Here is something I still find myself shaking my head about in equal parts bewilderment and amazement:
How will the Rockies prepare to defend their National League title?
"Rockies" and "National League Title"........those words, to some, even those who bleed purple, may still be a little hard to fathom, but it still sounds great, doesn't it?
They have a strong pitching staff with a lot of young arms in Jeff Francis, Ubaldo Jiminez, Franklin Morales, and Manny Corpas.
To me, Aaron Cook at a rate of $34 million, is a questionable move.
How Brian Fuentes bounces back after losing his closer's job, is also a question.
That said, here are the real questions:
The Rockies say they offered Josh Fogg a one-year, $5 million deal. For his part, Fogg says he doesn't know about that offer. What? Does that make any sense? One side says they offered millions and the other side hasn't heard about it. Considering Fogg has no other current offers, he might want to make a call to General Manager Dan O'Dowd. Call collect, Josh, if the Rockies want to give you $5 million, they'll accept the charges.
The signing of Kip Wells for one year at $3.1 million also raises some eyebrows. Wells has led the National League in losses in two of the last three seasons. He lost 18 games in 2005 and dropped 17 in 2007. Is that the kind of guy you want to bring in? Will a player like that get the fan base excited? Granted, playing in Pittsburgh certainly helped him achieve those lofty yet dubious numbers but, hey,being a league leader in any statistical category is impressive......as long as that category isn't losses.
In the winter prior to the 2007 season, the Rockies signed pitcher Rodrigo Lopez. He led the American League in losses in 2006. Wells? Lopez? Why go after these types of pitchers? They got numbers, just not the ones you're looking for.
This is part of a larger problem the team may be facing. This is the best they can do on the free agent market with pitchers because rightly or wrongly, the perception is this: Coors Field is a place where pitchers come to die.
The evidence says that may not be true anymore, but the perception lives on----and that is what matters. We all live in a "perception is reality" world. So while the fortunes of pitchers may be changing at Coors Field, their opinions on the place, for the most part,have not.
The corner of Blake and 20th in lower downtown used to be an offensive launching pad. These days, it's not exactly a rocket launcher, but Coors Field is still a hitter's park.
Most pitchers, for that reason alone---fair or not---may not consider the Rockies as a possible suitor in free agency. They feel their statistics may suffer and a confidence drop-off may ensue. There are statistics that show other stadiums are more run friendly than Coors Field. However, the perception is that nothing could be further from accurate.
For their respective part, the Rockies may feel the same way about pitchers as pitchers do about them. After still feeling the pain of the Mike Hampton and Denny Neagle tenure, the front office may be a little shy about handing over top dollar even now.
The most interesting part of this whole situation, to me, is that all of this indecision can actually lead to something decisive. That is, the way to build a pitching staff is through the farm system and not free agency. Draft your own kids, groom them, teach them, and watch them flourish. I mean, after all, what do Francis, Cook, Morales, Corpas, and Jiminez all have in common? They were all drafted by the team who they are paying dividends for now. Not too bad for an organization that could never attract pitchers.
"z"
