With Heyward deal done, Colorado Rockies outfielders gain value in offseason market

Jason Heyward fits the Cubs perfectly- SBNation

After weeks of anticipation, coveted free agent Jason Heyward has agreed to an eight year, $184 million deal with the Chicago Cubs. In this article, Grant Brisbee dives into why this isn’t a dramatic overpay, and in fact could turn out to be one of the better moves in Cubs franchise history. Heyward fits seamlessly into the team’s young and absurdly talented core, bringing a visit from the Ghost of Disappointment Future and the scarier yet realization that this Cubs lineup has very few weak spots.

Jason Heyward’s deal should open backlogged MLB outfield market- ESPN.com

With the Cubs landing Heyward, several teams willing to spend big in the bidding remain short-handed in the outfield, which could open up trade possibilities for any number of the Rockies’ outfielders. The Cardinals and the Nationals had offers on the table for Heyward, and both are in need of an everyday center fielder. But don’t count the Cubs out, either, who checked in with the Rockies on Charlie Blackmon during the Winter Meetings to possibly fill their own center field needs.

This brief outfield-market rundown looks at the Royals as a potential trade partner for the Rockies. With Alex Gordon likely looking for a pricey deal of his own, Kansas City could strike a deal for any one of Colorado’s available outfielders. For Carlos Gonzalez, the Royals could be looking at parting with top prospects Raul Mondesi or Miguel Almonte.

Reynolds sees Rockies, park as good fit- Rockies.com

The Rockies’ latest offseason pick up, veteran infielder Mark Reynolds, sees his one-year, $2.6 million deal with the Rockies as a way to prove himself at the plate. Reynolds, who has struggled with strikeouts and a consistently low-.200s average over his career, does have considerable power that should benefit from consistent at bats in Denver. Reynolds will serve primarily as the right-handed half of a first base platoon with Ben Paulsen, but could also see time in the outfield and third base on Nolan Arenado’s days off.

2016 projections see Reynolds with a .222/.303/.399 slash line, 18 home runs and 127 strikeouts. Here’s to hoping the Coors Field advantage is a little more inspiring than that.

Rooting for Jerks Without Being One- Hardball Times

It is by incredibly unfortunate circumstance that this article is an important one for fans of the game, Rockies fans somewhat particularly, to read. The wave of domestic violence charges filed against Major League Baseball players, along with any number of bad tweets or tongues gone unbitten, has reminded the baseball community that the MLB has some real jerks in its ranks.

But jerks in baseball are no new phenomenon, as Kyla Wall-Polin writes. There have been bad guys in baseball since the very start. Here’s how to deal with it.