Denver Post sports writer Patrick Saunders posts his Rockies Mailbag every other week on Tuesdays during the season and once per month during the offseason.
Pose a Rockies – or MLB – related question for the Rockies Mailbag.
I have been attending Rockies fantasy camp since 2001. It is normally held two weeks before the start of spring training, and for the first time this past year, almost every player on the Rockies roster was there working out, weeks before they needed to report. I believe it is this dedication that led to a strong 2017.
My question is this, why don’t the Rockies offer Carlos Gonzalez a contract similar to Greg Holland? I love David Dahl and Raimel Tapia, but Dahl is very injury prone and Tapia needs to get stronger. A fair-valued CarGo is still a better option. This team has amazing chemistry and it would be a shame to let it go.
Also, resigning catcher Jonathan Lucroy must be the first priority. The Rockies have an amazing core of young pitchers under team control for a few years, but they need a leader.
Signing Lucroy to a four-year deal sounds crazy, especially since he will probably not be a starter for all four years. As a catcher he probably has a WAR slightly over above average, but I believe he would add at least a +2 games to each of the starting pitchers on the staff versus Tony Wolters or Tom Murphy.
— Michael, Miami, Florida
Michael, you certainly threw a lot at me, so let’s handle this pitch by pitch.
1. I agree with your contention that the Rockies’ offseason workout program at Salt River Fields is a huge benefit to the team. All of that winter work had helped bond the players. Many of them – including Nolan Arenado — now live in Scottsdale during the offseason, so it’s become very convenient for the players.
Despite Troy Tulowitzki’s contention in 2016 that Salt River Field is a “country club,” I believe the Rockies’ top-flight facility has been instrumental to building a stronger organization.
2. Your question about the Rockies’ offering CarGo a “Greg Holland-type contract” is an interesting one. By that, I assume you mean a contract loaded with incentives?
On paper, that sounds interesting, but I don’t think CarGo would sign a deal that is so heavily weighted on reaching incentives (Holland more than doubled his salary to $15 million by reaching his in-season goals for innings pitched, saves, etc.)
I think the Rockies’ only shot to bring back CarGo is on a one-year deal with a club option for a second season. I can’t imagine any team offering CarGo a lucrative, multi-year deal.
There is a chance the Rockies will offer Gonzalez a $17.4 million qualifying offer for 2018, which would allow the Rockies to receive draft-pick compensation if he were to sign with another team. However, I don’t think the Rockies will make that offer to CarGo.
If Dahl does not look as if he’ll recover from his lingering rib/back injury, the chances of CarGo returning increase a little bit.
There remains a lot of mutual affection between the Rockies and Gonzalez, but I really doubt he will ever play again in Colorado purple.
3. I agree that signing Lucroy should be Colorado’s top free-agent priority. I think he’s invaluable to the development of Colorado’s young starters, and I think we saw that during the last six weeks of the season. Lucroy also started to hit in September (.311 average, .429 on-base percentage), though he’s not showing the power he did during his playing days in Milwaukee.
This was the best season the Rockies have had that I can remember, both as a team and individually. What can we do as fans to make sure Mr. Dick Monfort keeps the core of Charlie Blackmon, Arenado, Trevor Story, Mark Reynolds and DJ LeMahieu together for another season or two, letting the pitchers mature?
— Rita Richardson, Arvada
Rita, I suppose I could say that your campaign to keep the core together starts with this question to my mailbag. However, it might be presumptuous on my part, because I have no idea if Monfort reads anything I write.
You could always email Mr. Monfort (try using dick.monfort@rockies.com).
That said, the reality of contemporary baseball is that it’s an ever-changing business. I feel pretty certain that Arenado, Blackmon and Story will remain. I can imagine the Rockies approaching Blackmon with a three-year deal, bypassing his final year of arbitration and fending off free agency at the end of 2018.
I love LeMahieu, but with the coming ascension of prospect Ryan McMahon, possibly at second base, LeMahieu could become part of trade discussions. LeMahieu, like Blackmon, is scheduled to become a free agent after the 2018 season.
It would not surprise me at all to see the Rockies bring Reynolds back on another one-year deal, but they would have to give him a significant raise from the $1.5 million he earned this season.
With the Branch Rickey statue outside the home plate gate at Coors Field, has there been any talk of adding a Todd Helton ’07 NLCS statue outside the first base gate?
— Aaron Hurt, Omaha, Nebraska
Aaron, that’s an interesting thought, but I have not heard anything about a new statue of Helton or anyone else.
A great number of ballparks I visit have statues outside of walls honoring the great players in franchise history. So far, however, I have heard of no plans of the Rockies doing that.
Patrick, what are your thoughts on the postseason so far? How do you see the Championship Series and World Series panning out… give us your picks.
— Todd, Greeley
Well, Todd, I predict the Yankees will upset the Indians, the Dodgers will sweep the D-backs and we’re likely to see an Astros-Dodgers World Series.
OK, OK, I cheated. I actually first predicted a Cubs-Indians World Series, but now I think it will be Dodgers-Astros with the Astros winning it all.
Patrick, first off, I am very proud what the Rockies pulled off this season despite the wild-card playoff loss to the D-backs. Yes, it will sting for a while but I believe this is a sign for bigger things to come. Now my biggest question is now that we’re out of the playoffs. What will Bridich and the Montfort brothers do to keep hopefully more than 80 percent of the team together?
Our starting pitching I believe will be better next season, and we have the right people behind our pitchers.
The last question is what’s going to happen to players like Reynolds, Pat Neshek, Holland, Lucroy, and Gonzalez. If the front office is smart enough to keep a good majority of this team together next season, it will turn out to be even more special than what we recently witnessed. Thanks for reading this I look forward to hearing your thoughts. And I look forward to opening day next April.
— Garrett, Golden
Garrett, I touched on much of this in a previous question, but let me address two players in particular: Neshek and Holland.
Neshek was a tremendous trade acquisition, at least until he threw that misguided slider to Arizona reliever Archie Bradley that resulted in a two-run triple in the playoff game.
Neshek, 37, has been one of baseball’s most reliable relievers over the last decade, and he was excellent in 2017, posting a 1.59 ERA with a 0.818 WHIP in 71 appearances. He made $6.5 million this season pitching for Philadelphia and the Rockies. I would imagine it will take something like a two-year, $12 million deal to re-sign him. Can the Rockies snag him? A lot depends on how much other teams want him.
As for Holland, I think it’s highly doubtful he’ll return to Colorado. I’m thinking he’ll be after a three-year deal worth in excess of $40 million. That’s just my estimate. I will be interesting to see how much he commands.
Here is the latest news on Holland declining his player option to return to Colorado.
Hi Patrick, I’m saddened by the fact that this was most likely the last time Gonzalez wore purple pinstripes. He’s a true class act and represented the Rockies well. I’ll never forget his defense in the outfield and in particular his walk-off, third-deck home run for the cycle. It was like a scene out of “The Natural.” My question is, do you think CarGo did enough to have his No. 5 retired by the team? I would think he probably needed another few years with the team.
— Kyle M., Denver
Kyle, I’m going to miss CarGo, too. My colleague, Mark Kiszla penned an excellent good-bye column about CarGo.
To answer your question, I don’t think CarGo’s number will be retired. The Monforts seem to reserve those types of honors for only face-of-the-franchise-type players, like Helton, and perhaps Arenado if he has a long career in Colorado.
Denver Post sports writer Patrick Saunders posts his Rockies Mailbag every other week on Tuesdays during the season and once per month during the offseason.
Pose a Rockies – or MLB – related question for the Rockies Mailbag.
