Headlines

  • Nationals Fire PBO Mike Rizzo, Manager Dave Martinez
  • Brewers Activate Brandon Woodruff
  • Clarke Schmidt Expected To Undergo Tommy John Surgery
  • Bobby Jenks Passes Away
  • Braves Release Alex Verdugo
  • Top 40 Trade Candidates For The 2025 Deadline
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

Remove Ads
  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Guardians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Oakland Athletics
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2025 Trade Deadline Outlook Series
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Agency Database
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Monfort: Rockies Lack Payroll Flexibility

By Jeff Todd | October 1, 2019 at 1:15pm CDT

Not that it was ever much in question, but Rockies owner Dick Monfort confirmed in comments today that the organization won’t be able to spend its way out of its roster difficulties. “We don’t have a lot of flexibility next year,” Monfort said of the team’s payroll situation, as Nick Groke of The Athletic was among those to cover (Twitter links).

Appearing at an end-of-season press conference alongside GM Jeff Bridich and manager Bud Black, Monfort also commented on the team’s just-announced TV deal. The contract, which begins with the start of the 2021 season, is “not as lucrative as I wanted it to be,” says the Colorado franchise owner.

It’d be foolish to rule out contention for a club that features some impressive core talent and that made back-to-back postseason appearances in the prior two campaigns. But much went wrong for the Rox in 2019 and there aren’t many clear avenues to improving — at least, beyond getting the team’s existing players ready to roll for the new campaign.

Last year’s Rockies club opened with a $145MM payroll, marking the sixth-straight year in which the organization set a new high-water mark. That tally was reached in part with a series of multi-year contracts, many of which remain on the books.

Looking ahead to 2020, there’s already $120MM on the ledger, some portion of which is dedicated to underperforming assets. That’s before accounting for arbitration pay raises to Trevor Story, Jon Gray, Scott Oberg, David Dahl, and others. And it doesn’t include any new acquisitions.

There are other interesting observations still rolling out of the presser, with Michael Spencer of CBS Denver documenting some items of interest via video on his Twitter feed. Some recent comments from star third baseman Nolan Arenado featured heavily. Bridich contested any suggestion that the club has adopted or will take up a rebuilding posture. He also said the club is content with the opt-out clause included in Arenado’s contract. Indeed, the GM says it was his idea to bake it in. (Why? He spoke obliquely of “some of the realities that can exist” and “giving people the opportunity to take a breath, at a certain time period, to say is this right for me right now?” Of course, it’s also possible the team pushed the concept as a way of giving non-financial value.)

Looking ahead, the pitching staff is probably the key area of focus. Though the club was also distinctly below-average offensively, it’s easier to imagine relying upon internal strides in that area. Getting arms to Coors Field remains a difficult task, however, which helps to explain how the club ended up with some less-than-desirable reliever contracts. Bridich says the organization is “always looking” at ways to get quality players in, though the above-noted limitations figure to make that tough. The roster architect suggested that he remains confident in a group that certainly has been more effective in the recent past. As he put it, “I think that there still is a foundation as long as certain guys bounce back.”

Share 0 Retweet 7 Send via email0

Colorado Rockies

Reds Will Not Retain Hitting Coach Turner Ward
Main
Orioles Claim Cole Sulser
View Comments (40)
Post a Comment

40 Comments

  1. flyfisher64

    6 years ago

    This mess is clearly of the General Manager’s making..specifically signing McGee, Davis, & Shaw all to three year deals. All are on the wrong side of 30 and have little to no chance of rebounding next year…if anything they’ll regress even more. Desmond was another one of his brilliant moves..2 years to go on that mistake. Perhaps the Rox start with Jeff Bridich’s resignation might make the most sense.

    2
    Reply
  2. redadome

    6 years ago

    Trade Nolan and get a massive package back that can put the Rockies back in the race

    2
    Reply
    • Dodger Dog

      6 years ago

      Who is taking that contract and giving up a haul?

      1
      Reply
      • Woods Rider

        6 years ago

        Phillies. They might not have that amount of talent, but they have the cash and a 3B prospect named Alec Bohm that might entice the Rockies,.

        Reply
        • al avias phone

          6 years ago

          they would never give him up.todays baseball in terms of trades the one star or younger star for a massive haul of young talent isn’t reality anymore

          1
          Reply
        • DarkSide830

          6 years ago

          neither Medina or Howard are going anywhere, and that’s what Colorado will ask.

          Reply
    • RadioPirate

      6 years ago

      Unfortunately, these days, teams aren’t paying “massive” packages for anyone. Wherever Arenado plays, he’s going to command a huge salary and the modern reality of the game as defined by teams like the godless Dodgers and the impervious Astros (and to a lesser extent, the Rays, A’s and Milwaukee) is to save money and hold on to your prospects. The teams that can afford Arenado don’t need him or want to upset their in-house applecart to bring him in. Teams that can use him can’t afford him.

      Reply
      • vtadave

        6 years ago

        Godless…Dodgers?

        1
        Reply
    • BobbyJohn

      6 years ago

      As much as I love Nolan, his contract doesn’t contain any excess value as he is definitely making market rate at present. That’s not a recipe for a large return in a trade.

      1
      Reply
      • Woods Rider

        6 years ago

        Agreed 100%. He’s at market rate. The best the Rockies can hope for is just to get the salary off the books. Perhaps they get a solid prospect in return and possibly a Low A-ball toss in..

        Reply
        • BobbyJohn

          6 years ago

          I’m not advocating a trade at all, especially given the likely return.

          They have got to clear money off the books for Story, Gray, and Dahl, all of whom appear to be foundation pieces going forward.

          That means eating some money now on Desmond and the relievers in order to keep those guys long-term. Bridich went to business school, The idea of sunk costs should not be new to him.

          But honestly, I think the best way for them to clear a lot of that money is to package some prospects with those guys to help reduce the amount of salary they have to eat.

          I don’t think there is another way out from under those deals, and if they don’t free up that money then 2-3 of their current best players will be gone in the fairly near future.

          Reply
    • smrtbusnisman04a

      6 years ago

      They should consider trading Trevor Story? He’s inexpensive, and would bring back a top pitching prospect or two in return.

      Reply
      • BobbyJohn

        6 years ago

        Story is easily their most valuable player commodity, but they should be locking him up instead of trading him.

        Reply
  3. cwsOverhaul

    6 years ago

    Trade Blackmon big $ off his good year without expecting much prospect return……unless willing to absorb decent chunk of change to get decent prospect.

    1
    Reply
    • keysox

      6 years ago

      White Sox will take him.

      Reply
      • cyyoung24

        6 years ago

        I can get behind that

        Reply
  4. Senioreditor

    6 years ago

    Paying 1 player, no matter how great he is, nearly 25% of your total salary is a sure recipe for failure. They should move Arenado for numerous prospects and field a competitive team.

    3
    Reply
  5. Roxman

    6 years ago

    Desmond, Shaw, Davis, and McGee are the ones that are handicapping this team. Arenado isnt. Those 4 at the top produced a -1.1 WAR. Absolutely stupid to keep them around.

    3
    Reply
    • terry g

      6 years ago

      That may be true but you’re not going to get much back for any of those four. In fact, you may have to eat a good bit of their salaries to move them at all.

      2
      Reply
      • BobbyJohn

        6 years ago

        Or include some prospects that have significant excess value, but when was the last time the Rockies did THAT?

        1
        Reply
      • flyfisher64

        6 years ago

        Or just release the pitchers a la Mike Dunn

        Reply
        • BobbyJohn

          6 years ago

          Dunn had a one-year option for 2020 that they bought out for $1M instead.

          For 2020, Davis is owed $17M, Shaw gets $9M, McGee gets $9.5M, and Desmond has $15M coming.

          Desmond has $8M due in 2021.

          Murphy is on the books for 2021 ($8M) and 2022 ($6M).

          Story had a $5M deal for ’19, and is eligible for arb on the heels of his best overall season.

          The point being, teams like the Rockies cannot afford to have a stack of big misses like that, especially when young core players (Story, Gray, Dahl) are coming into arbitration.

          Reply
  6. Colorado Springs

    6 years ago

    Proud of the way the team finished this season! With the top 4 starters injured much of the season and the bullpen totally collapsing except for a few, there is no way one could expect anything better than fourth in the division – and that came down to the last game of the season! Nevertheless, the performance of the “replacement starters” such as Peter Lambert, Antonio Senzatela, Jeff Hoffman, Chi Chi Gonzalez, and Tim Melville is very encouraging, assuming that German Marquez, Kyle Freeland, and Jon Gray will be healthy for 2020. Several newcomers in the bullpen late in the season were welcome, with the career best performance by Oberg. Deadwood such as Davis, Shaw and McGee should not be allowed to pitch for this team again. Between Estevez and Oberg, the Rocks should not have to look for a closer during the off-season. Potential stars such as Hilliard, Tapia and Hampson make it hard to see where everyone is going to play, with the best left side in baseball, the progress of McMahon, and a healthy Dahl. It makes “Wait ’til next year” easy to say.

    Reply
    • BigFred

      6 years ago

      Optimism!

      Reply
  7. Woods Rider

    6 years ago

    The problem is Monfort himself. Firstly, there’s so many transplants in Colorado, they take over the ballpark on a nightly basis and sellout or come near close on the likes of their division rivals most notably the Dodgers and Giants (due to Denver being new LA/SF).

    No matter what the Rockies do, they sell out 25% of their games regardless of the roster on the field. Monfort know he has to do nothing to make money. Additionally, their TV right aren’t part of the nation Fox Sports or Comcast conglomerate, so they have more control over their TV rights and revenue. They are one of the few “small market” network deals left.

    Monfort also love to play the “small market” angle. Denver isn’t a small market and hasn’t been for some time. The Metro area grows by several hundred thousand every year.

    Monfort says they have no money, he’s full of it.

    3
    Reply
    • BobbyJohn

      6 years ago

      They just signed a new, more lucrative TV deal, too.

      1
      Reply
      • Woods Rider

        6 years ago

        I read that highlight yesterday, but I have yet to read into it, so I don’t know anything about that deal. All I know is what I read above about it kicking in in 2021.

        I’m not a Rockies fan, but I live here and I refuse to take a dump on the local team. I only root against them 6 times a year when they play the Phillies.

        However, the way Monfort treats his fanbase as idiots drives me nuts.

        Reply
        • BobbyJohn

          6 years ago

          I didn’t see any particulars, now that you mention it. The previous deal was for $20M/season, and most of the guesstimates I saw for the new deal had that doubled.

          Reply
  8. BobbyJohn

    6 years ago

    Of all the mistakes Bridich has made (and they are numerous), the Ian Desmond Contract reigns supreme.

    Not only did it chew up a significant chunk of payroll, it also blocked Ryan McMahon at 1B, resulting in his shift to 2B, which then led to DJ LeMahieu leaving.

    When Desmond did not work out at 1B, they signed Daniel Murphy and shifted Desmond to CF, which led to Mike Tauchman heading to the Yankees where he did very well when he was healthy.

    So, effectively, the Ian Desmond Contract cost them DJ and Tauchman, and delayed the development of McMahon, when they could have just re-signed DJ for far less than they gave Desmond in the first place.

    The very first move of this off-season should be the dismissal of the GM.

    4
    Reply
    • Woods Rider

      6 years ago

      It’s that awkward moment when you realize how many times the Rockies have reached the playoffs, even gotten to a World Series, but have yet to come close to a division title.

      Reply
    • Paulie Walnuts

      6 years ago

      Not to mention giving up a first round pick to sign Desmond…

      Reply
    • Colorado Springs

      6 years ago

      So many conspiracy theories. You do know that DJ “cashed out” as a free agent? I don’t blame him – it was his big payday and well deserved, but he wasn’t going to get that from the Rockies. None of your musings hold water.

      Reply
      • BobbyJohn

        6 years ago

        DJ left as a free agent because they didn’t offer him an extension. And a large part of that was that they signed Desmond and chewed up a big chunk of change unnecessarily.

        His contract with the Yankees is two years at $12M per year. That’s FAR less than they gave Desmond.

        My “musings” are 100% on point.

        1
        Reply
  9. smrtbusnisman04a

    6 years ago

    It sounds as though the person to trade is Story. He’s not locked up and right now would garner a top pitching prospect or two as a return

    Reply
  10. DarkSide830

    6 years ago

    the sad fact is as long as there is a team in Colorado there will be issues such as this. their best assets will always be hitters, who will have the dubious “Coors Effect” lable bounced off them regardless of splits, so they will have to buy pitching, presumably to miserable effect.

    Reply
  11. amk3510

    6 years ago

    The Broncos have and always will run that market. Once football starts no one cares about what happens on Blake Street.

    Reply
  12. Blue_Painted_Dreams_LA

    6 years ago

    I’m not a Rockies fan, but as a baseball fan I feel sorry for Rockie fans. The core talent is there obviously, but man has management and Burdich fumbled this. In looking at the contracts there are some poison pills in them. There’s no way they can trade Davis or Desmond or swap bad contracts with them receiving full blown NTCs. Add onto the fact Davis’s option becomes a player option should he finish 30 Games in ‘20. Shaw & Davis having obtainable guarantees for reachable innings thrown, mainly Shaw who is 38 innings away from the option being guaranteed. McGee you can argue is not likely, but possible. Even if Burdich was creative he basically hamstrung this team for two more years, due to what seems clear incompetence. Seems a massive waste of 50M in 20 and 34M in 21. Which really does nothing, but back up the thoughts that Monfort doesn’t give an F with the quotes and statements to ticket holders.

    Reply
  13. Backup Catcher to the Backup Catcher

    6 years ago

    I bet there are a lot of teams who would want and be better with Daniel Murphy. The guy can flat out hit. Not really sure why he got benched vs. LHP so often. He’s hit them in the past. heck, to hit .300 you almost have to hit them.

    Desmond and the relievers are dead wood. Best you can do is make Desmond an expensive bench player (He does at least offer position versatility).

    Biggest problem the Rox have had from Day 1 of their existence is no starting pitcher wants to pitch for them. So unless they want to revisit the past and pay crazy money for another Mike Hampton, forget signing a solid FA starting pitcher.

    Next year? Maybe a .500 team with the same serving of those exciting 12-10 games and a bunch of pitchers with an ERA north of 5.00.

    Reply
  14. Arnold Ziffel

    6 years ago

    Try to trade Blackmon, Desmond, Murphy and Davis. McGee and Shaw can help in certain situations so keep them.

    Move McMahon to first, Hampton and Rodgers battle for 2nd. Tapia and Dahl would be first Of. Hilliard and others to battle for3rd and 4th. Wolters and Nunez catch.

    Davis could get something in return as he wasn’t horrible on the road. Murphy could be a very good DH. Blackmon should get something decent. Maybe a bag of balls for Desmond.

    Get pitching for anyone traded.

    The bullpen could be decent next year with Oberg closing, Estevez, Diaz and Tinoco setting up, and McGee, Bettis and Shaw in garbage time until they prove otherwise.

    Starting P Marquez and Gray, make the rest go away.

    Reply
  15. Arnold Ziffel

    6 years ago

    Also replace boy genius as the GM.

    1
    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please login to leave a reply.

Log in Register

    Top Stories

    Nationals Fire PBO Mike Rizzo, Manager Dave Martinez

    Brewers Activate Brandon Woodruff

    Clarke Schmidt Expected To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

    Bobby Jenks Passes Away

    Braves Release Alex Verdugo

    Top 40 Trade Candidates For The 2025 Deadline

    Rays Reinstate Ha-Seong Kim

    Yankees Have Shown Interest In Ryan McMahon

    Royals Interested In Bryan Reynolds

    Rangers Option Josh Jung

    Kevin Pillar Announces Retirement

    Braves Place Spencer Schwellenbach On IL With Elbow Fracture

    Giants Exercise 2026 Option On Manager Bob Melvin

    Yordan Alvarez Shut Down Due To Setback With Hand Injury

    Astros Place Jeremy Peña On Injured List With Fractured Rib

    Tucker Barnhart To Retire

    Tyler Mahle To Be Sidelined Beyond Trade Deadline

    Reds Release Jeimer Candelario

    Dave Parker Passes Away

    Griffin Canning Diagnosed With Ruptured Achilles

    Recent

    White Sox Outright Vinny Capra

    White Sox Sign Kyle Tyler To Minor League Deal

    Nationals Sign Luis Garcia

    Poll: The Yankees’ Biggest Need At The Deadline

    Yankees Place Mark Leiter Jr. On IL With Fibular Head Stress Fracture

    Rhys Hoskins Expects To Be Out Roughly Six Weeks

    Yankees Moving Jazz Chisholm Jr. Back To Second Base

    White Sox Reinstate Luis Robert Jr.

    Gary Sánchez Likely To Miss 8-10 Weeks

    Mets Designate Zach Pop For Assignment

    MLBTR Newsletter - Hot stove highlights in your inbox, five days a week

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Sandy Alcantara Rumors
    • Luis Robert Rumors
    • Alex Bregman Rumors

     

    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android App Store Google Play

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Remove Ads, Support Our Writers
    • Front Office Originals
    • Front Office Fantasy Baseball
    • MLBTR Podcast
    • Trade Deadline Outlook Series
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Guardians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • RSS/Twitter Feeds By Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

    hide arrows scroll to top

    Register

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version