The Colorado Rockies have made it clear that they don't plan on making a big splash at the Winter Meetings this week.
The team wants to add a reliever via trade and is still interested in Michael Morse, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post, but any hope of a truly impact move seems to have been washed away.
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I guess I wasn't expecting anything otherwise, but with a good chunk of the offseason already in the books, it seems an opportunity to fill some significant holes has been lost. Most notably, there has been absolutely zero discussion of adding an insurance policy for oft-injured stars Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez.
Two players I was an advocate of adding to play bench and insurance roles, Rafael Furcal and Rajai Davis, are now off the market after signing with the Marlins and Tigers, respectively. Furcal got $3 million, but perhaps more importantly, a shot at an everyday job, something he might not have received from Colorado. Davis was probably out of the Rockies' price range, signing for only slightly less than what Justin Morneau got.
Maybe neither of those two signified the most realistic options for bench depth, but there are plenty of other players out there, both on the free-agent market as well as available in trades, that would be better than what the Rockies have trotted out there in recent years.
The team also hasn't done much in the way of improving the middle of its rotation. Of course, it's still early, and those Brett Anderson trade talks could be revived, in addition to the Rockies' reported interest in bringing back Jason Hammel. Neither of those moves would be world-changing, but both have a good chance of representing upgrades in the rotation.
But will the Rockies bite? It looks unlikely. And that would be a shame; not necessarily in the case of Hammel, for whom the Rockies will almost assuredly be outbid regardless of what they offer, but definitely in the case of Anderson. He isn't going to require a large prospect haul. Worst-case scenario, he gets hurt and/or flames out and the Rockies move on to one of their Triple-A options and, eventually, Jon Gray and Eddie Butler. Best-case, Anderson establishes himself as a very solid mid-rotation guy, giving the Rockies what they sorely missed a year ago and forcing the team to make a decision on whether to trade him at peak value or keep him around for the future.
Alas, all of that is probably for naught. Colorado is destined to stay off the radar, make a few small and simple moves and head into the 2014 season with a lot of the same question marks they've had for years.
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The Diamondbacks are hellbent on acquiring a slugger -- likely Shin-Soo Choo or Mark Trumbo -- before the week is over, according to multiple reports.