Rockies Exercise Jorge De La Rosa’s 2014 Option

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The importance of Jorge De La Rosa to the Colorado Rockies is without question at this point. That importance now dates back to 2009, when he established himself as a staff ace. That’s what made his elbow injury and subsequent Tommy John surgery in 2011 heartbreaking.

We wondered if De La Rosa would ever regain that form. We hoped that he would. He did just that in 2013, going 16-6 with a 3.49 ERA. He was a 2.9 WAR pitcher with a 3.76 FIP. What perhaps makes him even more impressive is his success at Coors Field. His 2.76 home ERA was actually far better than his 4.19 road ERA. Tracy Ringolsby even suggested that he should be considered a Cy Young candidate.

All of that made it a no-brainer for the Rockies to pick up his $11 million club option for 2014 (via Troy Renck on Twitter):

That’s good news. The better news is that Renck also reports that the team will pursue a longer term extension for De La Rosa.

The Rockies have been through a lot with Jorge De La Rosa. He was a hot-head disappointment when they acquired him. They worked with him, were patient with him, hired a mental coach to work with him, and have now reaped the benefits for years. He might not be a draft pick, but you better believe the Rockies should take pride in the way that De La Rosa has developed into a stud pitcher on their watch.

If they do work out an extension, De La Rosa will be one of the longest tenured Rockies pitchers that we have ever seen. And that’s the way it should be.