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There is at least a greater-than-zero chance that some combination of Jhoulys Chacin, Tyler Chatwood and Wilin Rosario will be free agents after the Tuesday non-tender deadline.
Yesterday, we covered each of the Rockies' eight arbitration-eligible players, breaking them down from most to least likely to be tendered a contract. Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post wrote about Chacin, who is projected to make $4.9 million in 2015 despite reports on the health of his shoulder being uncertain. Also within the article is a fun quote from Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich about the club's payroll -- a subject that ties into the non-tender deadline quite nicely. From Saunders:
At the GM meetings, I asked Bridich what his projected payroll was going to be. He flashed me a grin and said, "I'm not going to tell you that! But it's not going to be any less."
There isn't much to read into on the surface, but Saunders believes Bridich was dropping a hint about a potential payroll increase -- something people around here (or, at least, RIRF) have been predicting for months. That tells me the Rockies will likely tender contracts to all eight arb-eligible players, a decision that certainly isn't a bad one considering the potential shown by Chacin, Chatwood and Rosario when healthy.
That last part, however, is the perpetual caveat. When healthy. Our Purple Dinosaur Podcast brethren recently said it best:
It should probably just be the Rockies' slogan for the next decade. "Colorado Rockies baseball: We're sorta good when we're healthy!"
— Purple Dino Podcast (@purpledinocast) November 26, 2014
Links
Searching for Under-Used Breaking Pitches with PITCHf/x – The Hardball Times
Rockies pitchers Tyler Matzek and Adam Ottavino boasted two of the best sliders in baseball in 2014. Part of that is because they used the pitch effectively – something that a few pitchers highlighted in Chris Mitchell's article didn't do.
Baseball Prospectus | An Agent's Take: Advice For The Teenaged Rumors Reporters
Joshua Kusnick has some really good advice for the rumor-crazed teenage reporters that have taken over social media and baseball blogs everywhere.
NL West clubs expected to be big Hot Stove players | rockies.com
Brian McTaggart expects the Rockies to field offers for Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez while trying to improve their rotation, bullpen and catching situations.
Finally, Brett Anderson, who is still on the Rockies' radar as a free agent, took a big step in his road to recovery:
Throwing a baseball for the first time since back surgery today...here's to hoping I remember how.
— Brett Anderson (@BAnderson_30) December 1, 2014