Rockies Rumors

West Notes: Scully, Hudson, Rockies, Bridich, Angels, M’s

By Mark Polishuk | October 2, 2016 at 11:25pm CDT

Vin Scully signed off for the final time today, ending his incredible career with one final Dodgers vs. Giants matchup. All of us at MLB Trade Rumors join the rest of the baseball world in tipping our caps to Mr. Scully, the greatest to ever call a baseball game. We wish him all the best in a very well-deserved retirement. Here’s some news from around both the NL and AL West…

The Diamondbacks will talk to free agent reliever Daniel Hudson this winter about a possible return, GM Dave Stewart told reporters, including Jack Magruder of FanRag Sports (Twitter link). Stewart discussed the possibility of extending Hudson last June, though also came very close to dealing the right-hander at the trade deadline. Hudson finished the year with a 5.31 ERA over 59 1/3 bullpen innings, though his solid peripherals (3.89 FIP, 4.20 xFIP, 3.92 SIERA) indicate Hudson’s ERA was inflated by his .333 BABIP and very low 61.7% strand rate.
The Rockies were within reach of a wild card spot at the trade deadline but stood pat, ultimately faltering over the last two months of the season and finishing at 75-87. MLB.com’s Thomas Harding revisits the decision from GM Jeff Bridich to not make any moves, since while there were some good reasons (such as Trevor Story’s season-ending injury) for Bridich to resist buying for a playoff run, it could indicate an over-reliance on Colorado’s internal talent.
There don’t appear to be any changes forthcoming to the Angels coaching staff, manager Mike Scioscia told reporters (including MLB.com’s Austin Laymance).
The Mariners will consider all of their free agents and club option players, GM Jerry Dipoto told reporters, though MLB.com’s Greg Johns believes “only a couple” will return to Seattle in 2017. Outfielder Seth Smith is likely to have his $7MM club option exercised, while the M’s could pass on Chris Iannetta’s $4.25MM club option since it’s a fairly high price for a backup catcher. Of the free agents, Adam Lind will likely be let go while outfielders Nori Aoki and Franklin Gutierrez could be better fits to be re-signed.

Rockies Likely To Move On From Walt Weiss

By Connor Byrne | October 2, 2016 at 11:09am CDT

Discord between Rockies GM Jeff Bridich and manager Walt Weiss will likely lead to the end of the latter’s tenure in Colorado, reports Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. That should make the Rockies’ regular-season finale against the Brewers on Sunday the last game of Weiss’ four-year stint, one in which the club has gone just 283-364. All told, Weiss’ .438 winning percentage is the lowest in franchise history. However, Colorado’s results alone won’t determine whether the franchise re-signs the 52-year-old Weiss, whose contract is set to expire.

“In a decision-making process like this, it’s not totally or fully dependent on some sort of win-loss record or this or that,” Bridich told Saunders. “There are a lot of factors that go into it. That’s how it should be. It’s not that simplistic.”

Bridich has been a member of the Rockies’ front office since 2004, but he wasn’t the GM when the team hired Weiss. That was Bridich’s predecessor, Dan O’Dowd, who appointed Weiss in 2012. Bridich took over in 2014 and now wants a manager who’s more in line with his own philosophies, relays Saunders.

On his relationship with Weiss, Bridich said, “There has been mostly good communication, some great communication and some periods where he’s busy and I’m busy and we haven’t communicated as well as we could have. That’s a natural thing for the job that he has and the job that I have.”

Notably, Bridich has left Weiss out of key decisions the Rockies have made since last offseason, per Saunders. For instance, Weiss had no input in the free agent signings of relievers Jason Motte and Chad Qualls or Gerardo Parra. All three of those players, especially Parra, have bombed this season.

Bridich denies that he has kept Weiss out of the loop, however.

“I’m not going to respond to rumor mongering,” Bridich said.

According to Bridich, he and owner Dick Monfort will meet with Weiss during the upcoming week to discuss the 2016 campaign and future plans. Monfort will help Bridich determine whether the team will bring back Weiss.

“We will go through the same process as we did last year,” Bridich revealed. “That is, sitting down after the season is done and having conversations and talking about how the season went and talking about the future.”

While it seems the Rockies and Weiss are primed to go their separate ways, Bridich did praise the embattled skipper for what he has done in Colorado.

“The environment in the clubhouse, it’s moved in the right direction,” said Bridich. “It’s a positive for us. The time that Walt’s been involved with the team, if you’re looking to dole out credit, absolutely he deserves credit. It’s a good thing. It’s a good thing for the organization.”

Carlos Gonzalez Open To Extension, Position Change

By Connor Byrne | October 1, 2016 at 9:10pm CDT

Although Rockies right fielder Carlos Gonzalez is scheduled to become a free agent after next season and could be trade bait during the winter, the three-time All-Star told Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post that he’d like to remain in Colorado. The Rockies have gone just 75-85 this year and will miss the playoffs for the seventh straight season, but there’s young talent in place and Gonzalez is convinced the club is on the right track.

“If you would have asked me early in the year, I would have told you I’m going to wait until I hit free agency and see what’s out there,” said Gonzalez. “But this is a good team. It’s a different feeling. Now I see how guys react in tough situations. We understand we can win. That’s huge for any team, when you trust and believe you can win.”

Moreover, Gonzalez – who has been exclusively an outfielder during his nine-year career – would be open to shifting to first base in order to remain with the Rockies.

“I feel like I’m still a good outfielder and can help the team defensively,” he said. “But if first base is what’s best for the team, I will be good with that … In the long run, it’s probably going to extend my — or anybody’s — career if you play first base. And it won’t be a crazy move.”

With a minus-1.4 fWAR, Rockies first basemen rank 27th in the majors. Most of that negative value has came from Ben Paulsen, who endured a nightmarish 97 plate appearances, while offseason signing Mark Reynolds had a replacement-level campaign before his season ended Sept. 18 on account of a broken hand. One of Gonzalez’s fellow outfielders, Gerardo Parra, also spent time at first this year prior to succumbing to an ankle injury earlier this week. Parra’s bat was unusable anywhere this season, as he produced a woeful .253/.271/.399 line with seven home runs and just nine walks in 381 plate appearances.

The 30-year-old Gonzalez has been much better than Parra, though his .297/.349/.507 line with 25 homers in 624 PAs isn’t as impressive as it looks for someone who spends half his season at Coors Field. As has typically been the case, Gonzalez has fared much better at home than on the road this season, but he has enjoyed his second consecutive healthy campaign after injuries weighed him down in previous years.

Whether at first base or in the outfield – where the Rockies have two other strong options in Charlie Blackmon and David Dahl – the chances of Gonzalez staying in Colorado for the long haul don’t look great. For one, Gonzalez said two weeks ago that the Rockies hadn’t approached him about an extension. Secondly, as MLBTR’s Jeff Todd wrote Friday, Gonzalez is the most logical trade candidate among the Rockies’ outfielders. Blackmon and Dahl probably aren’t going anywhere, and Parra would amount to a salary dump (if anything). While Gonzalez’s $20MM salary for next season is hefty, it shouldn’t scare off every potential buyer. Plus, the Rockies already have $66MM committed to next year’s team after running up a franchise-record $112MM Opening Day payroll this season, and that’s without factoring in forthcoming arbitration raises for Blackmon, third baseman Nolan Arenado and right-hander Tyler Chatwood, among others.

Injury Notes: Pujols, Parra, Choo, Gomes, Schugel

By Jeff Todd | September 30, 2016 at 9:04pm CDT

Angels first baseman Albert Pujols won’t suit up again this year after undergoing “shockwave therapy” to treat plantar fasciitis in his right foot, as Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times was among those to tweet. Pujols previously dealt with that malady in his opposing foot back in 2013. Certainly, he’ll have plenty of time to rest and recover, though it’s yet another nick for a player who’ll soon turn 37. The legendary slugger continues a slow decline at the plate, though he’s still a useful hitter who has scarcely missed any time in his 16-year career. Over 650 plate appearances in 2016, Pujols posted a .268/.323/.457 slash with 31 home runs. The Halos will hope that he can at least maintain that level of productivity, as he’s slated to earn another $140MM over the next five seasons.

Here are a few more health-related notes from around the game:

The Rockies are shutting down outfielder Gerardo Parra after he received a platelet-rich plasma injection in his left ankle, MLB.com’s Thomas Harding tweets. Parra has not found success in the first of his three years under contract in Colorado, putting up a .253/.271/.399 slash (despite playing half his games at Coors Field) in 381 plate appearances. With poorly-rated defense and baserunning mixed in, Parra has been worth a remarkable -1.8 fWAR and -2.9 rWAR despite playing only a little more than half the year due to ankle problems.
The Rangers have officially activated outfielder Shin-Soo Choo from the 15-day DL, meaning that he’s ready for game action after missing extensive time with a forearm fracture. Choo, 34, will look to lock in and show he’s healthy for the postseason, where he could provide a nice boost for Texas. Though he has been limited to 198 plate appearances thus far, Choo owns a useful .247/.369/.416 batting line.
Indians catcher Yan Gomes, too, is back earlier than expected, as Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer reports (Twitter links). Expectations are that he’ll only be available for the time being to play behind the plate, as he’s still regaining strength in his wrist after suffering a fracture. Manager Terry Francona says that Gomes is able to hit, but won’t do so in game action just yet. It’s unclear whether he’ll be under consideration for a spot in the ALDS roster, but given the limitations perhaps a return for the ALCS would be more plausible — if Cleveland can advance and decides to roll the dice on a player who has missed much of the year and has failed to produce at the plate when healthy.
There’s some promising news for Pirates righty A.J. Schugel, who won’t require surgery on his rotator cuff, as Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports on Twitter. Instead, he’ll rest up and rehab his inflamed shoulder over the offseason. The 27-year-old had a solid campaign before the injury arose, contributing 52 innings in 36 appearances from the Pittsburgh pen while posting 8.0 K/9 against 2.3 BB/9.

Three Needs: Colorado Rockies

By Jeff Todd | September 30, 2016 at 7:44pm CDT

Before breaking down every team’s assets and needs in full detail, we’re looking at big-picture areas of concern for those clubs that weren’t really in contention down the stretch.

Up now is a Rockies team that dabbled with a .500 record but ended up 11 games under (entering today) and buried in the NL West. The best way to describe the 2016 results, in most regards, is “middling.” Colorado rated as below-average, but not terrible, in basically every facet of the game. (And yes, that includes hitting.)

Here are three significant areas of focus for the Rox this winter:

1. Trade Carlos Gonzalez.

Well, now my feelings are known on that subject. While he wasn’t as good as he has been in the past, Gonzalez certainly wasn’t a problem for the team. He was healthy, hitting .298/.351/.511 (good for a 109 wRC+ and 112 OPS+) with 25 home runs over 618 plate appearances and accumulating 2.1 fWAR and 2.5 rWAR on the year.

Accordingly, he has some trade value — albeit nothing close to what some seem to think, in my estimation. Gonzalez, who’ll soon turn 31, is owed $20MM next year — a fair rate, particularly given that it involves a limited commitment in length. That reduces concern over his checkered injury history, with the hefty single-year salary still leaving some room for upside given Gonzalez’s demonstrated ceiling.

The thing is, the Rockies can’t afford to keep that much cash tied up in a left-handed hitting outfielder — not with Charlie Blackmon, Gerardo Parra, and the promising David Dahl on hand, at least. Colorado ran up a franchise-high $112MM Opening Day payroll this year, but it wasn’t enough to stem the tide of losing seasons. The club already has $66MM committed for 2017, with arb raises coming for Blackmon, Nolan Arenado, Tyler Chatwood, and — if they are tendered — Jake McGee and Jordan Lyles.

Certainly, you could argue for trading another of the southpaw-swinging outfielders instead. But none make as much sense: Blackmon is needed in center, Parra would be a salary dump after a rough year, and Dahl is the kind of cheap, controllable asset the Rockies need given where they set their payroll.

The better use of the team’s resources — assuming further spending increases won’t be approved — would be to take the best offer they can get in a prospect return for Gonzalez while freeing themselves of his salary. That’s because, in part, of the next need on this list …

2. Improve the roster depth.

Colorado has a nice core in place, including several of the players just named as well as a strong, young up-the-middle infield duo in Trevor Story and DJ LeMahieu. But the 2016 team suffered from a huge fall-off outside of its best players, and putting a winner on the field may well mean making several targeted investments (whether through trade or free agency) to shore things up in multiple areas.

In terms of position players, the Rockies received six strong performances, a decent year from utilityman Daniel Descalso, middling work from the catching unit, and little else. A few solid-or-better performances from role players — a first baseman (or platoon at the position) and right-handed-hitting outfielder, in particular — would go a long way. That and a solid backstop to go with the seemingly-useful Tony Wolters and interesting Tom Murphy, along with a replacement for the free agent Descalso, and Colorado could well feature a stellar lineup.

The situation actually isn’t all that different in the pitching staff. You can’t just focus on earned run average here, of course. The fact is that the rotation received a highly promising performance from Jon Gray along with useful innings from Chatwood, Chad Bettis, and Tyler Anderson. Likewise, the bullpen had some bright spots: Adam Ottavino was great in his return from Tommy John surgery, Chris Rusin provided a pleasant surprise in a relief capacity, and Carlos Estevez showed plenty of promise (if also a need for some further refinement).

The results were mostly rough behind that — excepting the departed Boone Logan — but the club can hope for bouncebacks from at least a few veterans (such as McGee, Jason Motte, and Chad Qualls) while hoping that some young arms (e.g., Jeff Hoffman) make strides. But ultimately, the staff too is in need of a few steady arms. Presumably, that’s what the club thought it was getting in Motte and Qualls, but those failures (at least, at this point) shouldn’t deter the team from trying to do better this time around.

If the Rockies want to bet on their core, the best way to do so may be to take my proposed Gonzalez savings and spread them out to add at-least-serviceable options in the multiple areas of need, rather than aiming for one or two larger (and riskier) strikes while leaving other spots unaddressed.

3. Pursue offseason extensions.

Beyond the immediate positions that are ripe for addition, the Rockies need to be thinking of ways to manage their future payroll to keep a productive core in place at reasonable salaries. The future balance sheet is largely clean after 2017, so there’s plenty of room to plug in some guaranteed money if the price is right.

It all starts in the infield, where Arenado’s salary will soon skyrocket. He may not be a reasonable extension target, but it’s probably at least worth a try, and he’s not alone. LeMahieu is already plugged in for a reasonable $4.8MM next year, with one more season of control left thereafter via arbitration, and could be a worthwhile player to pursue. And the team could look to lock in Story at a bargain rate — it wasn’t afraid to extend Ottavino during his own injury rehab, after all, and this may be the only chance to tamp down his sure-to-be significant arb earnings.

There are other possibilities, too. Gray is the obvious target, though perhaps it’s a bit early to tackle that. Chatwood will be a free agent after 2017, and his earnings have been limited by injury, so a fairly modest commitment could make sense for both sides. Even Bettis — who underperformed his peripherals this year but largely followed up on a strong 2015 when you look beyond the ERA — might represent an under-the-radar target.

Then, there’s Blackmon, who somewhat quietly broke out this year. Sure, he’s been plenty productive in the past, but he is now wrapping up a true breakout campaign with a monster .319/.376/.543 slash to go with 28 home runs and 17 steals. Though Blackmon’s base thievery fell off, he remained a strong positive by measure on the basepaths by measure of Fangraphs’ BsR. With two years of arb control to go, this may be the time to decide if he’s the long-term solution up the middle.

In large part, the pursuit of extensions is about seeing whether there’s opportunity to be had. Fundamentally, the purpose of the undertaking for a team is to improve a player-asset by taking advantage of leverage (which typically arises through remaining control along with a given player’s personal preferences and risk assessment). That may or may not lead to anything once the dialogue starts, but the Rockies proved willing to think outside the box with Ottavino and ought to see if there are more worthwhile chances to take with regard to other quality players.

Rockies, Nolan Arenado Have Yet To Discuss Extension

By Jeff Todd | September 29, 2016 at 5:34pm CDT

The Rockies have not yet approached star third baseman Nolan Arenado about a contract extension, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports in response to a reader inquiry. Both Arenado and his agent say that no talks have taken place about seasons beyond his current arbitration control.

Certainly, there’s no rush to explore a new pact. Arenado, 25, just played out his Super Two year and has three more years of control remaining. He remains under Colorado’s control through 2019.

That being said, the organization’s leverage only continues to diminish as Arenado’s earnings increase and his play continues to impress. He took down a hefty $5MM this year after a big 2015 season, and he has played his way into a significant raise with an even-more-impressive 2016 campaign.

Over his 678 plate appearances thus far on the year, Arenado carries a .293/.361/.567 slash while racking up forty home runs and 130 runs batted in. Those counting stats are highly valuable in the arbitration setting, all the more so since they are both league-leading totals (as they were in 2015).

In actuality, the offensive production is more very good than great, given that half of it has come at Coors Field. Looking further into the numbers, Arenado owns a strong (but hardly earth-shattering) 123 wRC+. Of course, his true value lies in the fact that he delivers that quality production as a premium defender at the hot corner.

Given his age and productivity, Arenado is unquestionably one of the game’s better young position players. And he’s young enough that any control-enhancing extension would cover late-prime seasons (his age 29 season and beyond). With a big arb salary to start, there’s a stack of cash already all but guaranteed to Arenado, so he’ll be in a nice position to demand — and receive — a major guarantee if the Rox do ever take a pass at a new deal.

Injury Notes: Choo, Cozart, Reynolds, Rea

By Jeff Todd | September 19, 2016 at 10:44pm CDT

Though expectations had been that Shin-Soo Choo would be out through mid-October after surgery on a fractured forearm, MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan reports that he may be ready to return to the Rangers for an early postseason series. Choo could be taking BP with the big league club by the weekend if he continues to progress, and would then head to the instructional league to face live pitching. Texas skipper Jeff Banister said that the team misses Choo’s presence in the leadoff spot; he could provide a nice boost if he can remain on track.

Here’s more on some injury situations around the game:

While the Reds aren’t officially ruling out shortstop Zack Cozart from returning this year, he is shut down for the moment, Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets. Cozart is battling a sore knee, which is somewhat additionally concerning because he missed much of last year after requiring surgery on the joint. The 31-year-old was nearly dealt at the trade deadline, and still remains prime candidate to change hands this winter, but the second half of the year hasn’t exactly boosted his value. After a highly productive first half, the slick-fielding shortstop has limped to a .223/.291/.312 batting line with just two home runs over his last 173 trips to the plate. The tepid finish will also impact Cozart’s arbitration earning power; he’ll be entering his final arb year looking to build off of a $2.925MM salary.
Rockies first baseman Mark Reynolds will not require surgery on his fractured left hand, MLB.com’s Thomas Harding tweets. His single season contract with Colorado is nevertheless already in the books, with the 33-year-old heading back onto the open market after the year. Over 441 plate appearances, Reynolds put up a .282/.356/.450 slash line with 14 home runs — good for approximately league-average overall production given that he played his home games at Coors Field. That’s not a terribly appealing batting line for a player who is limited to first base duties at this point, but he’ll surely still draw interest at least as a bench bat.
Injured Padres righty Colin Rea is nearing a throwing program, manager Andy Green tells MLB.com’s Carlos Collazo (via Twitter). The 26-year-old, who was traded to the Marlins and then back to the Padres after he suffered an elbow injury, is trying to stave off Tommy John surgery with treatment, rest, and rehab. His progress will be interesting to watch, as he’d presumably hold down a rotation job next year for San Diego if his ulnar collateral ligament allows.

Mark Reynolds Has Broken Bone In Hand, Will Miss Rest Of Season

By charliewilmoth | September 18, 2016 at 7:15pm CDT

Rockies first baseman Mark Reynolds has a broken bone in his left hand and will be out the rest of the season, MLB.com’s Thomas Harding tweets. Reynolds left today’s game after being struck by a fastball from Jose Dominguez of the Padres, as Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post tweeted earlier today.

Reynolds spent time on the 15-day DL last month due to a hamate bone injury in his left hand before making a remarkably quick return. It’s unknown whether the injuries are related, but it isn’t much of a stretch to guess that they are. Gerardo Parra has collected playing time at first base over the past few weeks, and seems likely to continue to do so with Reynolds out and with David Dahl, Charlie Blackmon and Carlos Gonzalez manning the outfield positions.

The Rockies signed Reynolds to a one-year, $2.6MM deal last offseason, and heading into today, he had batted .281/.354/.442 in 438 plate appearances in Colorado. Those look like fine numbers, but they’re far from outstanding for a player in Coors Field, particularly one without much defensive value. Ominously, Reynolds — once one of the league’s most prolific home-run hitters — swatted just 14 long balls (including one today). It remains to be seen, of course, how his hand injury will affect his power, but the possibility of a further power decline surely will be on teams’ minds this offseason when they think about whether to acquire Reynolds.

NL Notes: Rockies, Pirates, Cardinals

By Connor Byrne | September 18, 2016 at 10:17am CDT

Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post doubts the Rockies will bring back manager Walt Weiss, whose contract expires after the season, but he argues that it would be hypocritical of loyalty-preaching owner Dick Monfort to let Weiss go. “It’s a bottom-line business,” said Weiss, with whom the Rockies have gone 279-355 since 2013. At 71-77, the Rockies are currently on track to post their best record under Weiss, who deserves a two-year deal, opines Kiszla. Colorado’s talent has clearly increased lately, as evidenced by 24-year-old right-hander Jon Gray’s complete game, 16-strikeout performance in an 8-0 win over San Diego on Saturday. Weiss agrees, telling Kiszla, “There’s more talent in the stable than in the past. With the horses in this stable, there are more thoroughbreds.

More from Colorado and two other National League cities:

The recent emergence of another talented Rockies player in his early 20s, Raimel Tapia, has added to an already crowded outfield, writes the Denver Post’s Nick Kosmider, who adds that the team will have some interesting offseason decisions to make because of it. Kosmider wonders if the Rockies will once again deal an outfielder to upgrade their weak bullpen during the offseason. Colorado tried that last winter, sending Corey Dickerson to the Rays for Jake McGee, but the left-hander has been part of the problem for the Rockies’ beleaguered relief corps this year. Among the Rockies’ outfielders is offseason signing Gerardo Parra, who inked a three-year, $27.5MM deal in free agency. Parra, like McGee, has been a major disappointment in his initial season with the Rockies, but the club does like that he has shown an ability to play first base. “How much time he gets over there in the future, I don’t know. But it’s nice to be able to have that,” general manager Jeff Bridich told Kosmider.
At 74-74 and five games out of a wild-card spot, the Pirates have gone backward this year after three straight playoff seasons. There are a slew of reasons for the team’s decline, as Travis Sawchuk of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review details. One cause has been the starting rotation, where low-ceiling offseason acquisitions Jon Niese and Ryan Vogelsong have contributed little this year. The Pirates traded second baseman Neil Walker to the Mets last offseason for Niese, who pitched to a 4.91 ERA in 110 innings with Pittsburgh before it sent him back to New York for reliever Antonio Bastardo on Aug. 1. Vogelsong, a buy-low signing in free agency, has recorded a 4.87 ERA in 68 1/3 innings. In previous years, the Bucs gambled on high-upside starters like A.J. Burnett, Francisco Liriano and Edinson Volquez, all of whom panned out and helped lead them to the playoffs.
Like NL Central rival Pittsburgh, the Cardinals have also endured a less-than-ideal season. The 77-71 Redbirds are two games behind the Mets for the NL’s second wild-card spot and are in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2010. That’s thanks in part to team-wide baserunning issues, writes Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Cardinals are the majors’ fifth-worst baserunning team, per FanGraphs, after ranking a more respectable 15th last season. GM John Mozeliak is now formulating a plan to improve baserunning throughout the organization, having already spoken with special assistant Willie McGee, scout Kerry Robinson and farm director Gary LaRocque, according to Goold. “You get so much performance training that maybe there are times you forget about the need to strengthen the baseball skills,” Mozeliak said. “Baseball skills are hitting, defense, and baserunning. What do we need to do to make sure focusing on doesn’t detract from the others?”

No Extension Talks Between Rockies, Carlos Gonzalez

By Mark Polishuk | September 17, 2016 at 1:25pm CDT

The Rockies haven’t been in contact with Carlos Gonzalez about a contract extension, the outfielder told Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. Gonzalez noted that he is interested in exploring his options as a free agent following the 2017 season, though it’s worth noting that he told Saunders last week that he is still open to the idea of an extension to remain with the Rockies. Earlier this summer, Gonzalez denied asking for a trade and expressed excitement over the idea of remaining in Colorado to play alongside the young players who could lead the Rockies back into contention.

Almost all of the chatter about Gonzalez’s future in recent years has been centered around a possible trade, particularly after the Rockies dealt another high-priced cornerstone star in Troy Tulowitzki in 2015. Gonzalez’s original extension (the seven-year, $80MM pact that runs through 2017) with the team raised quite a few eyebrows at the time, though it would be even more of a surprise if he re-upped for another long-term deal with the Rockies. One would think the Rockies would have to show some significant progress on the field in 2017 to entice Gonzalez to stay, unless the team pays a premium to extend him this offseason and keep him from reaching the open market.

Overpaying to lock up a player with a significant injury history for his age-32 season and beyond may not be a great idea for a team with a limited budget like Colorado. Elsewhere in Saunders’ mailbag piece, however, he floats the idea of the Rockies re-signing Gonzalez and then using him as a first baseman (with occasional outfield work). The move would help keep Gonzalez healthy while also freeing up a crowded Colorado outfield situation that also includes Charlie Blackmon, David Dahl and Gerardo Parra.

Gonzalez rebounded from several injury-plagued seasons to deliver healthy and very productive campaigns in both 2015 and 2016, and he looks to be one of the top hitters available in the 2017-18 free agent class. J.D. Martinez leads the market, though other available bats (Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain, Mike Moustakas and potentially Justin Upton if he opts out of his Tigers contract) carry some health question marks or lack Gonzalez’s strong track record. The market could shift if Jose Altuve, Ian Kinsler or Logan Forsythe become available, though all seem like no-brainers to have their club options exercised.

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