The Rockies’ quest to land a free-agent slugger to power up their offense continues, but with no results as of Tuesday evening.
Kris Bryant remains Colorado’s No. 1 target, but national reports say that Philadelphia is also in the hunt for the versatile Bryant, who could play outfield, first base or third base.
Meanwhile, Chad Kuhl, the newly-signed free-agent pitcher, has the inside track for the fifth spot in Colorado’s rotation.
“He’s in the mix, right in the mix,” manager Bud Black told reporters at the team’s spring training complex in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Landing Bryant is going to take a lot of money and plenty of persuasion. Bryant is represented by Scott Boras, one of the most powerful agents in sports, and Boras will drive a hard bargain. Rockies owner Dick Monfort is playing a central part in the negotiations.
The Rockies’ rotation, which figures to be the team’s strength, is mostly set. Four of the five spots are filled by all-star right-hander German Marquez, righty Antonio Senzatela (fresh off a five-year, $50.5 million contract extension) and lefties Kyle Freeland and Austin Gomber.
Before the Rockies signed Kuhl to a one-year, $3 million deal, spring training opened, and it appeared that right-hander Peter Lambert or left-handed prospect Ryan Rolison were the leading candidates to be the fifth starter. But the acquisition of Kuhl, and the guaranteed money the Rockies gave him, makes him the front-runner.
While Kuhl’s numbers are not impressive, Black pitched a strong case for the 31-year-old right-hander.
“It’s a good arm, with a good fastball and a good breaking ball, and I still think he has the potential to realize his best stuff,” Black said. “We are going to give him a real opportunity to be one of our starting pitchers.”
Kuhl, who was non-tendered by Pittsburgh in November, is coming off a tough season in which he missed three weeks because of COVID-19. He went 5-7 for the lowly Pirates, posting a career-worst 4.82 ERA in 28 games (14 starts).
In five major-league seasons, Kuhl is 25-30 with a 4.44 ERA in 100 games (84 starts) and 395 strikeouts in 439 2/3 innings.
Workload. Black said because of the 99-day lockout and the shortened spring training, starters would be limited to four or five innings when the regular season begins April 8 with a game against the Dodgers. Rockies pitchers, however, feel good about their readiness.
, Marquez threw to collegiate hitters at Metropolitan State University during the offseason, while Senzatela faced several major-league hitters and worked with former Rockies catcher Drew Butera in Orlando, Fla.
Freeland and Gomber arrived in Scottsdale, Ariz., early and threw simulated innings. Gomber, the centerpiece of last February’s Nolan Arenado trade with St. Louis, went on the 60-day injured list in early September because of a stress fracture in his lower back, but he said he was ready to throw by the end of October.
Odd men out. the analytic baseball site, does not think much about the Rockies’ playoff chances. FanGraphs predicts that the Rockies will finish last in the National League West, putting their number of wins at 65.5 and their losses at 96.5. Colorado’s odds of making the playoff are put at 0.2%, while its odds of making the World Series are 0.0%.
