2. Who’s the closer?
The Rockies bullpen was an absolute disappointment this past season, ranking last in the majors with an ERA of 5.13.
They have a pair of guys in Adam Ottavino and Carlos Estevez that showed promise, but need more than a couple of arms to fix this problem.
The signing of Mike Dunn was a start, but it is not enough. This is the Rockies Achilles heel. A lot of their season depends on fixing this problem, a problem with this team basically since their founding.
Reports indicate that they have ‘checked in’ on pitcher Greg Holland. This would be a great signing for a team that had little to no consistency at the back end of games last season.
Holland was an All-Star in 2013 and ’14, recording 47 and 46 saves in those seasons, compiling a career ERA of 2.42. He’s coming off Tommy John surgery; however, he is progressing along nicely in rehab.
A proven stopper like Holland would be a critical addition for the Rox. Throw him in there with what is expected to be a rejuvenated Otto and Estevez, and you may have a solid 1-2-3 punch in the ‘pen.
Holland aside, there are still a few relievers out there the Rockies could take a chance on.
Over the years the Rockies have taken risks on aging vets, with the most recent being Jason Motte.
If they please, they could do the same this offseason. A couple of once-durable, aging relief pitchers on the market are Matt Albers and Sergio Romo. Both have experience that could prove to be critical if they have bounceback seasons.
Other enticing options include Travis Wood and Joe Blanton, both of which are tenured arms coming off solid 2016 seasons.
Bottom line, the Rockies need to beef up their bullpen if they want to have any chance of making a run to the postseason, and the sooner the better to allow themselves to tinker with their arsenal by Spring Training rather than the regular season.
