With Matt Holliday gone and Garrett Atkins possibly next, the question hits Rockies fans like a line drive: Does Colorado have enough offense?
Manager Clint Hurdle said this week that getting more pitching help remains the priority. He believes the lineup can improve without any major additions.
“If you look, everybody had subpar years except for (Chris) Iannetta, (Clint) Barmes and (Jeff) Baker,” Hurdle said. “I think there’s more there, that we have the offense in place. Of course we will be open-minded, but we are still focused on adding to our pitching staff.”
The bullpen represents the biggest concern. The Rockies could add arms through trades and have had recent discussions with the Mets regarding Aaron Heilman, according to a source close to the team. The Reds and the White Sox also remain interested in center fielder Willy Taveras. Atkins is another piece available to land pitching, but his market isn’t expected to crystallize until free agent Casey Blake signs, possibly with the Twins.
With Brian Fuentes a certainty to depart as a free agent — the Rockies will make a salary arbitration offer by Monday to ensure draft-pick compensation — Colorado is eyeing free-agent left-handers Alan Embree, Joe Beimel and Brian Shouse. The Rockies’ best bullpen was in 2007, when Hurdle had two lefty setup men, Fuentes and Jeremy Affeldt.
The Rockies have pursued Embree in the past as a free agent. Though he will be 39 in January, he fits the Rockies’ profile given his past success in the National League West and his reputation for mentoring younger players. Beimel, 31, is arguably the best left-hander available. The Rockies have spoken to his agent, Joe Sroba, and there’s an obvious reason why.
“He’s a groundball guy,” Sroba said.
Beimel, whom the Dodgers aren’t re-signing, has allowed just one home run in 450 at-bats in the last two seasons. Damaso Marte (three years, $12 million with the Yankees) and Affeldt (two years, $8 million with the Giants) have established the going rate at $4 million per season for a setup reliever. That may prove too pricey for the Rockies. The two-year, $7.5 million deal given Luis Vizcaino last winter was the richest the club has ever given a free-agent reliever, and Vizcaino was ineffective.
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
