panned out but it showed that general manager Bill Schmidt is willing to explore all avenues to acquire pitching.
Rodgers, who’s never fulfilled his promise because of injuries, might be a trade candidate again this offseason. Don’t get me wrong, the Rockies like Rodgers, but he might be their best trade chip.
But finding a trade partner willing to give up starting pitching — even prospects — is never easy. Ideally, the Rockies would like to pull off a trade like a January 2016 deal in which former GM Jeff Bridich moved outfielder Corey Dickerson and prospect Kevin Padlo to Tampa in return for German Marquez and reliever Jake McGee.
Schmidt said recently that the Rockies are open to all options to improve their pitching. However, whether they would be willing to part with a top prospect such as infielder Adael Amador or outfielder Zac Veen remains to be seen. The Rockies have traditionally been reluctant to part with their best minor leaguers, but now might be the time to make that kind of move.
Schmidt did a good job acquiring Nolan Jones last fall and did a solid job trading away veterans for pitching at the trade deadline. I’m curious to see what he can do this winter.
How realistic is it to think that the Rockies are going to find someone to broadcast their games outside of MLB? Do you think losing that revenue stream will hurt the on-field product or light a fire under them to fix the team?
— Paula, Boulder
Paula, I assume you’re asking whether Altitude TV or another company outside of Major League Baseball will televise Rockies games in 2024. At this point, I don’t know. I’ve checked in with those close to the situation and they don’t know either.
As The Post reported in early September, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain notified its employees that the regional sports network is shutting down. The last day of work for full-time employees at the network was Oct. 6, although the network will continue running through at least the end of the year.
I’ve been told that the Rockies anticipate that a new TV setup will provide the club with revenue similar to what they were receiving through their partnership with AT&T SportsNet. This past season, the Rockies took in about $57 million as part of a multi-year deal with ATTRM that started in 2019.
But there are no guarantees that a new TV deal will net the Rockies that much money going forward. When Diamond Sports Group, which operated under the name Bally Sports, cut ties with the Diamondbacks in July, MLB stepped up to televise games. The league guaranteed that the D-backs would make 80% of what they were owed in 2023. According to ESPN, the average annual value of Arizona’s deal with Diamond was somewhere in the neighborhood of $75 million.
As to your question about “lighting fire to fix the team,” I don’t believe a new TV contract will spark the Rockies to change their team-building blueprint.
Hi Patrick, really enjoyed all the Rockie Way stuff y’all did. A couple of questions for you after a long season.
Will Colorado really be an organization to lose 100-plus games and not fire anyone? And why did they sign Charlie Blackmon for another year? I get a veteran presence, but isn’t that what Kris “$182 million man” Bryant is for?
— Rip, Aurora
Rip, there’s a lot of chew on here. Let’s take it point-by-point:
• I don’t anticipate that the Rockies will fire any high-profile members of the front office and I’m sure manager Bud Black is coming back. But it would not surprise me to see some changes made on the coaching staff.
Although the Rockies didn’t anticipate they would lose 103 games, they knew it was a rebuilding year, even if they didn’t say so publically.
• Blackmon was signed for a few reasons. First, he’s still a good hitter, especially on this team, even though he now lacks power. I was surprised, however, that the Rockies gave Blackmon $13 million. I get that it’s about respect for a franchise icon, but I believe $13 million is too much for a 37-year-old designated hitter and part-time right fielder. Next season, he’ll have the third-highest salary on the team, behind Bryant ($28 million) and lefty Kyle Freeland ($15 million).
• Make no mistake, Blackmon is an important part of the clubhouse and well-respected, although younger players such as Nolan Jones are changing the clubhouse dynamic. Nevertheless, Blackmon’s leadership role is real.
• When the Rockies signed Bryant to his seven-year mega-deal, they hoped he would become a leader. It’s been hard for Bryant to fill that role because he’s missed so much playing time with injuries, but Bryant has made an effort to be a mentor to a number of players, including Jones.
The Rockies need pitching, not Charlie Blackmon on a one-year contract for $13 million. Is this what you would call the Rockie Way?
— Brandon, Denver
Brandon, the $13 million the Rockies spent on Blackmon would not have fixed their starting pitching woes, but it could have been money spent on a reliever or some position players. As to your reference to the “Rockie Way,” I had people within the baseball industry tell me that the Rockies’ “sentimentality” sometimes precludes smart business decisions. Certainly, some of that was at play with Blackmon, especially when you consider that Blackmon remains the Rockies’ most popular player.
Why in the name of all things holy has Rockies management continued hiring Dud Black when he clearly is not of manager quality? Worse, he has mishandled every pitcher we’ve had — an area that was supposed to be his specialty. He may be a nice guy, but he’s a proven abysmal manager, demonstrated yet again in this 100-loss embarrassment of a season.
— Bill Floor, Centennial
Bill, first of all, to refer to a class act like Bud Black as “Dud Black,” is pretty juvenile, don’t you think?
It’s fair to question why the Rockies should keep Black after five consecutive losing campaigns, including this year’s 103-loss season. Perhaps it is time for the Rockies to make a change.
But to say that Black “mishandled every pitcher,” is ridiculous. He did a masterful job in 2017-18. I’ve talked with a number of players, including many of the pitchers, and no one has ever taken a shot at the manager. Black’s not perfect, but he hasn’t lost the team. And given all of the injuries and the club’s decision to go with a youth movement for the last two months of the season, no other manager would have produced a substantially better record this season.
I’ve seen plenty of talk online that with the good 2023 performances by some young position players the Rockies could potentially be competitive in 2025 — if they can get some decent pitching. That’s a big if. How optimistic should I be that that’s possible?
— Nick, Denver
Nick, if the Rockies can acquire some pitching, they can be a .500 team in 2025 and possibly a playoff team by 2026. But, as you said, that’s a big if. Colorado’s current pitching stable lacks both proven talent and quality depth.
However, both the Orioles and Diamondbacks made the playoffs just two years after losing 110 games, so it can be done.
Patrick, back in January you wrote an article quoting Rockies owner Dick Monfort’s outlook for the upcoming season, “I think we can play .500 ball.” Was his wishful thinking just a year too soon? It will require 20-plus more wins for the Rockies in 2024 and I think the roster will have the talented position players to do it. But what about the starting rotation and a proven closer?
— Dom, Longmont
Dom, I would be shocked if the Rockies can play .500 baseball in 2024. They just have too many holes to fill and their young players still face growing pains.
I’m not sure why Monfort said what he said because many in the organization knew that 2023 was going to be a tough year, even before all of the injuries.
Patrick, one of the things that perplexed me entering this season was that we decided to get rid of so much speed in our lineup entering the year. Given how much more abundant stolen bases were this season with the pitch clock, do you think that’s a priority for this team in the offseason?
— Roger, Lakewood
Roger, I’m not sure what players you’re referring to because the Rockies were slow as molasses last season, finishing with just 45 stolen bases. Led by Brenton Doyle and Nolan Jones, the Rockies stole 76 bases this season, which was quite an improvement but still ranked 28th in the majors.
I do think that the Rockies understand that they need to get faster on the bases. We’ll see if they can do that.
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