The 2018 Free-Agent Landmines | FanGraphs
The Colorado Rockies are reportedly interested in bringing Greg Holland back as their closer. Holland opted for free agency because he is presumably looking for a long-term deal.
What does that deal look like? Are we talking about three years? Four years? Will it be like Mark Melancon’s deal last winter? Those are all questions to consider, and the answers will determine whether the Rockies should get serious about paying Holland or not.
The scary thing about something like a four-year deal is obviously the back half of the deal. There is always risk with a reliever, but it is fair to think Holland will be worth a good chunk of money for the next year or two. The question is what happens if those bills come due at the end of a deal. That’s the risk, and in this article Dave Cameron makes the argument that Holland might not be worth it.
MLB Teams’ Reasons to be Thankful | Sports on Earth
The Rockies were arguably ahead of schedule when they reached the playoffs this season. They were able to make that jump thanks to the success of a bunch of young pitchers. Combine that with Nolan Arenado and Charlie Blackmon, as Will Leitch points out, and the Rockies are in a good place. As this piece shows, however, the other teams in the NL West have plenty to be thankful for too.
Colorado Rockies OF Daniel Jipping Scouting Report, 2017 | Baseball Census
It’s November. It’s cold and it gets dark early and everybody is going to be yelling about the college football playoff soon. There’s the hot stove, sure, but it’s also a great time of year to dive into scouting reports and prospect videos. Bobby DeMuro has the breakdown on a powerful Rockies’ outfield prospect.
MLB Hot Stove: Four Black Friday bargains for teams to target in free agency | CBS Sports
We know the highs and lows of the Tyler Chatwood experience. The lows will make him an affordable free agent, but as we know, his highs are good enough that he could pay off. He apparently has some beef with his bullpen assignment this past season, so Chatwood will not be giving the Rockies the chance at a bargain. Also noted in this piece is slugging first baseman Lucas Duda, who could reasonably be on Colorado’s radar this offseason depending on how things play out at first base.
I am giving up my Hall of Fame vote because of Joe Morgan’s letter | Yahoo!
Jeff Passan takes a stand after Morgan’s letter that he appropriately calls propaganda. He holds nothing back in pointing out the hypocrisy of the Hall’s stance on steroids, as expressed by Morgan, in comparison to some of the other issues in baseball’s history. This piece is a thoughtful one, which isn’t surprising. Unfortunately it also shows that this year’s candidates are losing a thoughtful voter.