Colorado Rockies Rumors and Free Agent Targets Update

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Jun 29, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Matt Holliday (7) at bat against the Kansas City Royals at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Billy Hurst-USA TODAY Sports /

We all know the Colorado Rockies need to fill holes at first base and in the bullpen. Those are the two main areas where the Rockies need an “upgrade” this season in order to compete for a spot in the 2017 postseason.

We’ve outlined four of the options for first base in this article and we’ve thrown out a couple of names for the bullpen in this article. So where are things standing with some of the free agents who are out there who might fit Colorado’s needs? Let’s take a rundown.

First base

Matt Holliday

There’s no question that re-signing Holliday to return to the Rockies would be one of the feel-good moments for this franchise. He started his career in Colorado and was one of the most pivotal players during some of the Rockies’ best seasons. And the fact that he had “the slide” in Game 163 when new Colorado manager Bud Black was standing in San Diego dugout isn’t lost on anyone. Black potentially having Holliday as one of his biggest weapons in 2016 is dripping with irony.

There are several teams interested in Holliday’s services. Teams who may be interested include the Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians. Note that those are all American League teams where Holliday would serve primarily as a designated hitter. Colorado is the only National League team widely reported to be looking at him primarily at first base.

Mike Napoli

One of the reasons Cleveland is interested in Holliday is because the Indians could be losing Napoli in the offseason. We’ve detailed a lot of the reasons why Napoli would be a good fit for the Rockies on and off the field in this article. His postseason resume in recent years is eye-popping to say the least.

In their extensive article on free agents, MLBTradeRumors.com is predicting that Napoli will re-sign with the Indians but list plenty of American League teams as suitors. Again, the Rockies are the only National League team listed.

Mark Trumbo

A recent report said the market for Trumbo was “bustling” and it’s no surprise. He led the Majors in homers last season and is a right-handed power hitter that the Rockies and so many other teams would love to have at first base or in their lineup.

There is talk that Baltimore doesn’t want to lose Trumbo and may even be willing to put together a multi-year deal. Would the Rockies roll the bones on an idea like that? It’s possible, but Colorado also has youngsters like Ryan McMahon waiting in the wings and signing Trumbo to a long-term deal flies in the face of what the Rockies have done in recent years to establish their youth movement.

Pitchers

Mark Melancon

He’s a native of the Denver area and the Rockies are looking to upgrade their bullpen. There’s a lot about Melancon that makes sense … but there are also a lot of teams out there who are chasing the closer as well.

It’s quite possible that a pair of National League West rivals have Melancon in their sites as well. Our friends at Dodgers Way report that Los Angeles wanted Melancon at the trade deadline last year. Jon Morosi of MLB Network and Fox Sports has tweeted that Melancon has visited with the Giants about opening in their bullpen.

After a World Series that showcased Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman and reinforced the value of a dominant arm in the bullpen, many teams (including the Rockies) will look to replicate that formula in 2017. That makes Melancon, Chapman and Kenley Jansen even more valuable and within striking distance of big paydays.

Melancon will not come cheap (MLBTradeRumors is predicting a four-year, $52 million deal with the Giants) so the Rockies will need to prove they’re truly ready to spend for free agents in order to land him.

Neftali Feliz

MLBTradeRumors has Feliz being the one top free agent pitcher on the market that the Rockies actually land. He’s one of the game’s best setup men and could play a nice role in Colorado’s bullpen with Adam Ottavino finishing games.

However, the Melancon effect could make an impact here. If Washington loses Melancon, there are reports that the Nationals might look at Feliz for their bullpen. Once again, it may come down to a bidding war … and that may not bode well for the Rockies.

Brad Ziegler

We talked about Ziegler in this article and the impact he could have on the Colorado bullpen. He’s not going to bring the price tag of the elite closers we mentioned above, but he’s still not going to be cheap (a projected two-year, $16 million contract has been floated out there by MLBTradeRumors).

Next: 5 Head-Scratching Numbers from Colorado's 2016 Season

Knowing that Ziegler was with Boston last season, the Red Sox may be the early front-runner to retain his services. There are also plenty of other teams who would love to have a pitcher who induces so many grounders.

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