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Rockies To Lower Payroll In 2025

By Nick Deeds | October 19, 2024 at 10:58pm CDT

In an article earlier today examining the Rockies’ plans for the upcoming offseason, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reported that the club intends to lower their payroll headed into the 2025 campaign. Per Saunders, those plans to lower payroll come with an expectation that the club will shop second baseman Brendan Rodgers, lefty starter Austin Gomber, and righty starter Cal Quantrill on the trade market this winter.

The news surely comes as a frustrating turn of events for Rockies fans as the club comes off its second consecutive season with more than 100 losses. While the club enjoyed encouraging steps forward for young players like Michael Toglia, Brenton Doyle, Ezequiel Tovar, and Ryan Feltner, that positive momentum was in some ways offset by a major step back for 2023 standout Nolan Jones and the retirement of stalwart DH Charlie Blackmon. Now, a lowered payroll and the likely departure of three stable regulars from the club’s roster leave the Rockies with even more question marks ahead of an offseason that already featured plenty of uncertainty.

While Saunders doesn’t get into specific numbers regarding the club’s payroll plans for 2025, he does note that the club’s $147.3MM payroll for 2024 is expected to come down next year even after factoring in the departure of Blackmon, who made $13MM this year. That would suggest a payroll that maxes out in the $130MM range and could ultimately clock in somewhere below even that diminished figure. That leaves the Rockies with very little room to maneuver this winter given that RosterResource projects the club for a payroll of just a hair under $130MM in 2025 already.

Given that, it’s not necessarily a surprise that the club would look to trade some of its more expensive arbitration level players like Rodgers, Gomber, and Quantrill. The trio is projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Schwartz to make a combined $20.1MM in their final trips through arbitration this year. The bulk of that comes from a $9MM salary due to Quantrill, who Saunders suggests the Rockies are more likely to move on from than Gomber. Trading Quantrill and Gomber would free up a combined $14.6MM in the club’s budget but also give the club the opportunity to open up starts for young hurlers Saunders notes the Rockies see as knocking on the door of the majors, including ninth-overall pick of last year’s draft Chase Dollander as well as southpaws Sean Sullivan and Carson Palmquist,

Quantrill and Gomber were both the subject of trade rumors prior to this summer’s deadline, though neither ultimately wound up changing teams. As the pair head into their final seasons of arbitration eligibility, Quantrill has more big league success on his resume of the two. The right-hander put up fantastic numbers in Cleveland from 2021 to 2022, first as a swing man and then as a full-time starter. Across those two seasons, Quantrill pitched to a 3.16 ERA with a 4.10 FIP in 72 appearances, including 54 starts. With that being said, however, the righty’s 2023 season with the Guardians left much to be desired (5.24 ERA in 19 starts) and led the club to designate him for assignment last November, at which point he was dealt to the Rockies.

Quantrill’s 2024 campaign in Colorado was something of a mixed bag. The righty managed to make 29 starts and throw 148 1/3 innings, and his 4.98 ERA was roughly league average (93 ERA+) after factoring in the inflated offensive environment at Coors Field. With that being said, Quantrill also posted the highest walk rate (10.5%) of his career against a below-average 16.8% strikeout rate. Making matters more concerning for potential suitors on the trade market is the fact that Quantrill not only didn’t pitch significantly better away from Coors Field this year, he was actually slightly worse on the road with a 5.04 ERA in 15 away starts. Quantrill’s lackluster overall numbers come in large part thanks to a brutal second half that saw him surrender a 7.94 ERA in his final eight starts of the year before he was sidelined at the start of September by triceps inflammation, leaving plenty of question marks regarding what can be expected from him in 2025.

Gomber’s 2024 campaign was similar to Quantrill’s in many ways. He made 30 starts for the first time in his career and threw a career-high 165 innings, and his 4.75 ERA (97 ERA+) was roughly league average when factoring in the inflated offense in Colorado. Gomber’s strikeout rate (16.7%) was also lackluster, though Gomber does have a few notable advantages that could make him more attractive to potential trade partners. For one thing, he held opposing hitters to an excellent 5.5% walk rate, good for the ninth-lowest figure among all qualified starters this year. Additionally, Gomber’s performance in away games was much stronger than Quantrill’s as his ERA went down from 4.97 in home games to 4.55 on the road. Those positive factors combined with Gomber’s reasonable $5.6MM salary projection for next year could make him an attractive trade target for clubs in need of cost-controlled pitching next year.

Rodgers could prove to be the most attractive trade piece of the trio. The 28-year-old has generally been a roughly league average bat in recent years, slashing a solid .270/.321/.421 since the start of the 2021 season. That’s good for a 91 wRC+ after adjusting for the park factors Rodgers benefits from at Coors, but his value isn’t tied exclusively to his bat as he’s also a quality defender at second base. Rodgers won the NL Gold Glove award for his work at the keystone in 2022 thanks to an eye-popping +22 Defensive Runs Saved, though after he missed much of the 2023 season due to shoulder surgery he hasn’t looked quite the same this year with a lackluster -4 DRS and a similar -3 Outs Above Average. Even so, Rodgers is a solid if unspectacular regular at second base who could provide a relatively cheap, stable option for a club without a clear solution at the position.

Assuming the Rockies are able to clear enough payroll off the books this winter to make additions, Saunders notes that a hitter who can provide consistency in their lineup and a veteran reliever are both near the top of their list of priorities this winter. With Blackmon vacating the DH spot and no player clearly locked into the outfield alongside Jones and Doyle for 2025, it should be fairly easy for the club to work a relatively inexpensive corner bat into their lineup this winter, and it’s not difficult to find veteran bullpen help on the cheap either in most offseasons.

Beyond those goals, Saunders notes one specific name the club figures to target in free agency this winter is catcher Jacob Stallings, who enjoyed a strong rebound campaign with the Rockies after being non-tendered by the Marlins last winter. Per Saunders, the Rockies want to give young catchers Drew Romo and Hunter Goodman room to develop at the big league level but could still to turn Stallings as they look to bridge the gap for their young backstops. Stallings slashed an excellent .263/.357/.453 (114 wRC+) in 82 games with Colorado this year, although that came with defensive metrics that were a far cry from the work that earned him the NL Gold Glove at catcher in 2021.

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Colorado Rockies Austin Gomber Brendan Rodgers Cal Quantrill Jacob Stallings

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134 Comments

  1. Boston’s Alignment

    9 months ago

    Kris Bryant chuckles.

    10
    Reply
    • Jiggs

      9 months ago

      All the way to the bank.

      2
      Reply
    • merrilld

      9 months ago

      What an awful decision! When I saw he’d signed with them, I figured he must be dumb as a rock.

      Reply
      • AHH-Rox

        9 months ago

        Maximizing your financial return is not necessarily dumb. Depends on what you value.

        Reply
        • Lloyd Emerson

          9 months ago

          At this point I’m convinced Kris Bryant values a warm spot on the bench and a jersey emblazoned with the words “Injured List” instead of “Colorado Rockies”

          1
          Reply
      • Jiggs

        9 months ago

        When Rocks signed him, I bet they thought he would play.

        Reply
  2. joefriday1948

    9 months ago

    The Rockies have been the class of the league for years. No need to make any changes or increase the budget. Best management in any sport

    9
    Reply
    • Samuel

      9 months ago

      Na. Think Jimmy Haslem.

      While you won’t feel much better, you won’t feel quite as bad.

      The funny thing is, Haslem get his results while actually thinking he’s trying. So I gotcha there.

      Monfort is like those in DC. Just wants to keep his cronies, friends, and relatives on the payroll.

      1
      Reply
    • Arnold Ziffel

      9 months ago

      What a mess, they promote youth then the FA they covet is a 34 yo backup catcher. Looks like another in25. Why would they improve when suckers keep flocking to Coors.

      Please sell Monfort

      3
      Reply
    • APD

      9 months ago

      If you remove the first two letters in class i agree

      Reply
  3. BaseballisLife

    9 months ago

    White Sox lose 121. Rockies say, “Hold my beer”.

    31
    Reply
    • avenger65

      9 months ago

      BaseballisLife: Just wondering if you or someone else knows who won the season series between the Sox and the Rox.

      1
      Reply
      • iwojimausmc

        9 months ago

        Does anyone else have issues getting notifications from the app? Samsung galaxy 24 ultra. I haven’t had a notification for 2 weeks…. I’ve tried deleting/re-downloading the app. Cleared the cache/data. Strangely the app doesn’t show up in the notification settings of the phone but does in my apps list. Also, I DO have all the settings and permissions on and allowed. Help! I miss the updates. Thank you.

        Reply
      • Canuckleball

        9 months ago

        @ avenger65:

        Rox lost 2 of 3 to the Sox.

        4
        Reply
      • BaseballisLife

        9 months ago

        Had to look it up. White Sox won 2 of the 3 games.

        2
        Reply
  4. Bart Harley Jarvis

    9 months ago

    Let the highbrow economic discourse commence!

    1
    Reply
  5. Blackpink in the area

    9 months ago

    A team that is a few years into a rebuild doesn’t need a big payroll. They should be trading those guys because those guys aren’t under team control when the team plans on being competitive again and they can get prospects back. That’s why they should trade those guys.

    6
    Reply
    • Big whiffa

      9 months ago

      Right ! If there are any Rockies fans, they could care less about that trio and also know it doesn’t matter how much they increase payroll, catching Arizona la and pads isn’t feasible any time soon

      Reply
    • astros_fan_84

      9 months ago

      Those three aren’t exactly impact players. Makes sense to trade them, but it’s mostly a salary dump.

      3
      Reply
    • merrilld

      9 months ago

      Where’s the evidence they EVER plan on being competitive again?

      Joking but not really.

      4
      Reply
      • JoeBrady

        9 months ago

        Not really is correct. I’ve been saying for a while that their plan is to try to play .450-.500, keep around some of their old-times, and hope to draw 2.5-2.8M fans.

        It’s a decent business model, but you are unlikely to win anything of importance.

        4
        Reply
        • Big whiffa

          9 months ago

          A lot of franchises have the same business model. Most probably. Thats why they are reluctant to part with minor league talent. At 500, fans will show – pace to loose a 100 games and they will not. Plus it’s difficult to project future talent via draft. So make money and coast under radar : (

          1
          Reply
  6. sad tormented neglected mariners fan

    9 months ago

    Is it bad for Rockies fans? Could this mean they can finally do a rebuild?

    6
    Reply
    • Simm

      9 months ago

      Yeah I actually think this is them finally doing the right thing. They have some good young players and a good farm system which would likely be better if they had moved some dudes even sooner.

      Reply
    • oneforthreewithawalk

      9 months ago

      It doesn’t matter because the people doing the rebuild are stuck in 1995. Nothing will fundamentally change until Dick Monfort no longer makes decisions.

      Reply
  7. geotheo

    9 months ago

    It actually makes sense for the Rockies to reduce payroll. Makes little sense to spend 147 million on a 61-101 team. Back to back 100 loss seasons. Makes little sense to increase payroll to lose 90 games. Slash payroll, build through the draft and start over. Got nothing to lose except more games. Which you are anyway. Stinks for the fans but it’s the best strategy for the long run.

    8
    Reply
    • Blackpink in the area

      9 months ago

      Yes save the money for when you are more prepared to win games and spend it then.

      1
      Reply
    • hiflew

      9 months ago

      Nothing to lose except for more fans. If you watched all the games like I did, you would notice that most of the Rockies home games were almost like road games. It’s always been that way when the Cubs and Cardinals come to town, but even the Dodgers and Giants had more fans in Coors than the Rockies. I was more angry with the crowd turnout than I was with the on field performance most of the time.

      I am a have been a Rockies fan since their day 1, so I have seen hard times in the past. But the fans always seemed to be there…until now.

      The one thing I have always said was if there is ever a complete rebuild like the Astros in 2011, I would be done forever. I don’t care if it worked or if it guarantees the team will be better in 2033, because I might be dead by then. I don’t care about five years from now, I want them to try NOW. There is ZERO reason to ever give up on a season before it begins. I don;t mind a slight rebuild, especially midseason of a losing year. But if it is the off season and I feel like my team is not even trying to compete, then why should I spend my money to watch them. I don’t mind if they are bad naturally because someone has to be bad. But if they start trading off every decent player, then I am done.

      8
      Reply
      • brewpackbuckbadg

        9 months ago

        I understand what you are saying but lets say at the start of the off season you look at your team and you think we have to spend another 150 million just for next year because the players you signed like Kris Bryant are not pulling their weight or your draft has not produced high quality what is the point of signing even 60 million worth of “good” players to maybe just maybe get to the last wild card space if everything goes right.

        2
        Reply
        • hiflew

          9 months ago

          Turnarounds can happen easily. The Rockies have a decent core right now. The Royal lost 100 and made the playoffs the next year. The Rangers and Diamondbacks both made the World Series two years after losing 100. So it can happen as long as everyone is willing to try. But when teams are just content to collect admissions and TV revenue while not trying to win is just the complete antithesis of sportsmanship.

          If I was made commissioner of MLB, the very first thing I would do is put in a salary floor to force teams to try like in the NFL. And a salary cap to stop the richest teams from buying playoff spots like 75% of the current postseason. You don’t have to be great every year, but remaining competitive is a must for the integrity of the game.

          BTW, getting the last wild card soace has meant a trip to the NLCS every single year since they expanded the playoffs. The 6 seed has advanced every single time. Once the playoffs get started, it doesn’t matter whether you are first or last as long as you are in, you have a chance.

          5
          Reply
        • JoeBrady

          9 months ago

          I don’t care about five years from now, I want them to try NOW.
          =========================
          I’m just repeating myself, but this usually can’t be done. As I’ve said before, you have to settle for :

          1-A .450-.500 team, or

          2-A rebuild.

          If I were the Rox, I’d go scorched earth for one season. You need a big draft. And if I were Monfort, or any owner, I’d tell the fans I am cutting tickets and concession prices to the bare minimum to meet cash flows, for one season.

          I think a lot of fans would buy into it, and almost come to enjoy being part of the party welcoming in the next generation.

          4
          Reply
        • davemlaw

          9 months ago

          Honesty and complete transparency from a MLB team? Brilliant!
          I think that approach could work for 1 year.
          The NL West is a very tough division. LA and SD are stacked. ARI had a down year but still have a solid core. And SF could be ready for a big splash now that Posey is running the show.
          If the Rockies hired Farhan Zaidi for 1 season as a special consultant he could help them accomplish a turn around; he’s not great at running a large team but he can sift through garbage and pull you out some corn kernels.

          Reply
      • Samuel

        9 months ago

        hiflew;

        You’re a swell poster and I’m sorry for you knowing how much you love baseball.

        The Rockies home game are like that of the Angels. In their case it used to be AL fans that would show up when their teams were playing in SoCal. But now those in LA country can go to Dodger Stadium to see their teams during interleague play. (Another reason Arte is hurting.)

        Will say this……

        Ezequiel Tovar is an exceptional ballplayer. More MLB fans should watch him play. Simply remarkable.

        5
        Reply
        • hiflew

          9 months ago

          I can deal with losing. You have to be able to as a sports fan because 29 out of 30 teams end the year as losers. I just won’t deal with not trying while still charging the same prices. If you want to say to your fans, we are going to spend a lot less money to build up the farm, so we are lowering ticket prices and TV costs by 80% in order to attract some new viewers, then I wouldn’t have a really big problem with that. But when you are paying the same money every year, I damn well expect the team I am watching to be trying every single year.

          4
          Reply
        • astros_fan_84

          9 months ago

          It seems to me from the outside looking in that the Rockies are business more than a sports team. They can’t compete in that division so they just focus on giving an entertaining product. The Rockies historically have gotten great attendance. I think fans are expected to enjoy the experience and not worry about contending.

          1
          Reply
        • merrilld

          9 months ago

          They have lots of good young players but their pitching … oh, their pitching.

          I thought the Gomber trade was a good one when it happened, but now I think he’s a bust and just doesn’t have the stones. (Mentally)

          Reply
        • hiflew

          9 months ago

          Gomber is a fine pitcher, but inconsistency has always been his problem. He can be All Star level good as evidenced by his performance in May when he was right there with Chris Sale for NL Pitcher of the Month. The problem is that those stretches were combined with his other starts where he’d give up 4-5 runs in the first inning and the game would be over before it started. He usually settled in after rough first innings and pitched well the rest of the way, but the Rockies offense was not good enough to come back most of the time.

          I think he can be successful if he goes to an organization that knows how to maximize his talents, which admittedly is not Colorado. If he was paired with an opener, I think he could be very good.

          Reply
      • CleaverGreene

        9 months ago

        Very nice, sincere post. However, you should have been done when they signed Bryant.

        1
        Reply
    • Arnold Ziffel

      9 months ago

      Agree, but the Monfort will sign another Kris Bryant, if they got rid of Black, they would lose an additional 10-15 games

      1
      Reply
  8. Canuckleball

    9 months ago

    Not sure if that’s quite right. Diarrhea can get better with rest and time, or cured with medications such as imodium.

    There is no known treatment or cure for Monfortism.

    31
    Reply
    • Pads Fans

      9 months ago

      I believe dysentery is the disease you were looking for.

      3
      Reply
  9. DarkSide830

    9 months ago

    The Monforts might actually be worse owners than Fisher.

    3
    Reply
    • merrilld

      9 months ago

      That is horrific to think about.

      At least he’s not consigning them to playing 3 years in midsummer in an EXTREMELY HOT MiL environment and then scarpering off to another city. Jeeze, that guy is the worst. The Howard Terminal deal was great for both sides.

      Reply
    • JoeBrady

      9 months ago

      Fisher is one of the smartest owners in BB. Dislikeable perhaps, but the A’s operate with no fans and generally still win. They have a fraction of the budget of other teams, and aren’t that far behind them, even in the middle of a rebuild.

      2
      Reply
  10. desertdawg

    9 months ago

    Does with the reduce payroll, mean reduce prices for tickets.

    1
    Reply
    • YankeesBleacherCreature

      9 months ago

      No. As bad as the Rockies were this season, they ranked 15th in overall attendance. If the fans keep showing up, no reason to lower prices.

      6
      Reply
      • JoeBrady

        9 months ago

        If the fans keep showing up, no reason to lower prices.
        =====================
        Not necessarily. The absolute worst thing a team can do is to allow their fans to walk away. If you are use to going to 10 games a year, it is part of your routine. If you give it up for 1-2 years, you might never go back.

        Reply
    • geotheo

      9 months ago

      Probably not. The Rockies drew 2.5 million this year. As long as fans show up prices will remain the same. Salaries don’t affect ticket prices. The laws of supply and demand. If attendance drops prices might follow

      7
      Reply
    • Big whiffa

      9 months ago

      Absolutely! Buy them second hand for peanuts then sit wherever the hell u want bc they’ll be saving on security costs too

      Reply
  11. Jake Jortles

    9 months ago

    If the Rockies are diarrhea you’d expect more runs.

    78
    Reply
  12. This one belongs to the Reds

    9 months ago

    With the RSN fiasco, you are going to hear this from about half the teams in baseball, next to a picture of Robby the robot fiddling while Rome is burning.

    2
    Reply
    • ChuckyNJ

      9 months ago

      Rockies had to take a haircut on local TV money as their RSN shut down after the 2023 season. They’ve since gone the San Diego-Arizona way with a streaming/pop-up channel.

      2
      Reply
      • Simm

        9 months ago

        The big issues with the new system is very few are going to pay for the stream when they suck. The padres sold around 45k individual streaming packages. I’m sure the Rockies sold a fraction of that.

        I think we shall see these teams that lost their big cable deals cutting payroll next season. This is going to further the revenue gap from the have and the have nots. Baseball really needs to do a full tv revenue share if they want a balanced league financially, which they don’t.

        1
        Reply
        • JoeBrady

          9 months ago

          Baseball really needs to do a full tv revenue share if they want a balanced league financially,
          =====================
          I think they are getting there, but good luck convincing the RS, NYY, LAD, etc., to share their revenue.

          Reply
    • Rays in the Bay

      9 months ago

      Yup. The Rays will be unwatchable next year as the owners relied on that TV money and revenue sharing to pay the players. Even 5 mil for a player may be too expensive for them. They are going to field a dumpster dive team. With the Trop damaged as well there’s no reason for the Rays to actually try until 2028 when the new stadium is supposed to be completed.

      I suspect most teams will cut payroll next year except for the big market teams like Dodgers and Mets who can just continuously pump in money. And that’s why baseball is dying. Not the pace of the game or rules… It’s the imbalance. Small market teams will maybe win once every ten years but it will always be a big spender who can pay players and buy talent like NY/LA/TX teams/Boston/etc. yeah there’s dumb money but dumb money hurts less id you’re these superteams with unlimited funds.

      2
      Reply
  13. Goose

    9 months ago

    A group of friends do a baseball trip every year. We did Colorado in 2023 and took the stadium tour. They average 40,000+ in attendance. They may not have an monster tv contract but HOW do they not spend money to improve the team?

    Reply
    • geotheo

      9 months ago

      Who do they spend money on? Juan Soto isn’t coming there. Neither are Snell or Burnes. Top free agents aren’t going there especially pitchers. You can overpay for middle of the road free agents but they aren’t moving the needle. So keep the payroll as low as possible, lose a lot of games ( they got that part down) , and build through the draft/ international players. Develop a core of young ( cheap) talent. As they start to develop you now have flexibility to add to the core. Like the Astros and Orioles

      1
      Reply
      • superunclea

        9 months ago

        Except with the way the draft is now set up those Orioles and Astros teams will be a relic. White Sox pick 10th this year because you can only be in the lottery 3 years, 2 if you don’t get money for being a small market. After that your picks get higher. So they really can’t tank for 5-6 years like those teams did and draft smartly. It’s supposed to make teams spend more to win now vs. fumbling it down the street 10 years.

        3
        Reply
      • hiflew

        9 months ago

        RELIEF PITCHING! The Rockies gave up five or more runs in the final inning in 8 different games this year. They blew 2 different five run 9th inning leads to the Marlins and they only played them 7 times. And at no time did any of the relievers ever be called a closer.

        The team is really not THAT bad. They are not great by any means, but they not 100 loss bad. They played right around .500 ball against winning teams this year. The problem is that they were horrible against bad teams. They lost 2 of 3 to the White Sox. I mentioned the blow ups against the Marlins. And most of that problem was relief pitching. Some of the younger options were good in the last month plus, but history shows that it could easily be a blip instead of a reality.

        I don’t think they should go out and get Soto. I actually think he would be a bad fit for the rest of the team.. But picking up pitching that can “bend but not break” has always been necessary. But right now everything is broken and not just bent. They don’t need Burnes or Snell because the rotation is actually a strength of the team.

        Reply
        • outinleftfield

          9 months ago

          The Rockies are awful. They had the 2nd worst offense in baseball, the 2nd worst WAR for position players, and they had the worst pitching in baseball.

          1
          Reply
        • hiflew

          9 months ago

          Congratulations on being able to read numbers on a website. We all can read those numbers too. Do you have any of your own observations to add?

          Reply
        • Jbigz12

          9 months ago

          Lmao the Rox starting pitching is a strength.

          There’s very few that can make me laugh like hiflew.

          Reply
  14. AHH-Rox

    9 months ago

    Over/under on games for Kris Bryant next season? 50?
    As long as he is eating up a lot of their payroll space, the Rockies are going to have a hard time becoming competitive.

    Reply
    • hiflew

      9 months ago

      I think the Rockies are better with him on the IL. His game is just not tailored to Coors Field even when healthy. His power in Wrigley and other NL Central stadiums worked because the fences are closer, so his fly balls were over the fence there. But at Coors with the much bigger outfield, those same home runs are now warning track outs. You cannot hit a 325 home run at Coors like at Wrigley.

      I continue to hope there is some way to trade him this off season. Whether it involves attaching a prospect like Veen or taking back a bad deal or two in return or both, I don’t care. I wasn’t a huge fan of them signing Bryant because I never liked him when he was a Cub. But now I hope to never see him wear a Rockies uniform again.

      1
      Reply
      • outinleftfield

        9 months ago

        Its 355 down the lines at Wrigley

        2
        Reply
        • hiflew

          9 months ago

          Yeah but the gaps are much closer. Wrigley’s gaps are 357-363 while Coors are 375-380. Bryant tends to hit gappers far more than down the line shots.

          Reply
        • outinleftfield

          9 months ago

          “You cannot hit a 325 home run at Coors like at Wrigley.”

          Left field is 355 ft, left-center and right-center are 368 ft, center field is 400 ft, and right field is 353 ft

          There are no 325 dimensions at Wrigley.

          Reply
    • Rays in the Bay

      9 months ago

      That deal was eye opening (in a bad way) at the time. And just like everyone predicted, it was an awful deal for an oft injured player who, when healthy, is still an above average player. What went through the Rockies’ heads when making that deal is supernatural. But hey at least Kris Bryant got paid.

      1
      Reply
      • hiflew

        9 months ago

        The answer is simple as to why the Rockies wanted him. They were still upset that the Cubs drafted him at #2 in 2013 when all the draft experts had him going to the Rockies at #3. Monfort had coveted Bryant and seeing him explode in the mid 2010s probably only made that feeling much worse. It was case of an owner going with his feelings over his brain. That has always been Monfort’s biggest problem. Although when too much loyalty is considered one of your biggest flaws, are you really that bad a person?

        Reply
        • Rays in the Bay

          9 months ago

          That makes more sense than I wish to admit. But it’s true. When an organization really wants someone from the draft they didn’t get, they are willing to offer said pick no matter the numbers an absurd amount of money or overpay to get them. That’s how I feel about the Rays trading for Morel. The deal makes no sense at all but someone in the Rays org probably wanted him during the draft and didn’t get him.

          Reply
  15. Cam

    9 months ago

    Fair – their front office shouldn’t be trusted with money.

    Reply
  16. Old York

    9 months ago

    Good. Players are overpaid.

    3
    Reply
  17. brucenewton

    9 months ago

    They should lower payroll by at least Blackmon’s salary no brainer. They aren’t a couple high priced free agent hitters away. And it’s impossible for them to attract the better pitchers. Try to trade the vets and build through the draft.

    Reply
    • Boston’s Alignment

      9 months ago

      Colorado schools are not the selling point they were 24 years ago!
      ~M. Hampton

      Reply
      • SewaldSwansonSwoon

        9 months ago

        … what? Since when is Columbine joke fodder? That was a supremely disturbing and horrifying event…

        1
        Reply
        • JoeBrady

          9 months ago

          For the kids out there, that was a shot at Mike Hampton’s incredibly stupid remark that he chose the Rox’s higher offer because Denver had better schools that Manhattan, Scarsdale, Bronxville, etc.

          3
          Reply
        • SewaldSwansonSwoon

          9 months ago

          Oh. Yikes.

          Reply
  18. Captainmike1

    9 months ago

    Lower payroll only works if you have talented management and talented scouts

    1
    Reply
    • RBFSSolution

      9 months ago

      They just learned the Blueprint, Teach and Develop Roger Beshens Football Slider. No need to EVER even thinking about spending 80M on a pitcher. Strom and the Dbacks just learned it after the terrible Monty Erod signings. The Rockies, Dbacks, Orioles, Mariners where the last to learn this blueprint. Rays, Yankees, Dodgers, Braves learned it in 2018.

      Reply
    • Skeptical

      9 months ago

      Higher payroll only works if you have talented management and talented scouts. Baseball is littered with teams that spent wildly and still missed the playoffs. No matter how much a team spends, it comes down to spending the money wisely.

      2
      Reply
      • RBFSSolution

        9 months ago

        The Rockies have guys that throw the Roger Beshens Football Slider but not enough, doesn’t take money to teach the whole organization or a select group to throw it. There’s a power struggle with many organizations. Example the Dbacks Front Office and analytic dept called the shots on pitchers. Huge mistake.

        Reply
    • Big whiffa

      9 months ago

      Like the A’s do ! Awful lot of haters out there !

      Reply
    • Rays in the Bay

      9 months ago

      @Captain And even then it’s still a crapshoot to actually get to the WS. Rays have been the darling of the league and how many times have they actually been to the WS? 3 times. How many times did they win? 0. That’s the reality of baseball these days. You need MONEY to win. It doesn’t matter how advanced or smart the staff are… Money is the most important thing in baseball.

      Reply
      • Big whiffa

        9 months ago

        Not money. An insane amount of money that 80-90% of teams can’t compete with. It’s not the rays business strategy to win the ws. If it happens, GREAT, but they want to put a quality product on the field and that’s their goal. They aren’t a darling. They are a powerhouse to be reckoned with

        Reply
  19. Rsox

    9 months ago

    Problem is they can’t even trade Kris Bryant for salary relief.

    Goodman has intriguing power for a Catcher but might be another Gary Sanchez; capable of 30 HR’s but can’t bat his body weight

    1
    Reply
    • Mets Era Thumping Soto

      9 months ago

      You attach Tovar with him and I’m sure the Dodgers would take on the salary.

      Reply
      • hiflew

        9 months ago

        Do that and you might as well fold the team.

        Reply
      • NashvilleJeff

        9 months ago

        Attaching Tovar to Bryant’s dead money would be incredibly short sighted. He’ll fetch a great return if they trade him solo. The Braves could give them a king’s ransom in young pitching for Tovar.

        Reply
    • hiflew

      9 months ago

      I think it is possible to trade KB. It won’t be easy, but there are plenty of bad deals out there around MLB that he could be swapped out for. I would even be happy with a Bryant for Javy Baez deal. You could put Baez at second and trade Brendan Rodgers for a pitcher. If Baez continued to suck, then bench him and bring up Amador.

      Reply
      • Rsox

        9 months ago

        Interesting example. However, Bryant is owed $108 million while Baez is owed $73 million. Such a deal would require the Rockies to kick in significant prospect capital, or money, which would make the deal pointless.

        Not to get too far off topic but a possible better solution for the Tigers/Baez could be to trade him to the Angels for Rendon. The money is close enough (Rendon is owed $4 million more which the Angels could pay down or throw in a lower level prospect) and it gives the Tigers a 3B/DH option while Baez could play 2B for the Angels with Rengifo sliding to 3B

        Reply
        • hiflew

          9 months ago

          It wouldn’t make it pointless. And I don’t think anything added would have to be “significant” at all. The money looks much higher, but it is really just one additional year at around the same salary.. The Rockies could just take on Kenta Maeda’s $10MM salary and Tomas Nido’s $4MM and basically even things out. Those two roster spots opening up would be worth the difference in overall salary. Maeda would be useless on a Tigers team that doesn’t need him, but could prove somewhat useful as an innings eater for the Rockies. Nido could be the vet to pair with either Goodman or Romo.

          At that point, Kris Bryant would be the only salary on Detroit’s books other than Colt Keith. That would enable Detroit to add to their up and coming team. And if Bryant had a bounce back, it would give their young team a veteran leader. Something I don’t think Baez would ever be labeled.

          Reply
      • blakestreet

        9 months ago

        Bryant has a full no- trade clause in his contract. Even if another team would be dumb enough to want him, Bryant might veto the deal. Colorado is a beautiful place to live.

        Reply
        • hiflew

          9 months ago

          Well crap. I knew that too. Now I am even more depressed. Maybe he will waive to play for a “winner” like Arenado.

          Reply
        • Simm

          9 months ago

          I think Bryant would wave it for a fresh start. Any team that would take him on is likely a team trying to compete. People wave their no trade clauses more often than not.

          The Rockies would most likely just need to eat a bunch of his money and they could move him.

          1
          Reply
  20. Dumpster Divin Theo

    9 months ago

    Yippee!

    2
    Reply
    • Acoss1331

      9 months ago

      Clearly they saw what the White Sox did this past season and said, “Nah, we can lower the bar some more!”

      2
      Reply
  21. RBFSSolution

    9 months ago

    Rockies learned they can teach the Roger Beshens Football Slider from Majors down to Rookie ball no need EVER to spend 80M on a pitcher when they can be taught the Roger Beshens Football Slider. The Dbacks just learned this in 2024 AFTER they wasted money on Monty and Erod.
    That’s the kinda mistake that will RUIN a team for a few years.

    Reply
  22. 3 finger split

    9 months ago

    The Oakland A’s of the National League and Monfort is a Jerry Riensdorf clone.

    1
    Reply
    • Rsox

      9 months ago

      I actually feel that’s an insult to the A’s. The A’s at least know how to build a farm system and have been competitive more often than not over the past few decades. The Rockies have pieced together winning seasons sporadically but are usually bad and while Fisher is notoriously cheap, Monfort spends big money in the worst places

      5
      Reply
    • hiflew

      9 months ago

      Monfort is NOTHING like Reinsdorf. The Rockies have many problems, but being cheap and not spending dollars like Reinsdorf has never been their problem.

      1
      Reply
    • Bucsfan4ever

      9 months ago

      More like the Angels of the NL

      1
      Reply
      • hiflew

        9 months ago

        I was thinking Mariners. The Rockies have almost always played under their talent level just like the Mariners. They had Griffey, A-Rod, Edgar, and Big Unit on the same team and still couldn’t get to the WS. The Rockies never had THAT level of talent, but have had a nice collection of bats over the years.

        Reply
  23. Blah blah blah

    9 months ago

    Good call tbh. I was worried that the Rockies were getting too powerful.

    Reply
  24. User 2976510776

    9 months ago

    Angels and Rockies should be relegated to Triple-A

    2
    Reply
    • Boston’s Alignment

      9 months ago

      Yes! Then the Rays and A’s will have mlb caliber stadiums available for 2025.

      1
      Reply
      • User 2976510776

        9 months ago

        Have you been to the Big A lately? Its detractors note that there’s rust , chipped paint, old SCE logos from when it was Edison Field. There haven’t been any major renovations since the Disney era nor will there.

        Reply
  25. Bobcastelliniscat

    9 months ago

    I can’t see any of the players mentioned having much trade value.

    1
    Reply
  26. LordD99

    9 months ago

    So I guess that means they’re out on Soto.

    Reply
  27. Niekro floater

    9 months ago

    Gota give it to being the best, no matter the vocation … Rocks shedding payroll cause they don’t already suck enough. Colorado FO has that freshly achieved 121 loss season by WS within view. Be the “best” worst team EVER ! Gota have goals.

    1
    Reply
  28. Bucsfan4ever

    9 months ago

    The Rockies are fortunate that they have a very loyal fan base. In other cities such a woeful franchise would draw far less fans.

    1
    Reply
  29. outinleftfield

    9 months ago

    The Rockies are going to try to compete with the White sox and Angels for worst record in baseball?

    Reply
  30. Karensjer

    9 months ago

    I guess they don’t want the White Sox to have the record for very long.

    Reply
  31. EM41

    9 months ago

    But the Rockies are sure to contend…

    for the basement

    Reply
  32. Monkey’s Uncle

    9 months ago

    The Rockies have a payroll???

    Reply
  33. jaybest

    9 months ago

    Title should say. Rockies not planning to win in 2025 either

    Reply
  34. Quaesitor

    9 months ago

    Well, it is good for baseball’s health not to have juggernaut franchises like the Rockies just outspend everyone else. It is time for them to come back to Earth.

    Reply
  35. TheMan 3

    9 months ago

    If the Rockies are equivalent of team diarrhea, the Pirates are equivalent to slop stuck at the bottom of the bowl

    1
    Reply
    • bloomquist4hof

      9 months ago

      And the Mariners are team equivalent to constipation, no runs for a couple days at a time.

      Reply
  36. letitbelowenstein

    9 months ago

    Title should read: Rockies to lower payroll/ticket prices in 2025.

    You don’t want to put a winner on the field, I shouldn’t pay you as much.

    2
    Reply
    • Ski to Coors

      9 months ago

      They already have some of the cheapest tickets in the biz.

      Reply
  37. Ski to Coors

    9 months ago

    Reducing payroll by trading arbitration players? It’s almost like they’ve seen how their good trading buddies Cleveland operate and decided to give it the old college try.

    Reply
  38. mad1

    9 months ago

    Low payroll and bad front office-not good

    Reply
  39. merrilld

    9 months ago

    Yeah they have terrible ownership. I think their analytics “department” has 4 people working in it.

    Reply
  40. Monfort needs to go

    9 months ago

    And not a single mention of getting rid of that worthless Kris Bryant contract.

    1
    Reply
    • BPax

      9 months ago

      Bridich, as a Mariner fan I’ve listened to lots of whining about us not signing any of these “big bats” that have been available the last few years. It sure seems that there’s more duds lately. Bryant, Story, Baez, Rendon to name the worst cases. Adding to the danger of signing mega deals here is the thought that the M’s have to “overpay” to attract hitters to one of the worst hitters’ parks in MLB. Bryant was such a dumb signing by the Rox.

      Reply
    • Monfort needs to go

      9 months ago

      Wow, I really need to change my user name

      Reply
      • Monfort needs to go

        9 months ago

        There, I think this name is better

        Reply
  41. judgementday99

    9 months ago

    There needs to be a league minimum salary. If a team does not reach this….no league welfare money. If the team fails to reach a playoff game in let’s say 10 years, new ownership should be enforced.

    1
    Reply
  42. BPax

    9 months ago

    Rogers is the perfect candidate for the Mariners second sacker next season. Of course, he’d come here and hit .218 with a 603 OPS. 5 homers and 41 RBI’s. It’s what happens here.

    Reply
  43. JoeBrady

    9 months ago

    Those three are fairly useless.

    Rogers has a 1.1 bWAR over the past two seasons, and a career road OPS of .628

    Goomber has a an ERA+ of 90 over the past three seasons. Some team will take a chance with him as their #5, but won’t give up much.

    Quantrill had a 3.78 ERA last 6/30. He was never, ever going to be more valuable. The Rox decided to hold onto (for another three months as it turns out). Over his final three months, he had a 7.13 ERA, with an incredible 38/35 K/W. If he were a FA, he’d probably land a minor league contract. I assume he will be non-tendered.

    1
    Reply
  44. WhyDidYouTradeNolan

    9 months ago

    Y’all are acting like they are going to trade good players. Quantrill and Gomber have ERAs around 5.00. Rodgers has no power and hits league average. Good riddance.

    Reply
  45. 4thefences

    9 months ago

    I don’t post on here often, but just thought I’d vent a little as a Rockies fan since their start in ’93. We live 450 miles from Denver but in the past have tried to make a couple of series a season at Coors Field. It’s been 3 years since we’ve done that because of the way Montfort has ran his business as a social event with food, drink, shopping and oh ya some baseball. He has a cash cow and he knows it as long as they come through the gates, no matter what jersey they wear. Inter-league play is the best thing to happen as far as he’s concerned.
    I will say though I really wish they hold onto to Rodgers as the infield is pretty solid with the glove and the bats. Tovar and Doyle are future All-Star’s and hopefully Nolan Jones gets back to form. It’s frustrating when your loyalty to a team isn’t rewarded, yet ownership is still making bank. I know hiflew is a loyal fan here as well and takes a beating for being so, but he knows the history of the team. It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to cheer on a successful baseball team and losing has really become old.

    1
    Reply
  46. RoxFan1167

    9 months ago

    Sure. Why not? Is it just me or is this starting to sound like the premises for Major League 3 or 4 that involves the Rockies instead of the Indians? If Monfort can get the attendance below 800,000 for the season, he can relocate the team somewhere else.

    Reply
  47. pjmcnu

    9 months ago

    100 losses and the first words out of ownership’s mouth is that they’re going to lower payroll (which wasn’t high to begin with). Must be so lovely to be a Rockies fan.

    Reply

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