Colorado Rockies: Who was the better offseason acquisition?

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Jun 28, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; General view of the game clock at Coors Field as the game ends between the Toronto Blue Jays against the Colorado Rockies. The Blue Jays defeated the Rockies 14-9. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /

One of the many problems fans had with previous Colorado Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd was that he was unwilling to make big splashes during the offseason. That is probably the most glaring difference between him and current GM Jeff Bridich.

This offseason Bridich made some splashes. Many of them people didn’t necessarily agree with, but at least he was making a concerted effort to improve the weaknesses of the Rockies.

Bridich couldn’t sign any players until he found a coach first. He quickly found one in former MLB pitcher and San Diego Padres manager Bud Black.

Then he turned people’s heads when he went and signed Ian Desmond to a whopping five-year, $70 million contract to play a position he has never played before.

Bridich also risked signing former Kansas City closer Greg Holland, who missed all of last year due to Tommy John surgery.

Oh and how could I forget the Rockies signing Mark Reynolds to a Minor League contract? Fortunately, it quickly turned into Major League contract when Desmond injured his hand to begin the season.

These offseason acquisitions are the reason the Rockies are leading the NL West, but who was the better pickup?

I’m going to write about each acquisition and make an argument about why he was the best offseason signing. Then, at the end of the article, I’m going to let the you, the fans, decide who the better offseason acquisition was.

Bud Black

The Rockies decided it was time to move on from Walt Weiss after he went 283-365 during his four years as the Rockies manager. Roughly a month after Weiss stepped down, the Rockies hired Bud Black.

Black was the manager for the San Diego Padres from 2007-2015. His measly 649-713 record with the Padres is long forgotten as he is leading the Rockies to their best start in franchise history.

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Heading into Friday’s action, the Rockies were leading the NL West by 2 games with a 26-16 record. Although the record speaks for itself, that isn’t the reason Buddy Black is the best offseason acquisition.

Black has completely changed the pitching in the Rockies organization. He is the first former pitcher to be signed as a manager for the Rockies. This makes perfect sense though, since their biggest weakness last season was pitching.

He is the ideal manager to handle the young, talented starting rotation for Colorado. His mix of sarcastic humor and attention to detail is exactly what the pitching staff needs. It has worked too, as the Rockies starting rotation is 17-14 with a 4.53 ERA (before Friday).

But wait … there’s more. If you think he has done well with the starters, just wait until you have seen what he has done to the bullpen. Last year, the Rockies bullpen was the worst in the MLB with a 5.13 ERA. This year, they are 8-1 with a 3.95 ERA.

Bud Black was the Rockies best offseason acquisition, because he has the Rockies currently leading the NL West. He also has a typically below average pitching staff ranked in the top 15.

Ian Desmond

Baseball analysts around the world were shaking their heads when news came out that Bridich signed Ian Desmond to a five-year $70 million contract to play…first base?!

Unfortunately, many analysts had to wait to see the results until April 30 due to Desmond being out to begin the season because of a broken left hand.

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Since his debut with the Rockies, he has played in 15 games (prior to Friday), hitting .317 with a pair of homers and eight RBI. He has been a huge impact to the Rockies since his return, because he has brought a spark to a relatively lukewarm lineup.

He also can play just about anywhere. With Reynolds playing as hot as he is, Desmond may not be able to play first base much. However, that isn’t a problem as Desmond has experience in the outfield and the middle infield during his eight years of baseball.

Ian Desmond was the best offseason acquisition for the Rockies because he has added depth to a lineup that has struggled to begin the season. He is also able to play multiple positions making him a super utility player. Not to mention he brings experience and leadership to a relatively young clubhouse.

Greg Holland

Greg Holland missed all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery, yet Bridich decided to take a chance and sign the two-time All-Star. Boy, has it paid off. As they say, high-risk, high-reward, and Holland has definitely been high-reward.

Heading into Friday, Holland led MLB in saves, going a perfect 18-for-18 to start the season. He has the most saves of any closer, with the next closest pitcher only at 12. He is also fourth as a closer in ERA at 1.02 and has 23 strikeouts.

I mentioned how much the Rockies bullpen improved and the main reason is because of Holland. I would argue that the Rockies have one of the best backends of a bullpen in the MLB with Adam Ottavino, Mike Dunn (who the Rockies also signed this offseason), and closing it out with Holland.

The most staggering stat of all is the Rockies record in one run games … they haven’t lost! The Rockies are 9-0 in one run games. 9-0! The next best record is Detroit at 8-4. The main reason for that record is the bullpen is almost unhittable.

The best part is that the man with the game in his hands is none other than Greg Holland. He hasn’t thrown it away once. No, Holland thrives for those situations and thus far he has excelled in them.

Greg Holland is the best offseason acquisition for the Rockies, because he has brought talent the Rockies have never seen before to a bullpen that was in dire need of help.

Mark Reynolds

Who would have thought that we would be talking about Mark Reynolds being the most valued offseason acquisition? Well, Reynolds definitely deserves to be in this conversation, despite being initially signed to a Minor League deal.

The Rockies quickly signed him to a Major League contract once Desmond broke his hand during Spring Training. To be honest, I think only being signed to a Minor League deal lit a fire underneath Reynolds … literally.

Reynolds is probably one of the hottest players in baseball as he is hitting .317 with 12 HR and 33 RBI. He is playing so well that the Rockies are unsure of where to play Desmond, because no one wants to take Reynolds out of the lineup.

Many haters would argue that Reynolds hits plenty of homers, but his strikeout rate is horrible. They would be right any other year of Reynolds’ career, but not this year. That is the specific area Reynolds significantly improved on this season. His career strikeout percentage is an atrocious 30.8%. However, this year his strikeout rate is 22.3%, which is just slightly above the Major League average of 21.4%.

Mark Reynolds is the best offseason acquisitions for the Rockies, because he has consistently hit the cover off the baseball, whether it’s a homer or a single. Also he is the most clutch batter in the lineup as he always seems to come up big when the Rockies need him to. Not to mention he does a pretty good job over at first also.

Next: The 5 greatest teams in Rockies history

I made an argument for each of the major offseason acquisitions the Rockies signed, so now it’s your turn. Go vote for who the best offseason acquisition was for the Rockies. To cast your vote, click here.

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One of the many problems fans had with previous Colorado Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd was that he was unwilling to make big splashes during the offseason. That is probably the most glaring difference between him and current GM Jeff Bridich.

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