Colorado Rockies Dodge Bullet with Carlos Gonzalez Extension
Sometimes, the best moves are the ones that are not made. In the case of the Colorado Rockies, they dodged a bullet when Carlos Gonzalez turned down their extension offer.
It has not been a good year for Carlos Gonzalez. With the Colorado Rockies outfielder set to become a free agent after the season, Gonzalez is in the midst of the worst performance of his career. His .240/.308/.360 batting line is worst a career low OPS+ of 64. His eight home runs are the fewest since his rookie season with the Oakland Athletics. Gonzalez certainly picked a bad time to begin to struggle.
That timing is made even worse by his decision earlier this season. Given his status as an impending free agent, the Rockies offered the outfielder an extension this offseason. As he was coming off of an All Star campaign, and expecting to cash in during free agency, Gonzalez declined the offer.
Given his struggles this season, it is safe to say that the Rockies dodged a bullet. While the details of the extension have yet to be divulged, it was likely to be for close to the $20 Million that Gonzalez is being paid this season. That money can now be used by the Rockies to help bolster a roster that is currently in postseason contention.
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As for Gonzalez, his production this season adds another question for teams interested in his services. He will turn 32 years old in October, and had developed a reputation for being injury prone. While he had been healthy in the previous two seasons, one has to wonder if Gonzalez is playing through another injury.
There are also questions as to whether or not Gonzalez will be able to produce away from Coors Field. Over his career, he has a .326/.387/.602 batting line with 127 homers and 132 doubles in the thin air of Colorado. However, he has a lifetime .253/.307/.424 batting line on the road, with just 79 home runs in 2348 plate appearances. That production certainly is not worth $20 Million either.
It is possible that Gonzalez ends up with the Rockies anyway after this season. Given his production at Coors Field, he would be more valuable in their lineup than anywhere else. Yet, even if the Rockies do retain their former All Star, they may be able to get him at a discounted rate compared to the extension they had offered at the start of the year.
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The Colorado Rockies may have dodged a bullet with Carlos Gonzalez. His lack of production could not have come at a worse time for the impending free agent.