Now that we’ve bought the Colorado Rockies and installed entirely new staff, implemented a rebrand, lobbied for MLB realignment and financial reforms, and given Coors Field a makeover, it’s finally time to move into the roster construction portion of fixing this team.
And the first order of business is going to be a tougher pill to swallow than it might seem at first. But this club has to say goodbye to top-dollar contracts.
It’s easy in this moment to point to the Kris Bryant disaster and confidently claim that they should never do that again but there is also quite a bit of evidence to suggest that star-level deals for players like Troy Tulowitzki, Charlie Blackmon, and even Todd Helton held back their respective teams.
Even when these players are very much worth the value of their contracts, having so many resources tied to one guy often limits the flexibility of the club. They can’t spend as much in other areas and fall behind and the problems are exacerbated should the elite player have a down season or get injured.
Nolan Arenado may be among the greatest third basemen of all time but his contract put the Rockies in a bind especially once he decided he wanted out of town.
None of this is news, it’s one of the the basic premises behind concepts like “Moneyball” and teams like the A’s and Rays have been cycling out players before they get expensive for decades.
I’m not suggesting the Rockies go full-swing in that direction for a few reasons. First, MLB has (rightly in my view) begun to adopt some “anti-tanking” rules and, hopefully, some future reforms will make it easier for mid-to-low market teams to afford to keep their franchise players.
Second, paying everyone on your team less than they are worth and refusing to keep anyone long-term creates a bizarre culture that, again in my view, kept either of those teams from turning into dynasties. In fact, it may have even helped contribute to the current A’s quagmire. When fans don’t know who they are going to root for next season, it makes it tough to show up to the ballpark every day.
Oddly enough, these are the two areas the Rockies have excellent at in their history. The facilities are fantastic and apart from some tweaks to the dimensions and regular updates don’t need to be messed with.
And, for better or worse, every season in Rockies history, except the last few years, has featured some of the best players in the world that you could bring the family out to watch regardless of the record. But was that for the betterment of the team? A sweeping glance at the history of last-place finishes despite some high-end talent would seem to suggest, not always.
It would be nice if there is a future of MLB that allows for more middle ground here. Ezequiel Tovar’s contract might represent the best a team like the Rockies can do to keep a player of his caliber for a price that doesn’t completely hinder you.
Perhaps locking down their own talent will still be somewhat viable, but one thing that has to go for sure is the big, free-agent contract.
This isn’t to say that the Colorado club shouldn’t be players in free agency, just that they should spread out their resources. Not only are we saying goodbye to the Kris Bryant deal but the Wade Davis, Bryan Shaw, and Jake McGee deals as well. Oh, and of course Ian Desmond.
It’s not just a smart idea to spend money more broadly because of the financial disadvantages but because of the unique environment as well.
There are plenty of players who have come from the outside and adapted their game to the altitude, pitchers and position players alike. But banking on who can make that transition has proven to be a fool’s game.
If the rest of our fantasyland adventure doesn’t play out and the rules don’t change, as much as I hate to say it, the Colorado Rockies should move much closer to the model of the Tampa Bay Rays when it comes to contract negotiations.
Any player that is going to command too high a price needs to be traded for the next round of (cheap) prospects. All players that cost too much on the open market need to be ignored in favor of signing three or four players who might be less exciting headlines but will be far more productive.
It will be difficult, on some level, to say goodbye to the days of franchise players in Colorado. It has been one of the few things that has made the team worth watching year in and year out. But if you make winning the thing that brings fans to the park, they’ll get used to it in a hurry.