@MarkKnudson41
The Colorado Rockies aren’t going to contend for the National League Western Division next season, either. This team is still light years behind the Los Angeles Dodgers and no where near the caliber of the San Diego Padres. At this moment, the Rockies aren’t as good as the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Whether they want to call it one or not, the Rockies need to do a rebuild.
Perhaps that rebuild is already underway…and we just don’t know it?
No team is going to send out a press release announcing they are “tanking” – the more unacceptable term for a youth movement or rebuilding job. These things have to be done as subtly as possible, as to not make paying customers think that their team isn’t in it to win it at all times. Teams will always say things like “we expect to contend…or in the case of the Rockies, “we like our team.” But that doesn’t mean they believe it.
Actions speak louder than words, and the Rockies have taken actions recently that give hope to those that think a rebooting of this roster is badly overdue.
There will be a time after the season to debate who should stay and who should go…but for now, one thing is clear. The young guys need to play. A lot. Starting next April.
We’ve seen enough good things from rookie Elehuris Montero, who came over in the Nolan Arenado trade, for him to be one of those young players that needs more playing time. Montero plays third base and first base, and can of course be a designated hitter, too.
Montero has been joined on the Rockies roster for this final month of the season by fellow rookie Michael Toglia, a power hitting switch hitter who is primarily a first baseman but has played a good deal in the outfield as well. Toglia, the team’s 2019 first round draft pick, has already homered from both sides of the plate and played solid defense at both first and right field.
These two, plus rookie outfielder Sean Bouchard (who can also play first and third) join a roster that already has Ryan McMahon – the team’s regular third baseman now but a guy that can play multiple infield spots) and 2022 All-Star C.J. Cron, the team’s regular first baseman.
It’s now crowded at the corners to say the least.
Rookies who can make an immediate impact are gold to teams like the Rockies, who want to keep payroll down when at all possible. Rookies are inexpensive by big league standards. And that helps a lot when you’re trying to retool a roster that is committed to continue to overpay Kris Bryant for the next six years and may require a couple of free agent acquisitions as well. Meanwhile, McMahon signed a seven-year, $70 million contract extension before this season, so he’s clearly part of the plan moving forward.
That leaves Cron, who leads the team in home runs and has been having a really good season, especially in the first half. He’s been slowed a bit by injury since the All-Star break, and his road numbers don’t approach his stats at Coors Field, but still, an All-Star is an All-Star.
That being said, the Rockies need to trade Cron as soon as the off season trading period begins.
Cron will have one year left on his $14.5 million two-year contract, so a team looking for a short term big bat should be interested. Hopefully Bill Schmidt and Co can get some badly needed (young) pitching help in return for him.
This is a move that has to be made. Now that the Rockies have young players who need to play and can certainly handle all first base duties, it’s time for the front office to stay true to their mantra and (re)build from within.