The Rockies’ Michael Cuddyer will become a free agent at the end of the 2014 season.(Lenny Ignelzi, The Associated Press)
Walt Weiss wants Michael Cuddyer back in a Rockies uniform next season.
That seems unlikely to happen unless Cuddyer and the Rockies both are willing to compromise a great deal. Cuddyer is nearing the end of his three-year, $31.5 million contract and he’ll soon be a free agent.
Even though, and even thought Cuddyer turns 36 in March, Weiss still thinks “Cuddy” would look good wearing purple in 2015.
“I would like to see him back here,” the manager said Sunday. “I just think he means so much to our club, in ways that go beyond the stat sheet.
“We are always going to have a relatively young team, because of the market we are in, and because of our payroll. So it makes it even more important to have guys who can set an example in the clubhouse and set an example of how to play the game out here. There is none better than Cuddy. I think that part of it is important to our club and the growth of our club.”
Cuddyer, who’s missed 13 games because of a stint on the disabled list with a strained left hamstring, is scheduled to come off the DL on Monday when the Rockies play the Mets in New York.
“I’m ready to go, 100 percent,” Cuddyer said Monday.
He wants to play as much as possible during the final 19 games of the season. Weiss seems ready to oblige him.
“Cuddy’s going to play, absolutely,” Weiss “He’s meant a lot to this club. He’s had a tough year, physically. But when he’s on the field, he still performs at the highest level — at the elite level even. When he’s been playing for us, he’s been one of our more productive, consistent hitters.”
Cuddyer, last year’s National League batting champion, is hitting .331 with six homers and 19 at-bats. But three stints on the DL — hamstring, broken left shoulder socket, another hamstring — have have limited him to 34 games and 130 at-bats.
Tags: Michael Cuddyer, Walt Weiss
