Since the hiring of Bud Black as manager, there has been some noise around the Rockies about a possible spike in spending. In fact, owner Dick Monfort said as much.
The Rockies payroll last year was right around $97 million, 22nd in the MLB. How far might Colorado be looking to climb?
“I’m not going to give you any hard numbers, because we have a general idea of what our payroll is going to be,” general manager Jeff Bridich told Eric Goodman and Les Shapiro of Afternoon Drive on Mile High Sports Radio. “Dick [Monfort] is right, he does want it to grow. We are planning on having things grow over the next few years. Some of that is a fluid process at times. It’s not always locked in to one thing or another. It depends on the other things that can and might happen. Whether that’s free agency, whether it’s trades, there is still a lot of things that could happen. Its a good position for us to be in, in terms of a growing organization.”
With the MLB winter meetings coming up on December 4 in Maryland, the Rockies are focused on two main holes they want to fill. And for once, the starting rotation isn’t one of them.
“We’re focused on first base and bullpen,” Bridich said. “We feel very good and confident on our young rotation that we have. If we have health, then we have depth in our rotation. We still have not figured out the first base situation since Todd [Helton] hung ’em up. We hope to add to the team there and figure out ways to upgrade our pitching this year, mainly in the bullpen.”
With the first base position in limbo right now, many are calling for Carlos Gonzalez to make the move to the infield. If no good options come to pass, that’s an option the Rockies might explore.
“That’s a road we have walked down a little bit with him, and he was working there in spring training a little bit last year,” Bridich said. “I think he is open to that concept if it does truly help the team be the very best it can be. He still believes he is a very capable and above average outfielder. Ever since he has come back from those knee issues he had a few years ago, everything about his athleticism has gotten back to the Cargo that we know. He’s running better, and he is just more confident. But it’s nice to know that Cargo has an open mind to it. I think it’s something that we will continue to work on with him.”
To listen to the whole interview with Jeff Bridich, including his thoughts on bringing Matt Holliday back to Colorado, click the podcast below…
https://soundcloud.com/milehighsports/11-29-16-eric-les-catch-up-with-jeff-bridich-on-the-future-of-the-rockies
Catch Afternoon Drive with Goodman and Shapiro Monday-Friday from 4p-6p on Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7 or stream live any time for the best local coverage of Colorado sports from Denver’s biggest sports talk lineup.