Colorado Rockies: Examining three potential free agent gambles
By Nick Stevens
The Colorado Rockies aren’t expected to make any big additions this offseason, but there are a few free agents who could be possible fits.
Colorado Rockies leadership entered the 2020 season with an unmatched enthusiasm for a ballclub that looked almost exactly the same as a Rockies team that won just 71 games in 2019.
Unsurprisingly, things didn’t improve in Colorado this season, in fact, the Rockies saw their winning percentage drop slightly in 2020 (.433) and watched as the San Diego Padres (the only team that finished below the Rockies in the NL West in 2019) catapulted their way from bottom-feeders to NL West contenders.
Meanwhile, the Rockies floundered at the bottom of the division, were buyers at the 2020 trade deadline for guys like Mychal Givens and Kevin Pillar who, in no shock to anyone, didn’t help put Colorado over the edge and only continued to deplete a farm system in need of significant upgrades.
As Colorado enters a long, cold offseason, ownership has already sent a letter to season ticket holders saying the current financial state of the organization is dire (seems to be every year in Colorado) and no high-profiled free agents will be looking for real estate in or around the Denver area over the next few months.
Although to be fair, the Rockies have nearly $100 million committed to just five players on their active roster. That includes Scott Oberg and Ian Desmond.
There are also the constant Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story trade discussions which will continue to dominate Colorado’s offseason. Despite the constant rumors and speculation, there’s a real opportunity neither gets moved and end up walking away in free agency in the near future.
Putting the negativity and frustrations to the side for a moment, the Rockies do have a current roster capable of being contenders, if ownership was willing to improve the roster. But that’s a massive “if”.
Knowing that the Colorado Rockies won’t be big spenders, let’s take a look at three free agent gambles the Rockies could target as they continue to focus on the fringes of the free agent market.