If You Could Be Rockies GM For A Day, What Moves Would You Make?

Let’s face it — every Colorado Rockies’ fan out there always has a bone to pick whether it’s regarding ownership, management or the roster itself. So here at Rox Pile, we have entertained the idea, “If you could be the Rockies general manager for the day, what moves/changes would you make?” Oh boy, what have I started.

I’m just going to be completely honest, if I were general manager for a day, changes would be rapid — the most movement involving a team in the history of the Major Leagues. For the rest of this column, I will decide which players I want to keep for the upcoming 2016 season — let’s get started!

The Rockies recently designated catcher Michael McKenry for assignment, opening the door for youngsters such as Dustin Garneau and Tom Murphy to fight for a spot in Spring Training. We all know Nick Hundley will start the season with the big club, hence the two-year deal he signed with the team prior to this past season, but I’d prefer Dustin Garneau to be the backup, letting  Tom Murphy get regular at-bats in Triple-A — eventually taking over as Colorado’s everyday catcher.

Justin Morneau’s two-year, $12.5 million contract is up, but pump the brakes. Morneau has a mutual option with the Rockies for the 2016 season, in which I believe they will re-up with the veteran. One more year can’t hurt, right? Personally, I’d opt for the $750K buyout on Morneau’s contract, making him a free agent. $9 million to a player that appeared in only 49 games last season isn’t worth the hassle, then again, he did win a batting title in 2013.

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The talk of the winter for the Rockies will surround All-Star outfielder Carlos Gonzalez — will he remain a Rockie or will he be on the move. Gonzalez slumped mightily during the first-half of the season, but picked it up right after the All-Star Break. Carlos finished the season hitting 40 home runs with 97 RBI’s, accompanied by a batting average of .271. So, what shall we do with CarGo?

Do you go the route Jeff Bridich went in acquiring young power arms or do you straight-up trade CarGo for Major League ready pitching? Well, the number two option is a bit tricky, considering Colorado overvalues their players in the first place. As much as I want to hold on to CarGo in a Rockies’ uniform, trading him while his value is high seems to be the right thing to do, especially if Colorado is truly rebuilding.

Jose Reyes was acquired in the package that sent Troy Tulowitzki to the Toronto Blue Jays. If Colorado intends on getting rid of Reyes, which they should, it might be a bit of a hassle. Reyes contract is gross, and by gross I mean disturbing. Reyes is signed through the 2017 season on a 6-year, $106 million deal. Reyes is set to make $22 million in both 16′ and 17′, including a team option for 2018 with a $4 million buyout. What have the Rockies gotten themselves into?

I’d explore options to trade the injury-prone shortstop, yet getting a team to bite on it is the hardest part. For Colorado, moving forward with Trevor Story and Cristhian Adames is their best option.

The pitching staff on the other hand is some what of a mess. I’ll leave that for another column but there are so many what if’s surrounding that topic.

So I ask you, what would you do if you were Colorado’s general manager for a day?