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41’s Inside Pitch: Tovar could make the Rockies look smart like the Astros

@MarkKnudson41

Letting a star player leave via free agency is never a popular move. Followers of the team either want ownership to re-sign that player and keep him on the roster, or they’re going to advocate for the team at least get something tangible in return through a trade. Letting a valuable asset leave for no more than a compensatory draft pick doesn’t seem real smart on the surface.

That exact situation unfolded a year ago in Houston, where they let free agent shortstop Carlos Correa walk at the end of his contract, and right here with the Colorado Rockies, who saw their star shortstop, Trevor Story, do the same.

The Rockies front office felt the wrath of fans and media alike for letting their All-Star shortstop walk. Regardless of the dollars, Story wasn’t going to resign with Colorado, and to hear the Rockies tell it, the trade offers they were getting in return for their shortstop – who had a down season that year and was playing hurt for much of it – weren’t worth as much as they got in return (a compensatory first-round draft pick) for simply letting him go.

Most simply shook their heads and muttered at what appeared to be a front office blunder when Story signed with the Boston Red Sox.

In Houston, All-Star shortstop Carlos Correa was asking for the kind of long-term mega contract that the newly minted World Series champs simply do not hand out, so he departed too. Same sort of deal. Correa got big money from the Minnesota Twins. He’s a free agent again this winter.

Now here we are a year later, armed with strong evidence to suggest that the Astros made the right decision…and rightfully wondering if the Rockies did as well.

In H-Town – where, ironically, many of us thought Story might end up signing as a free agent as a replacement for Correa – they opted to not go outside the organization at all. Instead, the Astros put their faith in rookie shortstop Jeremy Pena to step in and fill the void. He answered the call. After an up and down regular season, the faith in Pena paid off handsomely. All he did was win a Gold Glove, get named American League Championship Series Most Valuable Player AND World Series MVP. No rookie had ever done that before.

Consider Correa adequately replaced.

We’ll find out soon enough if the Rockies make a similarly good decision

When spring training starts, all eyes will be on Colorado’s own young shortstop Ezequiel Tovar…and for that matter, supplemental draft pick Sterlin Thompson, an outfielder from the University of Florida, selected by Colorado with that compensatory draft pick. Thompson is a few seasons away, but fans should still take not.

After one season with stop-gap veteran José Iglesias at short, the Rockies appear ready to give the gig to Tovar next spring. He’s still very young (he won’t turn 22 until next August) and expecting a breakout season like Pena (who is 25 and a product of the University of Maine) just finished would be asking too much. But the Rockies recent history with young shortstops has been pretty good. Remember, Story was tasked with replacing All-Star Troy Tulowitzki at the start of the 2016 season.

Now it’s Tovar’s time.

Those who’ve watched him closely think there could be an All-Star game or two in his future, too.

The Rockies hope there’s also a league championship series and World Series in there as well. But let’s not get too carried away just yet…right?

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