Rockies have tried everything, so what now?
Man, the Rockies.
Yesterday, I just kept thinking about the Giants. Today, I just keep thinking about the Rockies. First I saw something about Troy Tulowitzki demanding – our words, not his – a trade. Huh. More on that in a Colorado moment. Then I saw Matt Kory’s column about Kyle Kendrick.
Kendrick actually pitched well Tuesday night! Which lowered his ERA all the way down to 7.65! Kyle Kendrick is a fly-ball pitcher. Matt’s big finish:
Pitching Kyle Kendrick in Colorado as much as possible might not be a "good idea" in the traditional sense of the term. It might not give the Rockies "the best chance" to "win baseball games" and it could very well lead to "people" in the "front office" "losing" their "jobs."
But then they signed Kyle Kendrick in the first place, so they kind of deserve it. By the way, Kendrick gave up two homers in San Diego's capacious home park this past Sunday. Do you think you can stop Kyle Kendrick from doing what he does, Rockies organization? You can't. You did this to yourselves, and at this point you may as well enjoy it. We might as well do the same.
Here at JABO, we don’t have anything at all against Kyle Kendrick. He’s been in the majors for a while now, and he’s got a winning record. He gave the Phillies hundreds of decent innings back when that mattered. And it turns out that Kendrick isn’t particularly fly-ball prone. Among the 46 pitchers with at least 400 innings over the last three seasons, Kendrick’s fly-ball percentage (32.9) ranks 25th. Now, Jered Weaver ... there’s a guy who really shouldn’t pitch in Coors Field.
Anyway, when I was looking at Kendrick, I happened to look at the rest of the Rockies’ starting pitchers. Golly. Jordan Lyles has nearly as many walks as strikeouts. Eddie Butler has exactly as many walks as strikeouts. Tyler Matzek has more walks than strikeouts (and just got sent back to the minors). Then there’s Jorge De La Rosa, who’s got a million strikeouts and has given up just one homer in his four starts, but is 0-2 with a 9.56 ERA.
So there’s some room for improvement, anyway.
What’s most interesting about the Rockies is that they’ve got ever more experience with pitching half their games a mile high, and yet somehow they seem to get ever farther from figuring out how to not be terrible.
I don’t have any advice. The Rockies are smarter than I. They’ve tried everything, and (with exceptionally rare exceptions) absolutely nothing has worked. It’s been more than 20 years now. It’s certainly reasonable to wonder if anything will ever work. I hope something does. Inevitable failure is somehow heartbreaking.
**********
Now, about Tulowitzki. First, here’s Joel Sherman in the New York Post:
One of the most vital moments of this season will occur Thursday at a breakfast meeting in Los Angeles between Troy Tulowitzki and his longtime agent, Paul Cohen.
The two will decide whether it is time to ask Rockies management for a trade.
“To say that it is not a possibility would be silly,” Cohen told The Post by phone.
A vital moment for the Rockies and Tulowitzki, sure. But vital for everyone else? We’ll see. He’s walked twice this season in 29 games, which does seem a bit of a red flag.
At least he’s been in the lineup for every game. That’s a small victory, considering he’s averaged only 88 games in the previous three seasons.
Tuesday, Dave Cameron ran through a list of potential trade partners for the Rockies, including three long shots, three maybes in the mix, and three favorites. Dave concludes with a strong endorsement of the first-place Mets, which ... I guess makes sense, but it’s worth mentioning that Wilmer Flores is only 23 and is actually having a decent season (granted, his defense remains problematic, but Tulo’s not exactly a Gold Glover at the moment, either). Dave’s other favorites are the Red Sox and Yankees, both of whom can certainly afford Tulo’s big contract. Both also have young shortstops with upside. So I don’t see a great fit anywhere, with the maybes in the mix even less promising.
Still, Dan O’Dowd came to the same conclusion as Cameron:
The one player who could take the Mets from contenders to favorites is Troy Tulowitzki. He would not only stabilize the middle infield, but he also has the ability to carry an offense for weeks at a time. Tulowitzki is owed $94 million from 2016-19, but that's actually a bargain relative to what he would get on the open market.
The Rockies need pitching, and the Mets have plenty of young pitchers whom Colorado would want as part of its rebuilding effort. New York could probably build a deal centered around its No. 3 prospect, left-hander Steven Matz, and keep Syndergaard if it wanted to.
When Dave and Dan agree about something, it’s best to pay attention. So I’ll ask just one two-part question:
1. How good will Tulowitzki be this season, and
2. How many games will Tulowitzki play during the remaining life of his contract, which runs through 2020?
Here’s why I’m somewhat skeptical about a trade happening this summer: Tulowitzki’s contract is out of line for an injury-prone player in his 30s, and ownership has been adamant in the past about not trading high-priced veterans. So what’s he going to think about eating $40 million or something?
Then again, if the team’s losing and the star is publicly displeased, the situation might become untenable. Which, oh hey, maybe that’s why it’s not so smart to hand out these mega-contracts in the first place?
Naaaaahhhhh.