Colorado Rockies: Lack of moves in 2014 will hurt new GM Jeff Bridich

Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Keeping LaTroy Hawkins

Let me remind you something about the 2013 season: Rex Brothers was awesome. He was the closer and he was nails. To say that 2014, the very next season, was a disaster for Brothers would be to understate the situation significantly.

The back of any MLB team’s bullpen is undeniably important: it is also completely unpredictable and subject to immediate and unexpected change. Besides the recent rise and fall of Brothers, there are examples of this fact all over baseball. How about Rafael Soriano of the Washington Nationals? He was an All-Star this summer, only to post an ERA north of 6.00 in the second half, get removed from the closer’s role, and barely make the postseason roster.

LaTroy Hawkins was awesome in 2014, but remember two things: 2015 will be his age-42 season and his exposure was limited by a lack of opportunities on a bad Rockies’ team. He seems like a serious candidate to absolutely crash back to earth next season.

I believe the Rockies will be forced to remove Hawkins from the closer’s role by the middle of 2015, at which point he will pitch out the remainder of his dirt cheap contract as a middle reliever. Meanwhile, the Rockies had the chance to trade him to interested teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates this summer and passed.

Did we mention that it was a seller’s market this summer? The Rockies will wish that they had traded Hawkins. Bridich might already wish that had happened.

Possible solution: Hope for a good first half from Hawkins, and get seriously aggressive about trading him in his contract year.