MEDIA CLIPS – Nov. 28, 2018
Desmond eyes more production in 2019 Thomas Harding | MLB.com | Nov. 27th, 2018
DENVER -- Ian Desmond spent the 2018 season hanging onto the number that mattered -- the one in the Rockies' win column. Many of the other numbers weren't kind to him.
After a difficult and injury-filled 2017 season, which began his five-year contract worth $70 million, Desmond was healthy enough for 160 games in '18. But he batted .236 and wasn't treated kindly by the Wins Above Replacement stat -- minus-
0.7, per FanGraphs, and minus-0.6, per Baseball-Reference. As a comparison, Desmond averaged 2.2 and 2.1 WAR, respectively, over his seven full seasons before signing with Colorado.
But with consistent production absent, Desmond at times fulfilled the Rockies' contention that he is a winning player. His
22 home runs, 20 stolen bases, 82 runs and 88 RBIs in 2018 are stats many players would love, and the Rockies will tell you he had a knack for the right, heady play during the team's second-half run.
Hey, it all made him one of baseball's most interesting figures on Twitter; many games began with vitriolic reaction to him being in the lineup, and more than a handful ended with an apology after a late home run. Often fans familiar with his community involvement and interaction jumped to his defense.
"The one thing I can say, I feel like no matter what the situation was, no matter what the numbers said, I feel like I came out and tried to do something to help the team win," Desmond said while clearing out of Coors Field after the Rockies were eliminated from the National League Division Series by the Brewers. "For me, it's hard to say that I can rest easy. It's
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definitely not a rest-easy situation. I know I have work to do, but as long as I feel I can put myself out there, trying, that's really all I can do."
As fans await the team's actions this offseason, Desmond doubles as a flexible part for the Rockies, and a gift that keeps on fueling some timelines. Over the next three seasons, Desmond is guaranteed $40 million (including a $2 million buyout on a $15 million 2022 option), plus a $1 million payment if traded.
"I don't really care, to be honest," he said. "My job is to care about the people in this room, to try to help win ballgames. I don't care about money. I've never played for the money. It's not my incentive to do the job that I love to do. I just love to play baseball."
Desmond has played first base and left field extensively, and center field and shortstop on occasion, in two years in a
Rockies uniform. It means he can shift to accommodate whatever offseason moves the club makes. Two longtime regulars, right fielder Carlos Gonzalez and second baseman DJ LeMahieu, are free agents, plus many of the young players with feet in the Major League door can play multiple positions.
"It's been part of it since he came here -- his athleticism and his ability to play different positions," Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich said. "We'll talk to Desi about it. It's nice to have that ability to be flexible, especially now. It allows you to have an open mind, be creative about how to best put together a team."
Of course, when the Rockies signed him, they envisioned big offensive production as well.
A broken left hand suffered in Spring Training and recurring right calf strains during the season limited Desmond to 95 games in 2017. Last season, an adjustment of lowering his hands while in his stance went out the window when his average dipped into the .150s in late April.
The stats show Desmond needs to improve against the outside fastball, and work ahead in the count
According to Inside Edge, Desmond's 81 percent ground-ball rate on fastballs away over the last two seasons was highest among hitters with at least 484 plate appearances. And his 2018 line-drive rate of 5.6 percent on fastballs away was the 2
lowest in the Majors. But when ahead in the count, his 12 homers in 109 plate appearances were a third-in-MLB 7.6 percent, and his 17 extra-base hits in 29 total hits while ahead in the count gave Desmond a ninth-best 58.6 percent.
"I'm 33 years old and I'm still hungry to be the best player I can be," Desmond said. "I've just got to keep trying. Some years, the adjustments I have made in the offseason have worked out phenomenally. Some years, I've gotten off to a slow start and haven't regrouped. This was one of those years.
"I'll get back to the drawing board at some point and try to make myself the best player I can be in 2019."
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Patterson claimed off waivers by Mets Thomas Harding | MLB.com | Nov. 26th, 2018
DENVER -- Left-handed-hitting outfielder/first baseman Jordan Patterson, who hit .367 with 26 home runs at Triple-
Albuquerque, was claimed off waivers by the Mets on Monday.
Patterson, 26, was designated for assignment on Tuesday as the Rockies set their 40-man roster. He appeared in 10 games with Colorado in 2016, going 8-for-18 (.444) with two RBIs, but Patterson has not appeared in a Major League game since as the Rockies were crowded in the outfield corners and decided to usher Ryan McMahon into the Majors at first base in a timeshare with Ian Desmond.
Over the past two seasons, Patterson, a fourth-round pick in the 2013 MLB Draft, has shown power numbers that could mean opportunity if it translates to Major League play. He has 52 home runs and 55 doubles over his past two Triple-A seasons.
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Rockies still quiet as MLB’s hot stove season begins to heat up Colorado has not talked to free agents Adam Ottavino or DJ LeMahieu Patrick Saunders | DenverPost.com | Nov. 27, 2018
The Hot Stove season is just now beginning to percolate, but between now and Christmas, expect news to start boiling.
Whether the Rockies make a major splash remains to be seen.
Thus far, the biggest news has been made by the Braves, who inked veteran third baseman — and former American
League MVP — Josh Donaldson to a one-year, $23 million deal, and also signed veteran catcher Brian McCann to a one- year, $2 million deal.
Meanwhile, the rumor mill is shifting into a higher gear. Outfielder Bryce Harper and Manny Machado are dominating the headlines, with Philadelphia poised to make a big strike.
As for the Rockies, they have stayed out of the headlines, which is exactly the way general manager Jeff Bridich likes it.
What we do know is that Bridich’s No. 1 goal this offseason is adding a quality bat to beef up what was a disappointing offense in 2018.
“We’ll likely be a little more focused on our offense this season,” Bridich said earlier this month. “A lot remains to be seen and learned at the GM meetings, and at the winter meetings (Dec. 10-13 in Las Vegas). There’s a lot of conversations still to be had and more information to be gleaned before a real, true course for our offseason is determined.”
The Rockies are among at least 14 teams linked to Marwin Gonzalez, the free-agent, super-utility player who helped the
Astros win the 2017 World Series. Over his last two seasons, Gonzalez has operated as a multi-purpose starter, with at least 15 starts at five positions — left field, shortstop (his natural spot), second, first and third base.
During the GM meetings this month, Bridich was non-committal about Colorado’s possible pursuit of Gonzalez, or other multi-dimensional players.
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“We’ve got some guys we can move around, so it’s nice to have that on the team already,” Bridich told MLB.com. “With the way that we’re built in the National League, 13 pitchers, it’s always part of our thought process. I’m not sure how much necessarily we will have that lead the day for us with free agency or trades, but it’s always part of our thought process.”
A number of teams, including Colorado, have been mentioned as a potential trade partner with the Marlins for catcher J.T.
Realmuto.
The 2018 all-star, considered the best young catcher in the game, is 27 and under club control for the next two seasons.
Rumors around him have swirled since agent Jeff Berry said Realmuto won’t be signed to a long-term deal, and he
“definitely” will be traded.
Bridich has given no indication that the Rockies will try to land Realmuto. Indeed when asked about Realmuto, Bridich steered the conversation to how Rockies catchers performed in 2018.
“They were at times really good for us defensively and streaky offensively — at times they struggled as a group,” Bridich said. “We like different elements of what each guy brings. When you put together two or three catchers at a time on your
25-man roster, you’re looking for what they can do as a group, a combination — maybe even more so than any other position on the field.
“The defensive elements of what they bring are really important, and that’s not lost on us. They just fit into everything else.
We have an open mind to everything, but it’s not like we’re looking to move guys. But now is the time in the industry to listen and be open-minded, so we’ll see what happens.”
The Rockies’ catching corps consists on Chris Iannetta, Tony Wolters, Tom Murphy and Brett Nicholas, who signed a minor-league deal with the Rockies earlier this month. Nicholas appeared in 36 games with the Rangers in 2016 and ’17.
Nicholas, 30, hit a combined .252 with the Rangers. He spent last season with the Padres’ Triple-A club in El Paso after arriving in an April trade from the Rangers. He batted .291 with a .353 on-base percentage and a .485 slugging percentage, 16 home runs and 83 RBIs for El Paso.
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As for the former Rockies who are now free agents, it’s appearing more and more doubtful that the Rockies will attempt to retain their most coveted free agents: right-handed reliever Adam Ottavino and Gold Glove, all-star second baseman DJ
LeMahieu. The Rockies have not talked to either player about returning to Colorado.
Both the Yankees and Mets have made inquiries about signing Ottavino, but he told The Denver Post that “a good amount of teams have been interested, but nothing is imminent by any means.” He added that his main priority for free agency is landing with a club that’s dedicated to winning.
The Dodgers, Nationals and Twins have had preliminary talks with LeMahieu, MLB.com reported Monday.
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Ranking Jeff Bridich’s biggest trades and signings, looking for clues to this Rockies offseason Nick Groke | TheAthletic.com | Nov 27, 2018
Less than 24 hours after he slipped out through a back door at Wrigley Field and into a late July night in 2015, Troy
Tulowitzki met with a few reporters at a Chicago hotel to make clear his frustration and surprise.
Colorado general manager Jeff Bridich the night before ripped off a Band-aid, trading Tulowitzki and the more than $105 million and five and a half years remaining on his contract to Toronto in one of the biggest trades in Rockies history.
The trade finally put an end to the speculation that drew out over months and it surprised nearly no one — except
Tulowitzki. “I felt like I got blindsided,” Tulowitzki said the next day. “I’m a little confused. Mixed emotions. Sad, excited … I didn’t sleep last night.”
Bridich explained later that the groundwork for the trade had been laid for months, dating back to the winter offseason.
Trades can, at times, be like pushing a boulder over a cliff, with a lot of rocking and effort back and forth until it finally happens.
More than three years later, it remains the centerpiece decision in Bridich’s four-year reign atop the Rockies’ front office.
The blockbuster trade is also an outlier for a team bent on drafting and developing its way into contention.
But for the first time in Bridich’s tenure, perhaps, the Rockies are in position to aggressively pursue winter trade possibilities, with plenty of holes to fill in their lineup but limited room available in the payroll to chase high-profile free agents.
For two seasons, Colorado’s offense has lagged among the worst in the National League.
“We’ll likely be a little more focused on our offense this offseason than we were last year,” Bridich said earlier this month.
For the normally tight-lipped general manager, it was a clear indication of his priorities.
Bridich said the Rockies intend to increase their spending by seeking “responsible growth with the payroll.” Still, even presuming the departures of free agents DJ LeMahieu, Adam Ottavino, Carlos Gonzalez and Gerardo Parra, the Rockies 8
might have as little as $6 million to spend for next season, relative to their 2018 payroll total. If they want to make major changes, a trade might be in order.
And Arizona all-star Paul Goldschmidt, for example, seems to be available in the trade market. He would seem to fit well in the Rockies’ lineup at first base. He is an all-star in each of his past six seasons with the Diamondbacks. He has a relatively affordable contract next season. And the Rockies might be on the shortlist of teams in position to trade for him.
But how might it happen?
There are limited clues to how Bridich might approach, and fare in, the trade market. Here are his ten most significant trades, in reverse chronological order, listed with each player’s WAR total with this new team (some of those players never did, or still have not, played for their new teams):
Date and opponent Traded away bWAR fWAR To Rockies bWAR fWAR
July 26 2018 to Blue Jays Chad Spanberger — — Seunghwan Oh 0.8 0.2
Forrest Wall — —
Bryan Baker — —
July 30 2017 to Rangers Pedro Gonzalez — — Jonathan Lucroy 0.9 1.0
July 26 2017 to Phillies Jose Gomez — — Pat Neshek 0.7 1.0
J.D. Hammer — —
Alejandro Requena — —
April 7 2017 to Orioles Miguel Castro 2.2 -0.4 Jon Keller — —
Feb. 1 2017 to Cubs Eddie Butler 0.7 0.7 James Farris — —
Jan. 28 2016 to Rays Corey Dickerson 4.2 3.7 German Marquez 8.1 7.1
Kevin Padlo — — Jake McGee 0.8 1.0
Nov. 24 2015 to White Sox Tommy Kahnle 1.6 1.3 Yency Almonte 0.4 0.2
July 28 2015 to Blue Jays Troy Tulowitzki 4.7 3.1 Jeff Hoffman -0.7 0.9
LaTroy Hawkins 0.2 0.3 Miguel Castro -0.4 0.3
Jose Reyes -0.2 -0.3
Jesus Tinoco — —
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Dec. 11 2014 to Angels Josh Rutledge — — Jairo Diaz 0.5 0.2
Nov. 24 2014 to Dodgers Juan Nicasio 0.3 0.9 Noel Cuevas -1.5 -0.9
Totals 13.9 9.6 9.4 10.7
Trades are difficult to measure, but Bridich has basically broken even on trades, with less return based on Baseball
Reference WAR and more by Fangraphs WAR.
There are a few takeaways:
• Over nearly five years, if a Miguel Castro deal is among a GM’s 10 biggest trades, then that GM is certainly less than interested in building a team by trade.
• Only three of those trades happened during the offseason, and two of those came nearer to spring training than the
World Series.
• The Tulowitzki-to-Toronto trade remains Bridich’s signature move, but it was informed more by necessity and payroll manipulation than needing the return. It was a salary dump.
• Bridich’s best trade was also the riskiest. He sent Corey Dickerson to Tampa Bay when the left-handed slugger was one of the Rockies’ best hitters. Dickerson had not reached arbitration, so his salary was controlled and affordable. And
Dickerson this year played his best career season, so there was plenty left in the tank. But the Rockies’ return paid off over time, with German Marquez, then a minor-league prospect, having grown into one of the best young pitchers in the
NL. There are no real returns without risk.
• Of the 14 players the Rockies received in those 10 trades, 11 of them are pitchers.
• The only trade in which Bridich let go of significant prospects came this summer, when he shipped Chad Spanberger and Forrest Wall to Toronto for veteran reliever Seunghwan Oh. He otherwise grips prospects like aces in the hole.
In other words, if Bridich is looking to bolster the Rockies’ offense by trade, he will be entering unfamiliar territory.
“This roster, this team, is probably not going to look the same in two or three months as it does now,” Bridich said.
The name first demanded from the Rockies in most recent trade discussions has been Brendan Rodgers, the 22-year-old minor-league slugger drafted third overall in 2015. The two players picked ahead of him, Dansby Swanson and Alex
Bregman, are already productive major-leaguers on winning teams. Bregman was an all-star last season for Houston.
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Even then, the Rockies saw “drastic growth” in Rodgers last season, their farm director, Zach Wilson said. He is, by far, the club’s top prospect and Colorado’s nearest player to untouchable status.
That leaves, then, pitchers such as 21-year-old right-hander Riley Pint in trade demand. Pint is Colorado’s top pitching prospect who faltered in Single-A last season while working through forearm and oblique injuries. Jeff Hoffman could become trade bait, with his major-league experience, however slight, and team-friendly pre-arbitration contract.
Just as the Rockies sought pitching when trading away their best offensive pieces, so too will opposing GMs.
“The philosophy really depends on the people involved,” Bridich said. “It depends on the landscape of the rest of the roster and how we view the free-agent markets and potential trade markets upcoming. It’s not one specific, hardened philosophy.”
For the sake of rounding out a look at how Bridich might build the Rockies’ 2019 roster, here are his most significant free- agent signings over the past four years, again in reverse chronological order, listed with Baseball Reference WAR:
Date signed Player Contract Total $ bWAR
July 29 2018 OF Matt Holliday 1 year minor-league deal 0.1
Mar. 12 2018 RF Carlos Gonzalez 1 year $8 million 0.4
Dec. 29 2017 RHP Wade Davis 3 years $52 million 1.1
Dec. 15 2017 LHP Jake McGee 3 years $27 million -0.8
RHP Bryan Shaw 3 years $27 million -1.1
Dec. 8 2017 C Chris Iannetta 2 years $8.5 million -0.4
Dec. 7 2016 1B/OF Ian Desmond 5 years $70 million -1.7
Dec. 16 2015 1B Mark Reynolds 2 years* $4.1 million 2.4
Dec. 8 2015 RHP Jason Motte 1 year $10 million 0.0
RHP Chad Qualls 2 years $6 million 0.2
Feb. 4 2015 RHP Kyle Kendrick 1 year $5.5 million -0.7
Feb. 2 2015 RHP John Axford 1 year $2.6 million 0.7
Jan. 5 2015 C Nick Hundley 2 years $6.25 million 2.0 11
Dec. 16 2014 INF Daniel Descalso 2 years $3.6 million -0.1
* Two one-year deals
Veteran first baseman Mark Reynolds, who was signed to two separate one-year deals, ranks as the most productive signing, by bWAR, followed by catcher Nick Hundley.
Over the same period, the Rockies’ most productive players all existed in the organization before Bridich’s ascension:
Nolan Arenado, Charlie Blackmon, LeMahieu, Trevor Story, along with Kyle Freeland and Jon Gray. They are a team that builds from within. It is Bridich’s mode of operation.
“I believed we had a roster that was good enough to get to the World Series,” Bridich said, looking back at 2018. “There were opportunities in September that we did not take advantage of. We put ourselves in position to win the division multiple times and we didn’t capitalize on it. We have nobody to blame but ourselves.”
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Arbitration Breakdown: Nolan Arenado Matt Swartz | MLBTradeRumors.com | November 26, 2018
Over the last few days, I have been discussing some of the higher profile upcoming arbitration cases. I rely partly on my arbitration model developed exclusively for MLB Trade Rumors, but will also break out some interesting comparables and determine where the model might be wrong. 2019 projections are available right here.
Nolan Arenado already earned $17.75 million in 2018, and put together another storied season. He led the league with 38 home runs, and hit .297 while knocking in 110 runs. He won yet another Gold Glove, yet another Silver Slugger, made the
All Star Game, and again finished in the Top 5 of MVP Voting. That makes for his sixth, fourth, fourth, and third consecutive season in each of those accomplishments.
Entering his fourth year of arbitration, it stands to reason that Arenado will earn more than any player ever has in arbitration. After all, Josh Donaldson currently holds that record at $23 million just last year. Since the arbitration system generally awards raises based on platform year performance (except for in the player’s first year of arbitration eligibility),
Donaldson’s level of pay would only reflect a $5.25 million raise, which is frankly too small for Arenado.
Indeed, the model predicts a big move up to $26.1MM for Arenado, which would represent a raise of over $8MM from his
2018 salary. Notably, too, there is some uncertainty present, since he earned $17.75 million last year only as part of a two year deal. Players do sometimes get treated differently in the event of returning to arbitration following multi-year deals. In the industry, this is often termed a “re-slot.” Probably the most recent notable example of such was Bryce Harper. In 2017, he received an $8.625 million raise from $5 to $13.625 million after a two-year deal. In that case, Harper had won the
MVP Award in the first year of the two covered by the earlier agreement, and may have been treated as someone who would be re-slotted. In this case, if we were to estimate what Arenado would have earned in arbitration in 2018 based on his 2017 performance, we might have guessed $20.7 million rather than $17.75 million.
So, if anything, we would probably expect Arenado to argue for more than $26.1 million based on a re-slotting. Already in uncharted waters in terms of salary, that may or may not be a hard sell. After all, at that point, we would be looking at a
“Kimbrel Rule” situation. That “rule” is named after Craig Kimbrel, and basically describes the maximum amount that we should expect a player to break the record raise for his service class. This rule exists because Craig Kimbrel’s first year of arbitration eligibility was so unique that my model had him earning significantly more than any closer had ever earned. We 13
therefore capped his projection. The Kimbrel rule as applied to Arenado would give him a $26.75 million maximum, not much different than his $26.1 million projection.
If we look for comparables, it’s hard to find any for Arenado regardless of the method used to evaluate him. Donaldson would actually be a floor in my estimation. He hit .270 with 33 HR and 78 RBI in 2017, but in just 496 PA. With Arenado stepping up to the plate a whopping 673 times, and hitting .297 with 38 HR and 110 RBI, he will surely not command a smaller raise than Donaldson’s $6 million.
One potential comparable for Arenado could be teammate Charlie Blackmon, who produced .331/37/104 the year before last, and got a $6.7 million raise. We might expect that to be a rather close match for Arenado, although Blackmon’s ultimate raise was called into question by other agents at the time. Still, if we think that Arenado would come in at about a
$6.7 million raise, that would land him at a $24.45 million salary — less than his $26.1 million projection. On the other hand, if Arenado’s Gold Gloves or higher service time factor in, we may still be north of that and closer to his projection.
Arenado will be an interesting, record-breaking case this year. With several complicating factors impacting his case, there’s a fairly large spread of dollars theoretically open for discussion. Ultimately, I suspect that the model is pretty close, but I could see being off by a couple million in either direction.
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Will Adam Ottavino be swapping purple pinstripes for navy blue ones? Yankees showing interest in free-agent reliever. While posting career-best numbers in 2018, the righty earned $7 million in the finishing season of a three-year, $10.4 million deal Kyle Newman | DenverPost.com | Nov. 26, 2018
Adam Ottavino was one of the Rockies’ most reliable bullpen arms during the past seven seasons. That reliability culminated in a dominant 2018 season in which the right-hander posted a career-best 2.43 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP in 77- plus innings.
But now, as one of baseball’s best available relievers on the free agent market this winter, his native New York is calling.
The New York Post’s Joel Sherman reports that Ottavino, who grew up in Brooklyn and now resides in Manhattan in the offseason, is a target of Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, who is looking to add a couple more strikeout artists to the New York bullpen.
The pitcher’s affinity for the Bronx Bombers, however, won’t be enough reason by itself for Ottavino to end up with the
Yankees.
“I grew up as a Yankee fan, and it’s always been something that would be nice (to play there),” Ottavino said. “So it would be cool, but I’m not going to allow something like a preference of where to really dictate anything. I picked Colorado, which is far from home, and I loved it.”
Ottavino set a Rockies record for relievers with 112 strikeouts this past season thanks in part to a refocused offseason regiment that began with him turning a vacant commercial space in a Harlem strip mall into a workout facility.
The reliever is back at that same facility this offseason, and though he couldn’t talk hot stove specifics, he noted “a good amount of teams have been interested, but nothing is imminent by any means.” He said his main priority for free agency is landing with a club that’s dedicated to winning.
“It’s the second half of the career here, so I’m trying to prioritize that part of it now and be a part of something special,”
Ottavino said.
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The 33-year-old earned $7 million in 2018 in the final season of a three-year, $10.4 million deal. He also figures to draw interest from the Mets, as New York’s National League representative had the third-worst bullpen ERA in baseball at 4.96 this past season.
As talk swirls of Ottavino swapping purple pinstripes for navy blue ones at Yankee Stadium, there’s little chance that the right-hander ends up pitching his home games back in LoDo. Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich has said the team’s main offseason focus will be to beef up its offense. Colorado committed $106 million total across three contracts to relief pitchers Bryan Shaw, Jake McGee and Wade Davis last offseason.
Ottavino said he hasn’t personally spoken with Bridich about a new contract since the season ended, but also hasn’t completely closed the door on a possible return to Colorado.
“From my end, there’s always interest there,” Ottavino said. “It’s just a matter of how I would fit in with the other moves they’re trying to make.”
Meanwhile, the Yankees have plenty to spend, per usual, with both right-hander David Robertson ($13 million salary in
2018) and left-hander Zach Britton ($12 million, acquired in midseason trade from Baltimore) becoming free agents.
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