Colorado Rockies Looking to Add Ian Desmond to the Mix
Despite the fact they currently have former all-star shortstop Jose Reyes, the Rockies are reportedly interested in adding Ian Desmond before spring training begins. With Reyes facing domestic abuse charges and a potential suspension from commissioner Rob Manfred, Colorado might be hedging his production as well.
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Desmond had a down year in 2015 and that could earn Colorado a bargain of a contract on the slugger. After hitting just .233 with 19 home runs and 62 RBI, he could be willing to sign a one or two-year deal in order to re-establish his value.
Even though the Rockies don’t figure to contend in 2015, he would certainly add some pop to an already talented lineup. Especially playing at Coors Field, hitting 30 home runs wouldn’t be out of the question.
A lot of Desmond’s struggles from a year ago can be attributed to disarray in Washington. All year long, it seemed like something was wrong with that locker room. There’s a chance that had an effect on his play.
Colorado is a hitter’s paradise, and honestly, any hitter that’s looking to re-establish their value would be stupid not to sign a one-year deal with the Rockies. You can inflate your numbers there and then get paid somewhere else.
In the end, that’s what this potential deal comes down to. The Rockies can use Desmond’s bat to make them a little more competitive and Desmond can use the thin Colorado air to earn him more money in the future. It’s a potentially mutually beneficial relationship.
Here’s a look at what the Rockies’ lineup could look like with Desmond, if Reyes is suspended:
- OF Charlie Blackmon
- SS Ian Desmond
- OF Carlos Gonzalez
- 3B Nolan Arenado
- OF Gerardo Parra
- 2B D.J. LeMahieu
- 1B Mark Reynolds
- C Nick Hundley
Add Reyes to that mix and that starts to look like a very dangerous lineup. Of course, the team doesn’t have any pitching to go with that, but maybe they can win enough slugfests to contend, at least for a portion of the season.
Generally, pitching as terrible as Colorado’s doesn’t bode well no matter how good your offense is, but it’s certainly possible to win, at least in the regular season, without a ton of pitching.
Colorado will have to depend on that formula to win in 2016 and potentially land pitching at the deadline if they’re competitive enough. Unfortunately for them, they’ve used a similar formula in the past and it hasn’t quite worked.
With Desmond added to the mix maybe they can reverse that trend.