GM Jeff Bridich says Rockies’ top priorities remain shoring up bullpen, finding catcher | The Denver Post
Patrick Saunders has a must-read piece from the interview with Jeff Bridich before the start of the MLB winter meetings. The Rockies are intent on filling holes in the bullpen, at catcher and also trying to find a slugger and apparently in that order. Re-signing any or all of the free agent relievers from last year's team is a possibility but the Rockies don't seem to be restricting their search for new bullpen arms at all.
Another key note from this is that the Rockies realized that they weren't going to be a fit for Ohtani awhile ago even though it wasn't publicly known. Considering that Ohtain is above all else a free agent pitcher with every team pursuing him, it's not surprising that the Rockies weren't going to be a realistic destination with Coors Field as their home park. For those concerned that the Rockies didn't do due diligence, the fact that the Rockies knew enough about him to know that their goals for international development weren't in line with what Ohtani wanted speaks to more than a passing glance at the young pitcher.
One last note is that Bridich believes that the payroll for 2018 will be similar to that of 2017 which give him plenty of room to make additions this offseason.
There's tons of other in-depth information in the article that is definitely worth the read.
Rockies' offseason focused on bullpen, catcher | MLB.com
This is Thomas Harding's piece from the interview with Bridich which isn't quite as in-depth as Saunders but still has a few unique pieces of info. There's another hint to the Rockies as to why the Rockies bowed out of the Ohtani race as they viewed him as a pitcher while Ohtani is set on attempting to be the rare two-way player.
Considering the stress that playing at Coors Field puts on pitchers and their recovery it would have been interesting to see how the Rockies would have treated Ohtani as a two-way player to keep him healthy and rested but that will remain a mystery.
Catching up on Wilin Rosario and Matt Carasiti | RoxPile
Kevin Henry has a couple of notes on a pair of former Rockies with ties to overseas teams. Wilin Rosario appears to be ready to head back to the majors after a stint in Korea, and should score a deal somewhere after his solid performance there.
Also, give another win the Rockies when it comes to trades with the Chicago Cubs as Matt Carasiti will be headed to Japan to pitch for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. While the Rockies didn't get a lot out of Zac Rosscup last season it was still more than the Triple-A stats of Carasiti. Rosscup is also still with the Rockies while Carasiti's days with the Cubs are over.
The best move the Rockies make this offseason? Not adding a starter | BSN Rockies
Rich Allen makes a compelling case for the Rockies to focus on areas besides their rotation this offseason. With yesterday's interview from Bridich now public, it appears that he should have little to worry about. The Rockies seem content with their massive stable of young quality starters. However, I wouldn't be surprised to see some veteran additions late in the offseason on minor-league deals to provide some Spring Training and Triple-A depth.