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Rockies Rumors: Team Unlikely To Exercise Brett Anderson’s Option?

By Hayden Kane |

The Colorado Rockies have a $12 million team option with starting pitcher Brett Anderson for next season. What is the likelihood that they exercise that option?

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Brett Anderson’s 2014 season was cruel. It was cruel first and foremost for the lefty himself, as yet another season of his career was effectively lost to injuries. Anderson made just eight starts.

It was also cruel for the Rockies’ organization and for fans. When Anderson pitched, he was the platonic ideal of the groundball pitcher who can survive at Coors Field.

Every pitch had downward tilt. He pounded the strike zone. He worked fast. Anderson was in rhythm. The fielders were engaged. It was a beautiful thing to watch.

All told, here were the lefty’s numbers in 2014: a 2.91 ERA in 43.1 innings, a 2.99 FIP, and just one home run allowed. At the time, Anderson’s solid performances persuaded the Rockies to keep him at the trade deadline. To be fair, they had no way to know that he was going to get hurt, but that decision to keep Anderson still stinks right about now.

Anderson’s success in that tiny sample is the only reason that the Rockies might pause for a moment when considering whether or not to pick up that $12 million option. Ultimately, the organization will not pay that amount of money for a guy coming off back surgery, especially given their tight payroll situation this off-season.

Asked about the teams’ odds of picking up that option, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post speculated that it is unlikely:

The Rockies probably have to cut their losses. Maybe they can try to re-sign Anderson to a friendlier deal, though it is unlikely that he would return to pitch half his games in Colorado by choice. With that being the case, the Rockies are faced with the unfortunate decision to let Anderson walk and to move on to attempt different moves with that available payroll.

This decision is not a given though, at least not yet. Anderson showed in 2014 that he is a quality pitcher in the rare moments that he is healthy. Given the Rockies’ struggles to attract pitching talent, they will at least think about it first.

Ultimately it looks like they will make the right call and decline Anderson’s option, but they won’t feel good about it. And they shouldn’t.

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