Denver Post sports writer Patrick Saunders posts his Rockies Mailbag every other week on Tuesdays during the season.
for the Rockies Mailbag.
The Rockies payroll says they are not in rebuild mode; it is like they are confused on what to do. Come out and say we are rebuilding like the Cubs and Astros did a few years ago, or just go for it and try to win now. Going the second rout might mean spending on a couple pitchers. Thoughts?
— Jim, Aurora
I’m a little confused, too. It’s almost as if the Rockies are saying, “We’re definitely building for the future, but just in case we might win now … not saying we will, but who knows, anything can happen … so we are sort of rebuilding, but …”
Bridich would take exception to that characterization, I’m sure.
This is what he told me for my story in :
“It’s funny. The little that I do read about this whole rebuilding thing, the assumption by a lot of people is, the only way to do it, or the only right way to do it, is some sort of nuclear tear down. In my opinion, our farm system is incredibly strong.
“While we have a lot of growth and a lot of improvement to do in terms of our results at the major-league level and our process at the major-league level. But we have a lot of talented baseball athletes. We have high-impact (players) and we have depth of those players in our system. It’s not like we have to build at the major-league level and build at the minor-league level all at the same time.”
On The Rox podcast:
I do think Bridich has a plan, but it’s been tough to grasp. What is clear is that the franchise is not going to go out and spend a lot of money on a free-agent pitcher, or give up a lot to trade for a veteran pitcher.
With competitiveness by the Rockies still a year or two away, why did the Rockies hold onto Carlos Gonzalez this offseason?
With his injury history, it appears to be a gamble to try to do something at the deadline.
— Mike, Castle Rock
I also expected Gonzalez to be traded during the offseason, but it never happened. Why? First of all, while the Rockies did talk to a number of teams, no trades emerged that would have given the Rockies fair value for CarGo.
So I think they were smart not to move him. You don’t pull the trigger on a trade if you’re not getting something worthwhile in return.
This is what general manager Jeff Bridich said recently about all the CarGo trade talk:
“It has always been supposition and conjecture and assumptions made. We have never said that we wanted to trade him. A year ago at this time, it was, ‘Is he going to heal? Has he healed? Is he going to be back to the player that he can be, as a 29-year-old, elite type of player?’ And he answered those questions. … He’s been a great Rockie, so there is still not some overarching desire to trade Carlos Gonzalez.”
Bridich added that if the Rockies really wanted to trade Gonzalez, they would have done so by now.
Is it a bit of gamble too hold onto Gonzalez? I suppose so, but at spring training and I expect him to have a big season.
Of course, if the Rockies are completely out of the playoff race by mid-July — as I expect they will be — then the CarGo trade talk will heat up again. If he’s having a good season and the Rockies are offered a good deal, I could definitely see him getting traded this summer — for more than what the Rockies might have received this winter.
Why does the local media seem to overlook Gonzalez as the leader of the Rockies? For years we’ve read how this is Todd Helton’s team, or Tulo’s team and now Nolan Arenado’s team. Why is CarGo not in the conversation?
Except for his injury-plagued years, Gonzalez is one of the top players in the league. A five-tool stud outfielder, not to mention a solid citizen a great teammate and good guy. I don’t get it. Give the man some respect.
We’re lucky to have him in a Rockies uniform.
— Robert Dean, Los Angeles, California
Robert, this is a very interesting question, but to say we don’t give CarGo respect is ludicrous.
I’m not sure the media “overlooks” CarGo as the team leader, but I do think we make too much of the whole leadership theme as a whole. So I do think we are guilty of making too big a deal about that subject. Guilty as charged.
Leadership on a big-league team comes from work habits and leading by example, not from by rah-rah speeches. So, in that characterization, CarGo is a leader. As you note, he is a good guy and is well-liked in the clubhouse.
However, I don’t think Gonzalez has any desire to be the so-called face of the franchise. It’s just not who he is. Arenado, on the other hand, seems to want to be the face of the franchise.
Rockies Mailbag:
I’ll give you an example. When Troy Tulowitzki made news by telling USA Today that he thought the it upset Arenado.
Indeed Arenado came up to me in the clubhouse and said, “I think I’ve got to say something about this.” I don’t see CarGo doing something like that.
If there is a traditional football-type leader on this Rockies team right now, it would be veteran catcher Nick Hundley. He raises his voice when he has to and is not afraid to call people out, but he has the respect of the players.
Patrick, I wanted to get your thoughts on the new slide rule this season. I understand where MLB is coming from, but I feel the new rule has potential to get guys hurt now that the neighborhood play can be reviewed. Thanks.
— Danny, Dallas, Texas
Danny, that’s a very good question, but one that won’t be completely answered until this plays out over the course of the season, much like the new rule that sought to prevent collisions at home plate.
I look at it like this: MLB added a layer of protection for the players covering the bag, but it might also have added a new hazard by altering the so-called neighborhood play.
To , rule 6.01 now states the runner needs to begin a slide on the ground before attempting to hit the base with a hand or foot. Then he must remain on the base and not change his path to try and make contact with the fielder. In other words, the new rule penalizes a player from trying to “take out a player” at second as opposed to trying to reach the bag safely.
But the league also announced that the “neighborhood play” is now reviewable with instant replay. In essence, fielders must now be sure to touch second base when they attempt to turn a double play. In the past, the fielder was given the benefit of the doubt that he touched second as he continued with this throw to first base.
The concern is that players, especially in the beginning, will be so intent on touching the base that they will collide more often with baserunners sliding into second base.
“I’m lukewarm on the neighborhood thing,” said Rockies manager Walt Weiss, a longtime major-league shortstop. “Guys are just going to be a little more in-tune to where their feet are. I just hope infielders don’t get to the point where they have to think about their footwork. That’s a concern I have.”
The new sliding rule has become known as the “Chase Utley Rule”
because of the takeout slide by Utley that broke the leg of New York Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada during last year’s playoffs.
Even Utley thinks the new rule is a good one.
“I think that will definitely help keep guys healthy, for sure,” the former Phillies star told The Los Angeles Times.
Utley was suspended two games for the slide, as chief baseball officer Joe Torre ruled that Utley slid late and was “more targeting the player as opposed to the base.” Utley’s appeal is expected to be heard next month.
If you cut a player from the team, does he still get to keep his contract pay for the year? Have been a Rockies fan from the beginning and will always be a fan.
— Bob Cotton, Northwest Kansas
Bob, you certainly have shown patience by sticking with this team through the recent hard times.
As for your question, it’s a little bit tough for me to answer because there are so many levels to MLB roster moves, so I’m not quite sure what you want to know. Unlike the NFL, baseball teams don’t usually just “cut” players.
As a simple answer to your question, yes, MLB contracts are guaranteed and players usually still get their money. But there are exceptions to that.
Last spring, for example, Rockies right-hander Jhoulys Chacin was given his unconditional release. The Rockies had signed Chacin to a one-year, $5.5 million contract to avoid arbitration during the offseason. But after Chacin posted a 6.52 ERA in four Cactus League starts, the Rockies released him. The move meant that the Rockies save three-quarters of the payroll space originally devoted to Chacin ended up paying him $1.35 million.
However, when you say “cut,” you are most likely talking about a player getting “designated for assignment.” When this happens, a player is placed on waivers. When a player is designated for assignment and removed from his club’s 40-man roster, there is a 10-day window in which he can be traded, released or, if he clears outright waivers, assigned to the minor leagues.
For example, Rockies outfielder Kyle Parker was recently designated for assignment, cleared waivers, was not traded and was outrighted to the minors.
It gets complicated, especially when specific dates or a players’ service time is considered. If you want to delve deeper into this, I suggest going to the transaction handbook at
I am one of the few, no doubt, that feel the Rockies pitching this year will not be as bad as predicted. However, I am not too impressed with their bench. Brandon Barnes leads the group, but outside of being a good clubhouse man, his offense is pretty anemic. Do you see any movement to improve this area?
— Berry, Cheyenne, Wyoming
Berry, I’m not impressed with the bench either, although I think the addition of first baseman/third baseman/outfielder Mark Reynolds gives Colorado some right-handed power off the bench. So does second-string catcher Tom Murphy.
Rafael Ynoa gives the Rockies some flexibility because he can play multiple positions, but he’s not a high-impact player, Neither is Dan Descalso.
The mark of a contending team is a strong and effective bench and I don’t see that with the Rockies this season.
As far as movement is concerned. I don’t see the team adding anybody at this stage of the spring.
Jose Reyes has done nothing to win over fans, and may be the least-liked Rockies player in history. Is ownership going to stand by him or realize their giant public relations mistake and get rid of him?
— Michael Olson, Fort Collins
That’s quite a statement to say he’s the “least-liked” player in Rockies history. I’m not sure that is true, in part because he’s played for the Rockies for less than half a season.
WATCH:
First of all, let’s see how this all shakes out before we start passing judgment. I abhor any sort of domestic violence, but we don’t know all the facts of the Reyes situation. Plus, we still don’t know what MLB, or the court in Hawaii, is going to decide.
Right now, the Rockies can do nothing about Reyes’ contract situation because any discipline is currently in the hands of MLB. I don’t know all of the legal implications right now, but I do know that Rockies can’t simply get rid of Reyes and not pay him. Let’s see how this plays out.
Denver Post sports writer Patrick Saunders posts his Rockies Mailbag every other week on Tuesdays during the season.
for the Rockies Mailbag.
