So the direction my NL West preview posts have been taking me leads me to believe that a good part of the Rockies fate in 2009 lies largely in four left arms, namely those of starters Jeff Francis, Jorge De La Rosa, Greg Smith and Franklin Morales and how well they are able to fill three slots in the rotation. The question is what needs to be expected of them to make the Rockies competitive? My assumptions that have led me to this point are that:

1. The Rockies will lose ground in their rotation to the D-backs and Dodgers
   
2. The Rockies will gain ground on the Dodgers and Diamondbacks on offense
3. The Rockies bullpen will gain ground on the Diamondbacks, but lose ground to the Dodgers
   
4. The Rockies have no need to worry about the Padres, and should only worry about the Giants conditionally, so for the moment we won't focus on them.
5. Ubaldo Jimenez and Aaron Cook are likely to be positive contributors to keeping our total rotation loss to a minimum.
6. There is uncertainty with the other three rotation slots, but an opportunity exists to make further cuts into our two primary rivals' advantage.

Follow me after the break for a long dissection of the why's and how's that could make these four southpaws crucial components to our 2009 playoff hopes.

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In his latest blog entry at All Things Rockies, Troy Renck suggests a possible return to Coors for Josh Fogg:

–The Rockies have yet to express interest in free agent starter Josh Fogg. He makes a lot of sense as a late winter signing given that the team always need depth and Fogg is a great clubhouse presence.

I actually like this idea. Bringing him in to offer competition for the back end of the rotation is a good idea. With Cook, Jimenez, and Francis already the beginning and middle of the rotation and Jorge De La Rosa the likely fourth starter, Greg Smith needs to know that he isn't guaranteed that fifth spot. I want him to work during Spring Training; he can't just go out and coast through his starts. There are worse depth signings than Josh Fogg. [cough]Mark Redman[/cough] But I'm not going to be sentimental about Fogg--I was never a big fan of his when he was with the Rockies.

Also, Renck offers his view on signing Orlando Hudson:

–There’s been some chatter that the Rockies will make a play for free agent second baseman Orlando Hudson. He would fit based on his energy, personality and production. But I don’t see it. Hudson is going to command a hefty contract in years and dollars, a commitment that’s hard to see the Rockies making given their strong devotion to prospects.

Is that to mean we're going to see Chris Nelson take second base when/if he makes the majors? Because right now, there is no standout second base prospect ready to make the jump to the majors. Clint Barmes and Jeff Baker are already here; Eric Young, Jr. is becoming more of a utility player; and Ian Stewart's future is not at second base. So, if years on a contract is one reason why the Rockies won't pursue Hudson, I'd expect to see Nelson make his debut for the Rockies in a season or two.

Last week, the Chicago White Sox offered $5M to break their lease and leave Tucson. The offer was accepted yesterday. The Rockies are now looking at what to do after their lease expires in 2011.

Back when SB Nation's Driveline Mechanics went live, Rox Girl mentioned that it's probably better for a player not to be written about over there since those pieces highlight problems. Well, if anyone is holding out hope that Stephen Strasburg could fall from the top of the draft to the Rockies, take a gander at this. It might temper some thoughts about him.

Because this has moved David's examination of the trade down a bit, click here to go there and continue the discussion.

via mlb.mlb.com

His slide on 1 October 2007 will forever be the most cherished memory Rockies fans have of Matt Holliday. As Dave Krieger puts it (in his piece on why Holliday was traded):

He became an indelible part of our collective memory late on the night of Oct. 1, 2007, bloodying his chin while sliding across home plate (or not) to put the Rockies into the postseason.

Now Rockies fans won't be lucky enough to watch Matt Holliday take left field in Coors Field. But to Mark Kiszla (predictably):

Slugger Matt Holliday was the lucky one.

He took his bat and got out of town.

With a .319 career average, Holliday has departed in a trade to Oakland. He waved goodbye with customary quiet grace, despite being trashed by ownership in his final weeks as a member of the Rockies.

For a franchise that prides itself on high character and a low payroll, the Rockies again proved in this deal it is far easier to be cheap than classy.

Matt Holliday had this to say:

"I can't tell you how much I appreciated how me and my family were treated in Denver by the fan and the people behind the scenes in the organization. They were so important. And that's the saddest thing."

Garrett Atkins is sad to see his friend go, but thinks this might be a positive for his chances to stay with the Rockies:

"I don't know if it means I am next," Atkins said. "I think they might want to keep me more now. At least that is what I am hoping."

And today is Veterans Day, or Remembrance Day and Armistice Day elsewhere. Take a moment to thank all those who have served.

When I started writing out posts on the upcoming moves for the off-season, I stressed two critical factors in the Rockies trying to maximize their performance with a limited roster:  Play better defense and get more (or luckier) out of your bullpen.  Not so surprisingly, these two factors often play a role on teams that win more than their run differential suggests they should.  In the coming bulletin points, we’ll see just how this trade did in attacking these goals and why I believe the Rockies made the deal with the right intentions.

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