Colorado Rockies news and links for Thursday, September 12, 2024
The Colorado Rockies are a bad team, but they’re not alone. Every year there are bad teams in baseball but, with most, there are generally a handful of young players that you see as the faces of the future. That’s true of the Rockies, however the majority still populate the minor league ranks and remain future pieces rather than current budding stars.
Shortstop Ezequiel Tovar has continued his ascent towards consideration as a top player in the league at a premium position. Nolan Jones’ breakout in 2023 was supposed to continue and partner with Tovar as core pieces of the lineup, however that clearly has not gone to plan as he holds a 63 wRC+ through 65 games in 2024.
Instead, CF Brenton Doyle has taken the reins as the young, premier outfield for the Rockies. After his Gold Glove winning rookie season, Doyle’s offensive production caught up to his glove’s value as he holds a .788 OPS and 105 wRC+ in what is already a 20/20 season while also being just as worthy (if not more) of another Gold Glove in his cabinet.
With the state of the Rockies current roster – and Tovar already under a new seven-year contract – Doyle stands out as the only pre-arb player on the roster worth trying to extend. It is a divisive opinion as his major struggles with the bat in 2023 could be a red flag of the contract blowing up in Colorado’s face – but it could also be the perfect time for the franchise to lock up an emerging star at a club-friendly cost.
Whenever the conversation for pre-arb extensions is had, the Atlanta Braves and their franchise’s propensity for locking-up their young talent has to be mentioned. That is no different here, as they hold the most obvious comparison with their eight-year, $72MM extension with Michael Harris II in 2022 during his National League Rookie of the Year campaign.
Harris’ numbers were superb from the start, so it may be too high of a bar to set, but he is a potential All Star centerfield getting signed well before his arbitration years kick-in. It was also signed when Harris was 23 years old, three years younger than Doyle currently is.
Harris’ age range is far more common for pre-arb extensions than Doyle’s, evident on spotrac’s research tool. Most extensions for players in Doyle’s age range are more modest – like Jason Kipnis’ six-year $52.5MM way back in 2014. Obviously a lot of the game’s economics has changed since then, however that is still well below what it would likely take to get Doyle to sign long term.
There would be two main points for Colorado extending Doyle. First, it would be gambling on saving money through what he would likely earn through arbitration. Second, the Rockies would likely be looking to buy out at least a year or two of his free agent season – which doesn’t hit until after the 2029 season.
So, it would likely take some creativity to achieve a deal that would be worth it for both sides…but it’s not impossible. Although vastly different resumes and players, Atlanta’s eight-year, $100MM deal with Ronalds Acuña Jr could actually be a fair structure for both sides.
While the deal doesn’t impress on the surface given Acuña’s credentials, it does have an interesting structure that is worth digging into. Structured in a back loaded capacity, the deal kept his pre-arb years affordable before bumping up to a $17MM AAV during his arbitration-eligible seasons. Where the deal really shines is the two team options Atlanta holds for 2027 and 2028, essentially making the deal a six year, $66MM contract with added benefit of extending the relationship if things go as hoped.
Would it be worth it for Colorado? After the sophomore slump of Nolan Jones and the very subpar performance by Doyle at the plate in 2023, there are plenty of reasons to let the process play out for another year or two to make sure the team really knows what it has on hand. However, if Doyle continues to excel, it could be easy to talk in hindsight and talk about the team missing the chance to secure its best player at a premium rate.
Either way, there is little else on the roster worth this type of consideration so it should be a conversation management starts this off-season.
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Rockies ripped again by red-hot Tigers | The Denver Post
Patrick Saunders gives his rundown on Colorado’s 7-4 loss on Wednesday.
Injuries & Moves: Quantrill, Senzatela nearing returns | mlb.com
Thomas Harding provides updates on the Rockies, estimating Cal Quantrill as likely to return September 14 and Antonio Senzatela to return as soon as this weekend.
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On the farm
Triple-A: Las Vegas Aviators 5, Albuquerque Isotopes 3
Greg Jones bopped his 14th homer of the season in to lead of the Isotopes offense in the first, but struck out his next three times up. Josh Rogers allowed five runs on seven hits to pick up the loss.
Double-A: Akron Rubber Ducks 5, Hartford Yard Goats 4
It was Chase Dollander’s least impressive start of the season, allowing five runs on four hits and six walks in 4 1⁄3 IPs. Each Hartford except Warming Bernabel had at least one hit in the loss.
High-A: Vancouver Canadians 4, Spokane Indians 3
Kyle Karros had two hits and two runs scored, including a solo home run in the first inning. Connor Staine threw well — striking out seven in five innings — but had dance around traffic with seven hits and two walks allowed, finishing with three runs surrendered. With the loss, Spokane is tied 1-1 in the Northwest League Championship Series.
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