Rockies left-hander Brett Anderson suffered a back injury during a game against the Chicago Cubs in the fourth inning at Coors Field on Aug. 5. (Doug Pensinger, Getty Images)
The Brett Anderson conundrum: Do the Rockies keep the left-handed starter or let him walk on the basis of his injury history?
Whether or not the Rockies pick up the option on his contract is a $12 million question confronting the front office.
Anderson said Sunday that he’s progressing well after undergoing surgery last month to repair a ruptured disc in his lower back. He’ll begin core-strengthening exercises on Monday. Doctors have told him he’s doing fine, and the fact that he doesn’t have a history of back problems adds to a positive prognosis.
Still, he’s undergone Tommy John surgery, had a stress fracture in his foot, broke his index finger while batting early this season and injured his back, all in the span of four seasons. He’s made just 19 starts over the past three seasons. Is that the kind of pitcher a mid-market club an afford to pay $12 million?
“If you look at my track record, obviously it’s a little bit warranted,” Anderson answered when asked about the label that he’s injury prone. “But at the same time, it’s been a lot of different things, different injuries. It’s not just the same thing with my arm, over and over.
“So I like to think that all of that is behind me, and now I’ll be the pitcher I think I’m capable of being.”
Anderson, 1-3 with a 2.91 ERA in eight starts this season, is trying to remain optimistic.
“Hopefully, like wine, I get better with age,” he said. “I hope I make 30-plus starts and pitch 200 innings as I get older, rather than doing it when I was younger.”
Anderson said he’s very open to returning to Colorado.
“It’s kind of out of my control, but aside from the season I’ve had, and all of the losses, I like everything about being here,” he said. “I like the city, I like the team, I like the guys. Hopefully I’m back here next year and I can show what I can do beyond just a handful of starts.”
Here are the questions the Rockies must ponder regarding Anderson:
* Is he truly “injury prone” or just the victim of bad baseball luck?
* Can they find somebody better next season for $12 million or less? The chance of a quality free-agent pitcher coming to Colorado for that kind of money is not very good. A trade to bring in a new pitcher is always an option.
* Is one of the organization’s young guns — Tyler Anderson, Eddie Butler or Jon Gray — ready to be an impact pitcher next season?
* Could the Rockies swing a two-year deal for Anderson at less money per season? it’s possible, but, again, the injury history becomes part of the equation.
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