Trade Barmes to a team with a GM who overvalues his 23 HRs and 76 RBIs, and get a solid defensive 2nd baseman who could hit .280/.360/.450. Maybe target Kelley Johnson of Atlanta. If we keep Barmes, at most he should be a super-utility guy. BTW, something about EY Jr. I just don’t trust, and I’m not sure we need his speed in the lineup with CarGo and Fowler already in it.

Hawpe should be traded to make room for Smith, who is already twice the player Hawpe has ever been.

You’re spot-on about Morales. He’s not to be trusted and should be used as a trade chip. He still has value as a great young lefty arm, but we’ve seen him now for a couple years and his erratic nature is not easy to change. Fragile psyche too.

We have to find a shut-down lefty. Morales isn’t it, and neither are Beimel or Flores. This has to be one of our top priorities of the offseason, second only to getting some righthanded thump to help us versus lefties.

I’d love to keep Betancourt. This reliever is as mentally tough in tight situations as any who have pitched at 20th and Blake. He’s costly, though, and we’d get two compensation picks if he declines arbitration and becomes a FA. Bucky may not be ready to start next season, so who would replace him?

I feel for both Stewart and Iannetta. Both should have gotten more exposure in the postseason. Can’t complain too much about Torrealba’s results, though.

over-tinkering, but the fact is that we lost that game (and game 3) on the mound, we put enough runs on the board to win both of those games (and some of the “tinkering”, Yorvit and Atkins, were responsible for the runs).

I agree with you on the DLR loss, brutal. He’s always playing with fire but I trust him a lot more than Hammel.

As for Morales, he is a real tricky situation. I mean, you don’t find that talent anywhere, his stuff is sick. Do we assume that he can never get his head/control on and let him go on to become someone else’s DLR though? I say we keep him and we give him another shot in the rotation. In my opinion, he is our best and most realistic option to replace Marquis next year, that also gives us the best chance of winning. Let’s face it, when push comes to shove, you need to maximize talent and letting him go under almost any circumstances is not maximizing talent.

As for righty power bat, the only guy that seems realistic at this point is CDI, unless there’s a 3b out there that can be had in a deal. I doubt we add any OFs. I really wonder what CDI’s issues are, however, I am convinced there is something going on behind the scenes and hopefully it can be resolved because he’s right there for us.

Finally, re Stewart, next year is his show. Give him the fulltime, no nonsense job, and he either keeps it or we go back to the drawing board.

the MLB? Like to see how long a player is signed for? And I’ve heard some people hoping for for Brian Roberts from the orioles. And if DOD could swing that it would be impressive. It would probably take Atkins or Barmes and a pretty good prospect to get it done but its possible. They most likely wouldn’t take Hawpe with how young and promising their outfield is. But Roberts would provide a legit 2 hole hitter or lead off if Fowler struggles, with the hope that Cargo can drop in the order to a run producing spot. Or keep Cargo up there and have Fowler hit in front of whoever catches next year.

Just some observations, hard to believe mark prior is still only 28. and jason jennings is a free agent……………………………………………………………..

but here are some of my initial off-season thoughts:

-Why does Renck keep bring up an extension for Barmes? I know it’s just buying out arbitration, but the Rockies need an out to decline arb if he goes completely in the tank. Barmes is similar to Inge in that he “cheats” for his power by being an extreme pull power guy that costs himself greatly in the average department by his swing length. I’d like to see him stay on as a championship caliber role/platoon player, but there’s still quite a bit of bust potential.

-Hawpe should be easier to move than everyone expects. I don’t want to put too much into his All Star selection, but it does say something about what others in the league see in him. Despite his second half swoon, his VORP of 36.0 put him at sixth amongst ML right fielders. Lefty sock is not as abundant a commodity this off-season, and teams will still put a lot of faith in his line of .285/.384/.519. Also, upon being traded, Brad’s option year cancels out, making him essentially a one year rental, ala Bobby Abreu, Orlando Hudson. For a team lacking in lefty power in their corners, and not wanting to make a long term financial commitment, Hawpe’s one year 7.5 mil deal looks like a real bargain.

-That said, I think the best package to be had for Hawpe will likely come from prospects. The teams with the most likely interest, the Cubs and Mets, may not be looking to move major league parts unless they go by Milton Bradley. I’d love to see a Hawpe-Theriot swap (which is equitable from a value standpoint), but what onus do the Cubs have to trade their starting shortstop? The Orioles want middle order power, and Hawpe would fit the bill, but why would they punt on Roberts after extending him? We’ll see what develops, but there’s no shame in taking prospects here and pocketing the cash savings. Hey Cubs, Hawpe for Cashner?

-Replacing Atkins can go multiple directions. The Rockies have to protect themselves from a Stewart flameout, but could easily find itself in a roster crunch trying to mix and match platoon types. One solution would be to add a starting caliber second baseman, and have Barmes share time with Stewart as a lefty hitting platoon. This would still give Barmes something like 300 ABs between the infield positions with still options to find time for EYJ in the order as well. Finding that starting second baseman is another delimma entirely. The other option is to go after a solid platoon option that could slide in full time if Stew craters. This then creates budget issues. If the Rockies somehow freed up the entirety of Atkins and Hawpe’s financial commitments, this team could take a crack at Mark DeRosa, who is an ideal fit for this team in terms of his lefty power and positional flexibility. While DeRosa is a long shot, I like the idea of Jhonny Peralta as a buy low candidate. Peralta has demonstrated power from the right side while also proving to be a passable defender. Going further down the barrel, would Bobby Crosby take a minor league deal/camp invite? This is a place where I’m sure we’ll spend far more time in the coming weeks discussing.

-If the money is right, Contreras should come back. Replacing Fogg with a pitcher the manager may actually like using would be huge.

-Still will need veteran rotation insurance as Francis’ return is no guarantee. If non-tendered and deemed healthy enough to pitch by Spring, I love the potential fit of Chien-Ming Wang. However, health and price are huge questions left undetermined.

-Lastly, more than anything, this team needs a right handed power bat in the outfield. Basically, they need Hawpe’s numbers from the right side. I don’t think that’s out there in the Rockies’ budget. They could certainly try to get creative here, as in a Iannetta/Corpas for B.J. Upton mega challenge trade, but Hamilton-Volquez appears to be a one time occurance. I don’t expect either team to tale such a risk, but it could be fun talk show fodder. O’Dowd will get his extension, but he’ll prove his worth in how he fills out the lineup with the needed righty pop.

he hit 310/.383/.427 with a 356woba and 4.6 war.

hes also just as good of a fielder as barmes 7.6 UZR vs 7.0 for barmes.

my guess is the brewers try to resign him. biggest downside is he will likely be a type A free agent according to Cots