Rockies Reportedly Not Pursuing Free Agent Pitcher Yovani Gallardo

Finally some Colorado Rockies news on the day after the Super Bowl (Congratulations to the Denver Broncos by the way). According to Chris Cotillo of SB Nation, the Rockies are reportedly not one of the few teams inquiring about free agent pitcher Yovani Gallardo.

If you remember correctly, the Rockies were linked to Gallardo earlier this offseason, yet Colorado’s general manager, Jeff Bridich, refuted the reports saying they were “fairly overblown” — this coming from Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post.

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Although the acquisition of a front of the line pitcher such as Gallardo would be a nice addition, the asking price wouldn’t be favorable for the Rockies’ liking. As Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post notes, Gallardo would be looking for a deal in the ballpark of roughly $14 million per season. And to top it all off, the 29-year-old might be looking for a deal in the three-to-five year range.

Gallardo’s splits at Coors Field aren’t good by any means, and that’s being relatively nice. In four career starts at 20th and Blake, Yovani owns an 0-2 record, collecting a “Mile High” ERA of 10.07. The right-hander has logged 19.2 innings, surrendering 22 runs on 34 hits. However, the former Texas Ranger recorded 17 strikeouts at Coors, posting a 7.8 SO/9.

Colorado was reluctant to repair or remodel their bullpen which was last in the Majors last season, but have failed upgrade their starting rotation. Maybe, perhaps, they believe the return of Jordan Lyles and Tyler Chatwood can boost their rotation alongside Jorge De La Rosa, Chad Bettis and top prospect Jon Gray.

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As for Gallardo, a couple of teams make sense for his services. The Orioles, as mentioned in the Tweet, are one of them. I could also possibly see the Houston Astros, who’ve recently added Doug Fister to add depth and experience to a team looking to advance further in the postseason this upcoming year. As for a Wild Card team, I’d have to throw the Washington Nationals into the mix.