LOS ANGELES — Baseball super agent Scott Boras isn’t shy about adding his opinion to debates that concern his clients.
He called out the New York Mets for pitching Matt Harvey too much after Tommy John surgery. And he laid into the Chicago Cubs for sending third baseman Kris Bryant to the minors.
With the Rockies, Boras doesn’t have a beef at the moment. But he does have opinions about their path.
“They have to find a top, veteran arm,” Boras said Wednesday at Dodger Stadium before the Rockies lost to the Dodgers 2-0 in their series finale. Boras’ clients in Wednesday’s game included Colorado stars Carlos Gonzalez and Nolan Arenado and Dodgers rookie Corey Seager.
Boras, speaking like an agent, believes the Rockies should spend more for pitching if they want to become contenders.
“They have good, young pitchers. But they have before too. And they’re all three (years) and out,” he said.
Signing an established veteran, Boras said, would set the tone for a Rockies rotation that manager Walt Weiss believes will necessarily depend on the turnover of young pitchers. The Rockies probably will soon have a rotation that includes Jon Gray, Jeff Hoffman and Kyle Freeland. Adding a top-tier veteran, Boras said, would help the young pitchers.
“The minors are for learning command. You don’t learn how to pitch in the majors until you get here,” he said. “And a coach can’t always do that.”
The Rockies have left-hander Jorge De La Rosa signed through next season; he has a two-year contract worth $25 million. But the Rockies last splurged for pitchers in 2001, giving $121 million to Mike Hampton and $51 million to Denny Neagle, deals that didn’t work out and turned the franchise against signing free-agent pitchers to big contracts.
CarGo update
After shortstop Troy Tulowitzki was shipped to Toronto before the July trade deadline, many assumed Gonzalez was next out the door in a Rockies rebuild.
But the outfielder has stayed put, and it’s paid off for the Rockies. Gonzalez has 27 home runs since July 1 and 37 overall. Washington’s Bryce Harper (40) leads the National League, one homer ahead of Arenado.
So what did the Rockies miss out on in a trade? The Mets and Brewers had a trade in place that would have sent infielder Wilmer Flores and pitcher Zach Wheeler to Milwaukee for outfielder Carlos Gomez. That deal fell through, and Gomez eventually went to the Astros with pitcher Mike Fiers for four prospects.
“They’re five-tool players,” Boras said of Gonzalez and Gomez. “With CarGo, we’ve seen that arm, power, personality. There aren’t many players like him. Offensively, we’re seeing his experience and his talent. So we’ll see a 30-plus home run, 100-RBI guy. Those guys in the outfield, they’re rare birds. And he’s stepping into his prime.”
Arenado update
The Rockies’ two-time Gold Glove third baseman will be due a healthy raise in arbitration before next season. But Arenado remains in the Rockies’ control until 2020.
Tulowitzki and Gonzalez, a Boras client, signed extensions with the Rockies before becoming free agents. With Arenado, that remains to be seen.
“He’s a 35-home run hitter with elite defense at the corner. How many of them are there?” Boras said. “Count ’em up.”
Nick Groke: ngroke@denverpost.com or
Looking ahead
Padres’ Ian Kennedy (8-14, 4.28 ERA) at Rockies’ Chad Bettis (7-5, 4.59), 6:40 p.m. Friday, ROOT; 850 AM
Kennedy was none too happy with the Rockies after Colorado pitcher Kyle Kendrick hit his first career home run off Kennedy on Sept. 7 in San Diego. “Was that his first?” Kennedy said. “He did a pretty good job of letting us know.” Kendrick merely clapped his hands running down the line, and the Rockies went on to win 6-4. The rematch in Denver will pit Kennedy against Bettis, whose mechanical adjustments in spring training led to a breakout year for the 26-year-old. He likely will be a key piece of Colorado’s rotation next year.
Saturday: Padres’ Robbie Erlin (season debut) at Rockies’ Yohan Flande (3-3, 4.95 ERA), 6:10 p.m., ROOT
Sunday: Padres’ James Shields (12-6, 3.80) at Rockies’ Kyle Kendrick (6-12, 6.15), 2:10 p.m., ROOT
Monday: Pirates’ TBA at Rockies’ Jon Gray (0-1, 5.00), 6:40 p.m., ROOT
Tuesday: Pirates’ TBA at Rockies’ Chris Rusin (5-8, 5.11), 6:40 p.m., ROOT
Nick Groke, The Denver Post
