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The Colorado Rockies have a few holes to fill this offseason, mainly the bullpen after a dreadful 2016 campaign. However, there is one position that comes to mind where they will have to decide what’s best for the team regarding the 2017 season and perhaps the future — first base.
Colorado just signed outfielder Ian Desmond to a five-year, $70 million contract, which left many scratching their head from the start. Some believe the long-time shortstop converted outfielder will take over the first base position — who knows. If it comes down to it, Desmond at first base shouldn’t be that big of a concern, yet there has to be something up the sleeves of the Rockies’ brass. I just can’t envision Desmond occupying first base at 20th and Blake. The key to the acquisition is the flexibility Desmond possesses, meaning he can play both the infield and outfield incase of injury or to give a player a breather.
One thing is for certain — or so it seems — Colorado is looking to trade an outfielder to open up a spot for Desmond. Charlie Blackmon has been linked more so in the rumor mill than Carlos Gonzalez, which isn’t all too shocking. Blackmon is coming off a career year hitting .324 with 35 doubles, five triples, 29 home runs, and 82 RBI.
Talk about insane production from the leadoff spot.
One name that has come to surface in the past few days is Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Marcus Stroman — that would be a huge get for Colorado. With the possibility of Toronto losing out on both Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista, Toronto’s priority is to acquire another impact bat to keep the team afloat. If such deal were to come to fruition, Blackmon would join a familiar friend in Troy Tulowitzki.
Just think about Colorado’s rotation with the addition of Stroman. Jon Gray, Marcus Stroman, Tyler Anderson, Tyler Chatwood, and a toss-up between German Marquez/Jeff Hoffman/Chad Bettis. Not to mention, Colorado will have Antonio Senzatella and Kyle Freeland in the wings.
As far as the package goes to acquire Stroman, that’s the tough part. It will have to feature a key player, such as Blackmon or CarGo, yet Toronto will be asking for another piece in the deal, such as a pitching prospect in return. Colorado could sweeten the deal with a pitcher such as Senzatella, who’s either Major League ready or very close, or they could go down the route of adding a guy like Peter Lambert or Ryan Castellani who need some more seasoning in the Minors.
But back to the main topic — first base.
Colorado, like mentioned above, has had their eyes set on Mark Trumbo which is fine, yet it’s a questionable fit, at best. He will hit a ton of home runs at Coors Field, there’s no question about it, but I’d be willing to spend the same amount of cash, or more, on a guy like Encarnacion — who has been pretty durable over the last six seasons — opposed to Trumbo whose strikeout rate is a bit of a concern as well as his durability.
As the days go on, it looks more and more like Encarnacion is a pipe dream for the Rockies, considering the Cleveland Indians have the edge due to their World Series run as well as the option to utilize him as a designated hitter.
The bullpen is obviously the Rockies’ weak link at this point — that should be their priority. If they aren’t able to land the guys who they believe can help this team compete for their goal of contending, the idea of spending top dollar for a first baseman such as Encarnacion or Trumbo becomes more likely.
They should be focusing their efforts on run prevention, but in the absence of being able to do so, there are worse things in the world than just trying to outscore everyone.
