Denver Post sports writer Patrick Saunders with the latest installment of his Rockies Mailbag.
Pose a Rockies — or MLB — related question for the Rockies Mailbag.
With Adael Amador, Sterlin Thompson, Ryan Ritter, Dyan Jorge, etc. coming up the pipeline, what is the situation with Brendan Rodgers? Will he get traded for arms? Will some of the prospects get traded? What other clogged positions could be alleviated through trade?
— Jackson Esplin, Westminster
Jackson, I touched on this topic in a previous mailbag, but I’ll revisit it here.
Rodgers, the 2022 National League Gold Glove second baseman, was the subject of serious trade discussions last winter when the Rockies negotiated with the Marlins and Mariners. The Rockies targeted Edward Cabrera, the Marlins’ 25-year-old right-hander. They liked his skill set and the ability to control him through the 2028 season. But in the end, the deal fizzled.
Make no mistake, the Rockies like Rodgers. He’s popular in the clubhouse and the club is eager to see what he can do if he’s healthy for a full season. But given that he’s still under club control and has untapped talent, he’s probably the Rockies’ best trading chip.
That said, the team could veer from its usual course and trade Amador or one of its other top prospects instead. One way or another, general manager Bill Schmidt will be hunting for pitching this offseason.
As for other positions, the Rockies have a lot of talented outfield prospects, and with Kris Bryant scheduled to become a full-time first baseman, Michael Togila or Elehuris Montero could be in the trade mix, too.
Greetings, Patrick. What resources do the Rockies commit to scouting and developing pitching prospects compared to other teams? Knowing top free-agent pitchers won’t sign to pitch at altitude, development has to be the key. Why hasn’t this approach worked so far — management or poor draft choices? Thank you. Enjoy covering the preps.
— Robert Emmerling, Limon
Robert, while the Rockies have a relatively sparse analytics department, they have a full scouting department and plenty of pitching coaches and coordinators. The club’s lack of success on the mound is not because of a lack of staffing.
Injuries decimated not only the big-league rotation but also the Rockies’ top pitching prospects. Right-hander Gabriel Hughes, Jackson Cox and Jordy Vargas all underwent Tommy John surgery this summer. There was a chance that Hughes would have made his big-league debut this season had he not injured his elbow.
Left-handers Ryan Rolison and Helcris Olivarez are trying to work their way back from shoulder surgery. Both should be ready for spring training, so there is some hope there.
Clearly, the Rockies are doing everything they can to build organizational pitching depth. They selected 30 pitchers (28 of them college arms) across the last two drafts, plus they made a flurry of trade-deadline moves, flipping five veterans for seven pitching prospects.
I think it’s worth noting that the Rockies have once again revamped their pitching philosophy, as my colleague, Kyle Newman, pointed out in our end-of-season “Rockie Way” project: The club’s pitching strategy was once defined by experimentation (Mike Hampton free-agent mega-deal in 2001), then morphed into a sinker-slider focus. But recently, Colorado decided that stockpiling a variety of arms is better than hoarding one specific subset.
“We’re trying to develop more of a contrast approach than five, 10, 12 years ago in this organization, when it was (a lot of) sinker-slider,” farm director Chris Forbes said. “We have to recognize who can pitch at the top of the zone and who has to stay at the corners and the bottom, but ultimately, we’re letting these guys be themselves.”
We all know that (owner) Dick Monfort wants to win. We also know that he is respected by other owners across Major League Baseball. But in one of your articles, some owners said that Monfort is too insular and needs to get outside voices. My question is, does Monfort listen to these owners who know a thing or two about winning? Or does he think his way of keeping everything inside and crossing his fingers and hoping it works is the best way to go? Does he watch what other teams in similar markets do? Does he pick those owners’ brains? Or is he just all about the experience of attending the ballgame and not worried about the product on the field?
— Del, Lamar
Del, I never wrote that other owners believe Monfort is too insular. I did not speak to other owners, but I did talk to agents, rival front-office executives and players. That said, I’m sure that Monfort does speak with all of the owners, not just owners of mid-market teams that face challenges similar to the Rockies.
It’s not correct or fair to say that Monfort “is all about the experience of attending the ballgame and not worried about the product on the field.” He’s very involved in the construction of the team, at least when it comes to major decisions such as signing Kris Bryant to a free-agent deal or trading stars such as Nolan Arenado or Troy Tulowitzki.
“Dick is in charge, it’s his team, and he doesn’t really care what people outside the organization think,” one agent told me for The Post’s “Rockie Way” project. “Say what you want about Dick, he’s been unbelievably consistent. He’s never wavered. He’s going to follow the same path every time. That’s his team, that’s his baby and those are his guys. He doesn’t like to be criticized but he hasn’t really wavered from his path.”
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