Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd says the young kids didn’t come through in 2008, so this winter he may go shopping for an ace.
"One of the bigger holes we still have is a pure No. 1," O’Dowd says. "Whether that can ever be accomplished without developing it ourselves, I still have doubts about. But in light of not having that, I think we obviously need to have another quality pitcher in our rotation, and not somebody that’s a bottom-of-the-rotation guy.
O’Dowd doesn’t make any promises, and speculates that a pitcher could come "through trade, free agents or somebody internally stepping up." There will be a couple of top-of-the-rotation guys available via free agency in CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets, but both may be too expensive for the Rockies. There is lots of speculation that Matt Holliday could be dealt, and he could potentially bring a starting pitcher in a trade. Or the Rockies could dangle Garrett Atkins and hope that Todd Helton is able to return to play first base next season. But leaning too hard on Helton, who has seen his power numbers drop precipitously and who has been out since July 2 with back problems, is a real gamble.
Coley Ward writes for Umpbump.com. He can be reached here.
