The Colorado Rockies have been the laughing stock of the National League practically since the formation of the franchise. Outside of the magical 2007 run to World Series, the Rockies have been irrelevant in the world of professional baseball.
Since that Rocktober run, the Rockies have only managed to make the playoffs once, losing in the NLDS in 2009. The years between the Rox last postseason birth and the present have been tough for the fan base. Losing became the norm, and it seemed like the light at the end of the tunnel was getting further away rather than closer.
However, on October 8th, 2014 a change was made. A change that in the present looks like it will get the Rockies back to the postseason for the first time since 2009, with the potential accomplish a lot more.
On that day, owner Dick Monfort announced that the then 37-year-old Jeff Bridich would take over as the team’s general manager.
“I’m excited about a fresh start for the Colorado Rockies,” Monfort told Nick Groke of the Denver Post following the hiring. At the time, Bridich was young. Nobody knew what to expect from the new guy, but Bridich made one thing clear: he wanted to win.
“I am humbled, having been a part of the Rockies family for the past 10 years,” Bridich told Groke after he his promotion. “We truly look forward to bringing winning baseball back…I am embracing an opportunity to serve.”
Well, in the three years from when Bridich took control a lot has happened; however, it seems finally a plan has been put into place to make the Rockies relevant in the sport once again.
In his time as GM, Bridich, against popular opinion, traded away cornerstone shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, continued developing young talent by the likes of Trevor Story, Jon Gray and David Dahl, and brought something back to 20th & Blake that has been absent for some time: optimism.
For the first time in a long time, Rockies fans were able to sit back and watch their team last season, knowing there was a legitimate plan to make them the team of the future.
After years of head scratching, it seems like Bridich’s plan will finally take center stage. In just about a month’s time, the Rockies will break for Spring Training in Arizona, knowing they have the talent to be a real player in the National League, in large part due to Bridich.
This offseason the Rockies had two main holes to plug: The bullpen and first base.
Bridich did that and some. Right off the bat in the MLB’s Hot Stove season, Bridich made a move, signing Ian Desmond to the largest contract in franchise history. The Desmond signing was a solid move by the Rockies because it showed their ability to get a well-known player to buy into the future. While only time will tell if Desmond can play first base, the position the Rockies signed him to play, the move will certainly bolster an already stacked lineup, and add a guy with a fair amount of postseason exposure; something not a lot of current players on the roster have.
With first base filled, Bridich set his sights on the very thing that has plagued the Rockies since their inaugural 1993 season: pitching. In 2016, the Rockies bullpen was as inconsistent as ever. While guys like Adam Ottavino and Carlos Estevez showed some promise; however, it was clear that repairs needed to be done if the Rockies wanted to come anywhere near contention. The Rox bullpen had a combined ERA of 5.13 last season, ranking dead last in the bigs.
Bridich and Co. knew they had their hands full, but were able to pull off a couple of deals to really bolster the Rox bullpen for the coming year. The first being the signing of lefty Mike Dunn to a three-year contract, giving the Rockies a solid, proven arm out of the bullpen.
While Dunn was a nice addition there was still work to be done. Sure, the acquiring of Dunn was solid, but the Rockies still lacked a closer; a guy that can twist the dagger in the most crucial moments of a ballgame.
Well, they got their guy in Greg Holland. News broke Wednesday that the Rockies and Holland had agreed to terms on a one-year contract with a vesting option for the second year.
The reported signing of Holland is a massive one. The two-time All-Star, 2015 World Series champ, and Mariano Rivera Award winner is coming to Colorado, rounding out what can now be considered a bullpen filled with hopefulness. Arguably the biggest win out of the Holland signing for the Rockies is the fact that a well-known arm was willing to buy into the Rockies future, and brave the harsh conditions that come with pitching at Coors Field.
As it stands, the Rockies will now possess what is considered by many as the best offense in baseball. That, mixed with a young starting rotation that showed a ton of promise last season and a revamped bullpen, has the Rockies in a position to contend for a spot in baseball’s big dance, the postseason.
The three-year reconfiguration of the Rockies is far from over, but one thing remains certain: Jeff Bridich has put this team a position to win now, something they have not been able to say in quite some time.
