Carlos Gonzalez isn’t going to win the NL MVP trophy today. Neither is Troy Tulowitzki.
No problem. There’s a better Christmas gift for both: a No. 5 hitter.
It’s the least the Rockies can do to soften Jorge De La Rosa’s impending exit. A convincing argument can be made to keep the left-hander. He’s 24-10 with a 4.07 ERA over his last 34 decisions. He throws 95 miles per hour, has a slider that righties swing at it even as it nearly hits their back foot, and he won’t hesitate to throw his changeup.
Is that worth $48 million over four years? There are already multiple teams that believe so, all heading to Arizona this week to visit the free agent. That’s the problem with letting the market establish a player’s value. It doesn’t matter what his current team thinks.
The Rockies would love to keep De La Rosa on a three-year deal. That’s not happening unless they go to $45 million. Sad thing is, they probably could have signed him for $34 million last winter. There were reasons they didn’t — namely De La Rosa’s spotty resume prior to joining Colorado.
Losing De La Rosa will be devastating if he’s not replaced by a legitimate 200-inning eater — Gavin Floyd, Jon Garland, Javier Vazquez, Carl Pavano, Kevin Millwood?
Not having a bat to protect CarGo and Tulo won’t hurt any less. Let’s be honest, opponents aren’t going to let those two beat them anymore, especially on the road. At home, it’s different because the top-of-the-order hitters reach base. That’s not the case when they pack luggage.
So, they have to keep calling Arizona about Justin Upton. He would fit perfectly in their lineup and their budget — a player under control until 2015. If that’s fantasy baseball, then make a play for Washington’s Josh Willingham. If nothing’s there, then get Andruw Jones and Jermaine Dye into camp on low-risk, high-reward deals. Maybe they have nothing left. But Troy Glaus was considered done last year in Atlanta, and he hit 12 home runs with 47 RBIs in May and June. Pat Burrell provided San Francisco with a similar lift.
The point is you need somebody to fill in the gaps, even if it’s only for a couple of months. Then cross fingers that Ian Stewart blossoms into a star when the veteran tails off.
Losing the MVP stinks. Having a five-hole hitter who’s MIA is even worse.
