Is the Rockies’ rotation a cause for hope or fear?

Rockies top 5 reasons for hope in 2020 | DNVR ($)

Imagine something being simultaneously your biggest hope and your biggest fear. Drew Creasman starts his list of reasons to believe in the 2020 Rockies with such a “Rorschach Test” in regards to the Rockies’ starting pitching. The Rockies’ biggest problem last year, and biggest question mark going into next season, is the starting pitching. Yet if Freeland can return to form, and if Marquez bounces back from the league adjusting to him—if that is indeed what happened last year—and if Gray holds steady, the starting rotation could actually become a strength again.

Of course, there are a lot of ifs in this projection. More ifs are sprinkled into each of the other reasons for hope, too. But that’s to be expected with prognostications about a team that won 71 games. Creasman is right to point out that the Rockies still have 25 players in or about to be in their primes, so patience coupled with minor course corrections may still pay off with this group.

1 Free-agent target for every club | MLB.com

Brett Anderson makes sense. He had a 3.89 ERA last season for the A’s and is a warm body for the starting rotation. As the article points out, he “led the AL with a ground-ball rate of 54.5 percent in 176 innings.” He’s not exactly Stephen Strasburg, but the Rockies payroll flexibility isn’t exactly the Yankees’, either.

On a short contract for a reasonable price? Sure — why not?

Trade Candidate: Jon Gray | MLB Trade Rumors

Sure.

Next up for the respected rumor mill is “Trade Candidates: Trevor Story, Charlie Blackmon, Scott Oberg, Nolan Arenado, and Coors Field.” From the upcoming article:

“Granted, the Rockies have some of the best attendance in the league, but wouldn’t that beautiful park be much better situated in New York or California? The Rockies could probably get three or four minor league stadiums in the deal, and they have no prayer of ever competing at the major league level anyway. Bridich has some serious questions to consider.”

Colorado Rockies: What’s next for the left side of the infield? | Rox Pile

Arenado and Story want to get better next year. That seems hard to imagine for a pair that tore up the NL in 2019 to the tune of 5.7 and 6.4 WAR respectively. But this is the right mindset for all people to have, especially star athletes. However, the questions about baseball’s best left side of the infield have more to do with the Rockies’ success and management than any specific area of weakness in their two best players.

Story is set to double his salary to around $11.5 million, according to projections. The Rockies have both him and Arenado under control until the 2021 season, at which point both could be gone. It’s likely that the Rockies’ success or failure next season will be key in the long-term future of the All-star left side.

Colorado Rockies ranked as one of the biggest 2020 World Series long shots | Rox Pile

If you are interested in making $6,600 for a mere $100 investment, you no longer have to find the next Bernie Madoff. Betting on the 2020 Rockies to win the World Series is worth +6600 according to early odds makers. Of course, you could also invest a dollar in 100 penny stocks and probably have the same likelihood of cashing in. Or you could light a Benjamin on fire in front of the Rockies’ front office, hoping the act will inspire action during the off-season.

But if you are one of the new sports bettors in Colorado, there is a chance ...