LAS VEGAS – Colorado Rockies General Manager Jeff Bridich address a small group of reporters on Monday during the first official day of the MLB Winter Meetings.
Bridich talked a lot about various processes in which the organization would abide and from which it would not waver. He also confirmed the areas of target for player acquisition will be at first base and outfield.
When asked about the offseason goal was focused upon improving the offense and if the Rockies are narrowing their focus on a few specific players, Bridich responded:
“I would say it’s probably larger than a few, just because it’s trades potential with teams and also free agents. Now that we’re here in mid-December, we’re much more knowledgeable about the potential trade realities and what teams will want to do and what teams might fit with us. So we are little bit more focused on adding to that now with free agents that could fit us. It’s definitely more than a few.”
Bridich continued to explain the reason so many viable candidates are in the picture:
“Some of that is because we do have positional flexibility on the team, so we’re not necessarily locked into one specific position that we feel will upgrade our team.
He continued to detail the Rockies situation in regards to player acquisition:
“I think the nice thing with us is I don’t think we have to make a whole slew of changes to the team. We’re very comfortable and very happy and very confident in so much of what we have on this team. So we get to be somewhat picky here and choosy in terms of the fit.”
When asked about utilizing the organization’s prospect depth in trades for adding the right guy, he continued to place praise upon what the team has been able to develop.
“I very much believe in our system. I believe we have a talented system in tow right now. It doesn’t mean we’re anxious or feel like we need to trade those guys, but it’s definitely beneficial in that if we are looking to make sure we leave no stone unturned, that we have depth in our system to potentially add in a trade if we need to. It’s not like we’re looking to trade our young guys, but it’s good that we have the ability to do that with talent in our system, if we want that.”
Bridich addressed why the offseason has been slow for his club thus far.
“If you remember… we had started the process in earnest with Wade Davis at this time last year and he didn’t finish it off until Christmas time. Could things happen, do things happen here? Yes. With us? It’s conceivable that something could happen either on the trade front or the free agent front, but either way, there’s so much that goes on here that it’s difficult to start a process here and finish a process here. You kind of have to have some of that already under way. We’ll see.”
The subject of having enough money to keep Nolan Arenado on a potential $200MM contract came up multiple times and the Rockies GM stayed on script to his previous responses.
“Yes. Responsible growth. We’re not going to grow in irresponsible leaps and bounds. We’re going to try and grow this thing responsibly over five years and continue the upward trend….”
As far as a scenario in which LeMaheiu is brought back, Bridich did not show his hand much.
“Certainly we have a lot of history with DJ and we respect the heck out of him. We have a few guys, in theory, who can come in and play second base. He’s definitely somebody we’re kicking around.”
Bridich was also asked what he he envisions from a hitting coach and how that role has changed across baseball over the past few years.
“You have to evaluate the coaching staff as a whole… You need to take into consideration what the best fit is there and your goals for the season, specifically from an individual hitter’s standpoint, but an offensive approach as a team, most importantly. So the job’s a difficult one. It’s a tough one… Because hitting coach is not a singular job anymore, it’s really more of a group job. That’s how we look at it.”
