CarGo return brings frustration for some, elation for others

Multiple sources are now reporting that the Colorado Rockies and Carlos Gonzalez have agreed to a one-year deal for the 2018 season. The details of that deal are still coming in.

This acquisition raises a ton of questions for a team that already sported five MLB-quality outfielders. One can’t help but wonder if this means further blocking an already tough path for highly-talented players like David Dahl and Raimel Tapia, who could both now end up stuck at Triple-A.

Gonzalez is coming off the worst season of his career in which he hit .262/.339/.423 with 14 home runs in 136 games.  He finished strong though, slashing .377/.484/.766 with 12 doubles and six homers from the beginning of Septemeber through the end of the season.

It remains to be seen if the club expects Gonzalez to step right back into his starting role, but if he does it could create a problem to that of a year ago when his bat struggled mightily but his reputation kept him in the lineup over players who were producing more.

Many of these concerns can be mitigated or altogether avoided if CarGo simply has a renaissance season, something perhaps foretold by his strong finish to 2017. Or, if he just accepts a new role as the first bat off the bench, a backup outfielder, and maybe even some occasional time at first base.

The Rockies desperately need one more bat on the bench. Every team can always use insurance for their young players, and even when he was at his worst last season, Gonzalez still inspired fear in opposing pitchers, drawing an unusual number of four-pitch walks for a guy who spent most of the year hovering around a .230 batting average.

Gonzalez has spent the last nine seasons with the Rockies, hitting 215 home runs and three All-Star appearances.

While analysts and the more hardcore fanbase that follow budgets and think longterm may be a bit confused or even frustrated by this news, there is no way around the fact that the overwhelming majority of fans and the roster are elated to have CarGo back. If his indication to us about how badly he wants to play in Denver are indicative of anything, it seems incredibly likely that he knows things may be a bit different this time around.

But at least he will be in purple again. Nobody ever made it look better.