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Rockies Extend Walt Weiss

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The Rockies and manager Walt Weiss have agreed to a three-year contract extension, the team announced on Twitter.

In his first season as their manager, Weiss, a former Rockies shortstop, managed the team to a 74-88 record. The team enjoyed its status as a surprise contender in the first half but faded down the stretch. Weiss was initially helping the Rockies' search committee before quickly becoming a candidate himself.

“I am very excited and grateful to have the opportunity to lead this club as we work toward building a championship level team,” said the skipper, according to the Rockies' official Twitter account.

The 49-year-old Weiss was selected 11th overall by the Athletics in the 1985 draft and enjoyed a 14-year Major League career. He earned Rookie of the Year honors with Oakland in 1988 and totaled a .258/.351/.326 line between the A's, Rockies, Braves and Marlins. Weiss won a World Series with Oakland in 1989 and is a veteran of 13 postseason series as a player. This past season was his first as a Major League manager.

Troy Renck of the Denver Post first reported the agreement (on Twitter).

NL Notes: Rockies, Pirates, Mets, Managerial Searches

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The NLCS is taking a day off as the scene shifts to Los Angeles for Game 3 tomorrow night with the Cardinals leading the Dodgers 2-0. Here is the latest news and notes out of the National League today:

  • The Rockies need to improve their talent acquisition via the draft and Latin America in order to overcome the crushing injuries suffered in recent seasons, according to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post. Tim Hudson, whose free agency was profiled this past week by MLBTR's Steve Adams, would make a perfect middle-of-the-rotation starter for the Rockies, Renck opines.
  • The Pirates' payroll will increase significantly in 2014 aiding their efforts to retain free agents Marlon Byrd and A.J. Burnett while also trying to sign Neil Walker and Pedro Alvarez to long-term extensions, reports the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Rob Biertempfel.  
  • The Mets will face a dilemma with their 40-man roster when it comes time to protect minor league players from the Rule 5 draft, reports ESPNNewYork.com's Adam Rubin. The Mets' 40-man roster is currently full and will be so again once the eight players on the 60-day disabled list replace the eight pending free agents on the 40-man. Jordany Valdespin headlines Rubin's list of eight Mets who could lose their roster spot.
  • The Reds' managerial search is centered on pitching coach Bryan Price and Triple-A manager Jim Riggleman, writes John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Fay expects Price to get the job; but, if neither candidate impresses ownership in upcoming interviews, the search may be expanded.
  • Nationals third-base coach Trent Jewett has an excellent shot to become the team's next manager, reports ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Insider subscription required).

NL West Notes: Giants, Towers, Rockies, Padres

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Let's start the weekend off with a few notes out of the National League's West division:

  • Don't expect any big news on the Giants' major off-season decisions until after the World Series, says Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Sulia). The team has five days after the end of the post-season to decide whether to pick up Ryan Vogelsong's option and to decide whether to issue Tim Lincecum a qualifying offer. Otherwise, Schulman says, the club is not likely to make reliever Javier Lopez a "pre-emptive offer" and has only engaged in "preliminary" talks with Lincecum to date.
  • Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers is simply wrong when he says that the team's issues stem from a lack of toughness, writes Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic, who says that the club's mediocrity stems from a lack of talent for which Towers himself is responsible. In support of the latter half of that thesis, Bickley says Towers overvalued reliever Heath Bell, dealt Justin Upton only to say he'll be shopping for power in the corners, and sold low on starter Ian Kennedy.
  • Another front office tandem — Dan O'Dowd and Bill Geivett of the Rockies – have gotten by on mediocrity for too long, says Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post. Nevertheless, he reports, owner Dick Monfort seems to have no intention of making a change. "Continuity here is very important," said Monfort. "I really don't believe that either one of them has done a poor job."
  • Addressing a variety of Padres topics in a fan chat, Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune said that he believes the Friars could be active on the trade market and may look to deal arms like Robbie Erlin, Burch Smith, or possibly Eric Stults given the depth at the back of the team's rotation. He says the club is more interested in adding a big bat in a deal, though it could still tack on some arms via free agency.

NL West Notes: Kemp, Price, CarGo, Tulo, Gray

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The Dodgers announced this week that Matt Kemp underwent surgery to repair the A-C joint in his left shoulder. Kemp, who was ruled out for the postseason due to an ankle injury, is expected to be ready for Spring Training, at which point the Dodgers will possess an interesting outfield logjam due to the presence of Yasiel Puig, Carl Crawford and Andre Ethier. Here's more out of the NL West…

  • On yesterday's Baseball Tonight Podcast, ESPN's Buster Olney told colleague Tim Kurkjian that the Dodgers are expected to be the most aggressive team in pursuing a trade for David Price this offseason. A Price acquisition would give the Dodgers an unthinkably dominant front four of Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Price and Hyun-jin Ryu. Olney also names the Mariners and Rangers as possibilities, though he questions whether or not Price would want to sign an extension in Seattle.
  • Rockies owner Dick Monfort says Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki are staying put, writes Troy Renck of the Denver Post. "The plan is to keep them. Next year, yes. And my plan is to always keep them," Monfort said. "Is that the smartest thing in the world to do? I don't know. But for our fans I think it's the best thing to do."
  • Monfort also noted to Renck that the Rockies' payroll is expected to rise from this year's mark of $83.7MM to the $90-95MM range in 2014. He would like the team to add a starting pitcher and another big bat this offseason. MLBTR's Zach Links recently looked at the club's needs in the Colorado installment of the offseason outlook series.
  • MLB.com's Jim Callis called Rockies 2013 first-rounder Jonathan Gray "the class of the 2013 draft," saying that he has a higher ceiling than that of fellow Top 3 picks Mark Appel (Astros) and Kris Bryant (Cubs). Callis notes that the Rockies have had trouble developing pitching, but opines that Gray has clear ace potential and could reach the Majors in a hurry.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Rockies, Weiss Nearing Multiyear Extension

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The Rockies and manager Walt Weiss are closing in on a contract extension, team owner Dick Monfort told Troy Renck of the Denver Post. The deal will be for multiple years and should be finalized by the end of next week, according to Renck.

In his first season as their manager, Weiss, a former Rockies shortstop, managed the team to a 74-88 record. The team enjoyed its status as a surprise contender in the first half but faded down the stretch. As Renck reminds, Weiss was initially helping the Rockies' search committee before quickly becoming a candidate himself. This past season was Weiss' first as a Major League manager. Late in the season, he told Renck:

"There's an expectation around here now, I can sense. Guys are expected to compete at a certain way and at a certain level. That's starting to become the standard. I have really enjoyed the way the guys have fought down the stretch, especially as the season got away from us and we weren't in the race. Usually the true colors show then."

It's been a newsworthy week for the Rockies already, as the team exercised Jorge De La Rosa's option yesterday and are expected to pursue a long-term deal with him this winter as well.

Rockies Expected To Talk Extension With De La Rosa

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Earlier today, the Rockies exercised their 2014 club option on left-hander Jorge De La Rosa. That decision will keep De La Rosa under contract for a very reasonable $11MM, but Troy Renck of the Denver Post tweets that the Rockies may have eyes on keeping him in Denver longer, as the two sides are expected to discuss a multiyear deal in the offseason (Twitter link).

Renck elaborates (via Sulia), opining that Colorado should be aggressive because De La Rosa is one of few successful pitchers in franchise history who have expressed interest in remaining in Denver despite the hitters' paradise that is Coors Field.  De La Rosa likes pitching for the Rockies, and his preference is to stay there, according to Renck.

De La Rosa, who will turn 33 next season, pitched to a 3.49 ERA with 6.0 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in his first year back from Tommy John surgery.  He was also comfortable at high altitude this year and allowed a lower OPS at home (.695) than on the road (.746).  However, his lifetime body of work doesn't quite jive with those numbers.  For his career, the left-hander owns a 4.70 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9.  

As MLBTR's offseason outlook for the Rockies explains, Colorado has a great deal of question marks in their rotation beyond De La Rosa, Tyler Chatwood, and Jhoulys Chacin.  Locking De La Rosa up beyond 2014 would help stabilize their rotation over the next few years.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Rockies Exercise 2014 Option For Jorge De La Rosa

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The Rockies announced, via Twitter, that they have officially exercised their $11MM club option on Jorge De La Rosa for the 2014 season.

The move comes as no surprise, given De La Rosa's strong 2013 season. In his first full season since 2011 Tommy John surgery the 32-year-old De La Rosa pitched to a 3.49 ERA with 6.0 K/9, 3.3 BB/9 and a 47.3 percent ground-ball rate in 167 2/3 innings.  De-la-rosa-jorge

De La Rosa's strikeout rate is down quite a bit from its peak levels, but perhaps that's to be expected given his proximity to Tommy John surgery; his average fastball velocity checked in at 91.1 mph in 2013 — two full miles an hour slower than when he averaged 93.3 mph from 2009-10. In spite of his decrease in punchouts, it's hard to argue with his results. Fangraphs valued his contribution at 2.9 wins above replacement, while Baseball-Reference pegged him at 4.3 WAR.

De La Rosa's agent, Paul Cohen of TWC Sports, originally negotiated a two-year, $21.5MM contract that contained a $11MM player option for a third season. De La Rosa exercised that option after pitching just 10 2/3 innings last season while recovering from his surgery. In doing so, he triggered a clause that gave the Rockies a club option for a fourth year at the same $11MM rate.

De La Rosa figures to front a pitching staff that will also include right-hander Jhoulys Chacin and Tyler Chatwood based on their own success in 2013, but beyond that, there's little certainty in the Rockies' rotation. Pitching should once again be a major offseason priority for director of Major League operations Bill Geivett and GM Dan O'Dowd. Colorado's current internal options include Drew Pomeranz, Juan Nicasio and Chad Bettis. First-rounders Jonathan Gray, Eddie Butler and Tyler Anderson are all on the horizon as well, though each will require more time in the minors before being ready to join Colorado's rotation.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Offseason Outlook: Colorado Rockies

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The Rockies were bit hard by the injury bug in 2013 and found themselves reeling after a hot start to the season.  Now, they’ll look to bolster their lineup to make that springtime success last all year long.

Guaranteed Contracts

Arbitration Eligible Players

Contract Options

Free Agents

On May 1st, the Rockies were in the NL West driver’s seat with a 17-11 record after a hot start to the year.  Things eventually petered out from there – the Rockies finished in fifth place at 74-88 – but it was a taste of what could be for the Rockies when they’re firing on all cylinders.  Everyone deals with injuries over the course of a 162-game season, but Colorado had some of the worst luck of anyone in 2013.  The top of their order was a mess as Carlos Gonzalez (played just 110 games), Troy Tulowitzki (126), and Dexter Fowler (119) all missed significant time.  Closer Rafael Betancourt was also out of commission for much of the year, a big letdown on the heels of a strong 2012.

The Rockies aren’t just keeping their fingers crossed for good health though.  They’ll have to go shopping this winter for upgrades in multiple areas and fixing the bullpen is at the top of the list.  Rockies relievers had a combined ERA of 4.26, the worst in the National League.  Betancourt’s health woes were certainly a factor, but far from the only one.  Wilton Lopez regressed sharply after a career year in Houston and even though one would be inclined to pin that difference on the move to Coors Field, his home/road splits in 2013 were mostly similar.  Setup man Matt Belisle (4.32 ERA, 7.6 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9 in 2013) hasn’t looked like the same guy who signed a two-year, $8.1MM deal two offseasons ago and no one would be surprised if the Rockies gave him his $250K buyout rather than bring him back for $4.25MM next year.  There are also a handful of arbitration eligible relievers with varying levels of uncertainty about their future this winter in Mitchell Boggs, Manny Corpas, and Josh Outman.

Part of the bullpen’s problem was that Colorado relievers were simply overworked.  The starting five (particularly the backend) was unreliable, forcing the pen to toss a National League high of 555 2/3 innings.  The Rockies can comfortably roll with Jhoulys Chacin, Jorge De La Rosa, and Tyler Chatwood at the top of the rotation, but they’ve got a lot of question marks beyond that.  Juan Nicasio, who is arbitration eligible as a Super Two this winter, pitched to a 5.14 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 31 starts last year.  If they open up the wallet a little bit, guys like Roberto Hernandez will be on the open market for the taking.  If they dig a little deeper and are willing to lay out a deal with plenty of incentives, they could get creative and get in the mix for Tim Hudson who, as MLBTR learned last week, is about a month away from returning to full health.  One notable caveat here – it’s impossible to say what kind of deal Hudson will fetch given all of the variables in play.  The question marks are there, but starting pitching is thin all over baseball.

The Rockies were actually decent in terms of power last season but they don’t have a lot of big bats they can count on.  Healthy seasons from Tulowitzki and CarGo are a must but Bill Geivett & Co. are going to seek another slugger.  A healthy Corey Hart would provide some pop (and versatility in the field) at a lowered price after missing all of ’13, but he wants to stay in Milwaukee and he’s willing to take a discount to make that happen.  Mike Napoli will also be out there and if the Rockies want to get creative, they could sign him and dangle Wilin Rosario on the trade block.

Hoping to see a mile-high blockbuster this winter?  Things tend to change pretty quickly when the hot stove gets warmed up, but it doesn’t sound like Colorado is going to put Gonzalez or Tulowitzki on the block.  Last month, Troy Renck of the Denver Post heard from club officials that the possibility of either one getting moved is very small and the likelihood of both getting jettisoned is nil.  

If they have a change of heart, however, those stars could bring them an awful lot in return.  Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports sees the Rangers as a logical partner thanks to their young pitching and middle infield surplus.  In this hypothetical, Jurickson Profar would supplant DJ LeMathieu or Josh Rutledge at second base and eventually go to the other side of the bag if Tulo is shifted to a different position.  Rosenthal hears that CarGo is more likely to be moved than the shortstop and it’s worth noting that he has some serious fans in the Mets’ front office.  

Fowler could also serve as trade bait if someone is willing to roll the dice on him, but it would thin out their outfield if they don’t bring in a reinforcement there.  As it stands, right fielder Michael Cuddyer is ticketed to replace Todd Helton at first base, which likely means that either Charlie Blackmon or Corey Dickerson will get to play everyday.  It’s hard to see them starting together in 2014 – Blackmon’s defense (particularly in center) leaves much to be desired and Dickerson is entering his sophomore year.

In a recent letter to season ticket holders, owner Dick Monfort noted that Cuddyer’s move to first base opens the door for the club to go out and get a big bat in right field.  If Monfort is as serious about bringing a championship to Denver as he says, he can spend the necessary dough to get someone like Shin-Soo Choo or Carlos Beltran.  If the Rockies want to spread the cash around a little bit more, they’ll find a quieter market for Nelson Cruz.  One thing to keep in mind, however, is that they can always change course and keep Cuddyer in the outfield if they find a quality first baseman at a good value.

The Rox have a lot of holes to fill but last season’s hot start, however brief, proved they can be competitive in the NL West and have a puncher’s chance at the playoffs.  

Rockies Rumors: Cespedes, Weiss, Cuddyer

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Here's a look at the latest out of Denver..

  • Troy Renck of the Denver Post sees Yoenis Cespedes as a name for Rockies fans to file away this offseason.  The A's like to think outside of the box and could consider deals for the slugger.  One of Cespedes' main drawbacks is that he misses chunks of time, but the Rockies have solid depth with Charlie Blackmon and Corey Dickerson.
  • Rockies owner Dick Monfort met with his front office staff last week and no major changes are expected, Renck writes.  Small changes could see assistant GM Bill Geivett assume more traditional GM duties.  Manager Walt Weiss' contract situation should be resolved soon, with the possibility that he receives a multiyear deal, or a one-year deal with a club option.
  • Monfort wrote a letter to season ticket holders pledging to do everything he can to win a championship, Renck writes.  Within the letter, Monfort noted that Michael Cuddyer will likely take over for Todd Helton at first base, creating "an opportunity to fill (right field) with a big bat."

Arbitration Eligibles: Colorado Rockies

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Matt Swartz has developed a very accurate model that MLBTR uses to project arbitration salaries, as explained in this series of posts. We've heard from many MLB teams and agencies that reference the projections in their work.  The Rockies are next in our series.  Estimated service time is in parentheses, and estimated 2014 salary follows.

Lopez took a step back in 2013, but at $2.2MM the Rockies are still expected to retain him.  Nicasio made 31 starts this year, and while he wasn't great, he figures to stick around.  Outman and Herrera both had solid campaigns and are secure.

Boggs began the season as the Cardinals' interim closer in the wake of Jason Motte's injury, but was optioned to Triple-A by May.  He bounced up and down after that, and was traded to the Rockies in July for international bonus money. Boggs struggled at Triple-A for the Rockies and made only nine appearances with the big club.  "I would like for that to be here because I feel it’s a good fit," Boggs said of the Rockies and returning to a late inning role, to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in September.  Boggs is no sure thing to be tendered, but given his low projected salary and past success, I lean toward the Rockies giving him another look next year.

Corpas, 30, has served as the Rockies' closer at various times in his career and found his way back to the organization on a minor league deal in January.  He wound up making 31 appearances for the big club, but will probably be deemed expendable.

Assuming Lopez, Nicasio, Boggs, Outman, and Herrera are tendered contracts, the Rockies are looking at an estimated $8MM for five arbitration eligible players.

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