All I Want for Christmas: Trade for Jon Gray, You Cowards | Baseball Prospectus ($)
It seems that quite a few people are dreaming of what Jon Gray would look like on a team other than the Rockies. In this case it’s from the perspective of fantasy owners, with a note that Gray could really reach his full potential if he was on a team other than the Rockies.
I find myself having a different reaction to this than I would have in the past. In previous years I might have been upset like, defensive on behalf of my beloved Rockies. I would have been frustrated by the notion that a player, especially a pitcher, can only be good on a team besides the Rockies.
But right now? After the 2019 season and the subsequent condescension from general manager Jeff Bridich? I get it. There’s only so much we can know as outsiders, but from that perspective it sure looks like other teams do a better job developing young players and helping them adjust to the bumps in the big league road. In the meantime we’ve got Bridich just finding different ways to tell the young guys it’s their fault and they need to get good. And that’s not even to mention the more obvious problem, which is the Coors Field factor.
So while I have high hopes for Gray as a fixture in the Colorado rotation for years to come, if the author’s premise is that he would be better off on another team, I’m not really sure I can argue. That said, I certainly do not want the Rockies to trade Jon Gray.
Major League Baseball threatens to walk away from Minor League Baseball entirely | Hardball Talk
On a similarly rosy note, this situation is getting really ugly. Craig Calcaterra has the latest on the negotiations and a very angry Rob Manfred.
Who will (and who should/could) be the Colorado Rockies closer | Rox Pile
December isn’t really the time of year to start stressing about save situations, but I don’t know how else to react if I’m forced to think about Wade Davis as the Rockies closer again. That said, I’m also the one who’s always saying relievers are unpredictable, so I’ll also be happy to offer a weird version of “I told you so” if Davis bounces back and saves 40 games in 2020.
But no, I don’t want Wade Davis to be the closer. David Sharp takes a look at potential options at this point. A lot can change between now and when the Rockies will need a closer, but a healthy Scott Oberg seems like the best option to me.