Colorado Rockies GM Jeff Bridich talks building the team

Jeff Bridich on Building the Rockies - FanGraphs

David Laurila of FanGraphs chats with Rockies GM Jeff Bridich on the future of the franchise. The club has seen glimmers of change since Bridich took office last October — including the blockbuster deal at the trade deadline that sent Troy Tulowitzki to Toronto — but finished with another losing season in 2015, the team’s fifth straight.

An abysmal season from free agent pick-up Kyle Kendrick wasn't exactly the first impression Bridich would have hoped for, but other additions from his first offseason as general manager proved to be bright spots for the Rockies. Nick Hundley had a career year in 2015, and restored order behind the plate. Justin Miller notched 38 strikeouts in 34 games from the Rockies' oft-struggling bullpen.

In the interview, Bridich addresses the shortcomings of the pitching staff, stressing the importance of missing bats and keeping walk rates down. The organization’s desperate need to bulk up both the rotation and the bullpen is common knowledge heading into this offseason, but Bridich isn’t letting other characteristics of a winning team fall by the wayside. The team prides itself on strong defense and an offense that can be among the most explosive in the game.

Many of the club’s young stars — Nolan Arenado, Charlie Blackmon, Corey Dickerson — are products of the organization’s development system. For former farm director, Bridich, that is where the focus has to remain.

Follow the link for more on scouting, analytics and continuing development at the major league level.

Could Rox OFs be on the move at Winter Meetings? - Rockies.com

Thomas Harding of MLB.com has a solid rundown on the Rockies’ shopping list heading into this year’s Winter Meetings. The Rockies will likely be looking to add some stability to a starting rotation with plenty of question marks as it stands, and could shop a corner outfielder or handful of prospects in doing so.

However, with 2016 not expected to be a contention year, Jeff Bridich and the Rockies should be cautious about surrendering fast-rising farm stars. Names like Ryan McMahon, David Dahl and Raimel Tapia are likely better left unmentioned in Nashville next week. The Rockies have plenty of trade chips to work with from their major league roster, notably Carlos Gonzalez and Corey Dickerson.

Harding also offers homegrown arms Tyler Matzek and Eddie Butler for consideration, to teams intrigued by the big league potential both have shown. Potential trade targets, Rule 5 names to keep a eye on and a payroll summary also included.

Colorado Rockies' 10 most forgettable moments of 2015 - The Denver Post

Jeff Bailey's cringeworthy list of ten of the worst Rockies happenings of the 2015 season. The only thing worse than reliving each of them had to be narrowing down the finalists. Which of your least favorite Rockies moments of 2015 didn’t make the cut? Eddie Butler’s base running blunder? John Axford’s July?

Cleveland Indians Offseason Search For Offense Volume 5: Carlos Gonzalez - Wahoo's on First

Your daily dose of Carlos Gonzalez trade speculation. This time, Merritt Rohlfing of Wahoo’s on First weighs the cost and benefits of bringing CarGo to Cleveland. It appears Rohlfing isn’t too keen on Gonzalez’s elite skill set, skeptical of what playing at Coors Field has done to his career numbers. Because of this, the proposed returns are pretty low. Aware of the Rockies’ hunt for young pitching, Rohlfing worries Danny Salazar, 3.45 ERA in 30 starts this year, would be an overpay. Cody Anderson or Trevor Bauer are mentioned, though I would argue not even the two together would warrant a CarGo trade. Bauer’s, uh, passionate style of play never fails to entertain, but with his AL leading 79 walks and a blistering 23 home runs allowed, Bauer has no business in Denver.

Zack Greinke, Diamondbacks reportedly agree to 6-year, $206.5 million deal - SB Nation

As was expected, Zack Greinke will stay in the NL West, though not with either of the divison’s big spenders. Greinke has reportedly come to an agreement of 6-years, $206.5M with the Arizona Diamondbacks, after many believed the bidding would come down to the Dodgers and the Giants. Greinke is 7-3 against the Rockies in his career.