An Unwelcome Wilton Lopez Update

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

You remember Wilton Lopez. Infamous among Colorado Rockies fans, he was acquired in exchange for Alex White last off-season. A former closer with a repertoire seemingly built for the challenges of pitching at Coors Field, his arrival was meant to fortify the back of the bullpen. Instead he drove us crazy all year, blowing numerous games and failing to get big outs in high leverage situations, again and again and again.

I admit this with some embarrassment, but when the Rockies traded for Lopez, I wondered to myself if he might end up being their primary closer by the end of the season.

The season was a disaster for Lopez, who piled up a 4.06 ERA in 75 appearances. If you asked any Rockies fan what they think of Lopez, their distaste would be immediately apparent. The organization, to an extent, was admitting their mistake with White by parting with him and getting value for him when they did. We would probably like to see them do the same with Lopez…if there was any value to get for him, that is.

So there you have it. If they add pieces around him and don’t ask him to be their go-to guy (seriously, 75 appearances?) it is still possible that Lopez could be valuable for the Rockies. But there would not have been much heartbreak among fans if this bit of news had been different.