Former Reds and Giants pitcher Mike Leake is a free agent. Would he consider Colorado?
(John Grieshop, Getty Images)
Baseball dreaming on a winter’s day.
I know it. You know it. Carlos Gonzalez knows it. Nolan Arenado knows it.
The Rockies need better starting pitching, preferably by acquiring a proven arm that can spark a winning streak, stop a losing streak, carry a heavy load of innings and provide some leadership.
There is an excellent free-agent class out there, but the Rockies rarely put a bid in for the big-money guys. Even if they did, pitchers such as Zack Greinke, David Price or Johnny Cueto are not going to come pitch at 5,280 feet for a team that’s averaged 94 losses over the last four seasons.
If Bridich makes a move, it will most likely come via a trade, though he says he’s open to all possibilities.
“We will look at both avenues,” he said last week after returning from the GM meetings in Boca Raton, Fla. “It’s probably easier to get aggressive on the trade front, especially early on. Free agents like to see what the full market is, most of them. But we’ll run parallel courses to the best of our ability.”
Scouring the free-agent market, I found one high-quality starter who might make some sense. I’m not saying it’s going to happen, but it sure would be an upgrade.
You ready?
Mike Leake.
I can hear the skeptics howling now.
Hear me out.
The right-hander will be just 28 next season. He was acquired by the Giants in a mid-season trade with the Reds. He went 11-10 with a 3.70 ERA and a 119/49 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Drafted eighth overall in 2009, he quickly made the majors and pitched more than 1,000 innings for the Reds over 5 1/2 years before being traded to San Francisco. He’s made 30 or more starts in each of the past four seasons. In other words, he’s durable.
Leake pitched in Cincinnati’s Great American Ballpark — a home run haven — so he’s given up some long balls (22 last season, 14 while with the Reds). But he gets ground balls with his sinker and has excellent control. He has yet to walk 50 men (unintentionally) in a single season in the majors. He’s also a good athlete and one of the best fielding pitchers in baseball. In other words, Leake might be able to handle Coors Field.
Having said that, his one career start at Coors Field was not good. On Sept. 1, 2013, he lasted just 4 1/3 innings, giving up six runs on eight hits.
The price tag? It’s likely to be steep, but not outrageous. Perhaps a five-year, 80-90 million deal would do it.
Of course, other teams are in the mix. The Giants are reportedly interested in re-signing him, and there have been reports that the Diamondbacks are chasing him. In Arizona, Leake would step in and be provide an immediate upgrade to a team that is close to contending if it can improve it’s rotation. Leake played at Arizona State, so he knows the D-Backs.
I’m not saying the Rockies are going to land Leake, but I sure hope they try.
Asked how he could convince free agents to come to Colorado and pitch at Coors Field, Bridich chuckled and said: “You don’t necessarily dwell on it, but you talk about it openly. If people are scared, then it’s probably not going to work. … If there is fear and there is some sort of trepidation every time you toe the rubber, than it’s not going to work no matter how good your stuff is.
“Pitchers are people, and people are different and that means that different guys are going to approach Coors Field and altitude differently. It’s a matter of working hard to find a good match.”
Tags: Carlos Gonzalez, Jeff Bridich, Mike Leake
