Colorado Rockies: upcoming free agents and who could resign

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DENVER, CO – AUGUST 16: Jonathan Lucroy #21 of the Colorado Rockies slides safely under the tag of catcher Kurt Suzuki #24 of the Atlanta Braves as home plate umpire Dan Bellino looks on during the third inning at Coors Field on August 16, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /

The Colorado Rockies have a bevy of players that are scheduled to become free agents at the end of this season. The Rockies may not resign all of them (or any of them) but with the regular season drawing to a close, it is something that will come up in the not so distant future.

The Rockies season is winding down so, after the playoffs (assuming that they make it), they will have some contracts up in the air. Some of the players are key pieces for the Rockies and some are not but we will go through all of them and predict their chance of resigning with the Rockies.

Jonathan Lucroy

Jonathan Lucroy was acquired by the Rockies just before the July trade deadline. He has proved to play much better than he did with the Texas Rangers. It hasn’t been as good as he was in Milwaukee with the Brewers but it hasn’t been bad.

Since joining the Rockies, Lucroy has a .265/.379/.382 batting slash line with an OPS+ of 89. With Texas, he was hitting .242/.297/.338 with an OPS+ of 65.

Recently, Lucroy expressed his interest in returning to Colorado for the future, as reported by Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post in this article. In that article, Rockies reliever Chris Rusin Rockies manager Bud Black expressed his interest in keeping Lucroy too.

Black had this to say about Lucroy according to Saunders:

“I think he’s been invaluable, to the pitchers and to the entire club,” Black said. “This is no knock on Tony (Wolters) or Tom Murphy, who caught games for us earlier in the year. “But when Jonathan is back there, I think there is a calming factor for these young (starting) pitchers, and even for veteran relievers like (Greg) Holland and (Pat) Neshek and (Mike) Dunn. He’s so credible back there: a good blocker of balls, a good receiver and knows the National League.”

Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich talked with Saunders about Lucroy as well:

“…[I]n a lot of ways, it’s been a positive experience having Jonathan here. I do think the veteran presence he brings has been a plus.”

Percentage chance of returning: 60 percent

DENVER, CO – AUGUST 14: Carlos Gonzalez #5 of the Colorado Rockies watches his RBI single during the eighth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Coors Field on August 14, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. The Rockies defeated the Braves 3-0. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /

Mark Reynolds is another Rockies player who is a free agent at the end of the season. He has a surprisingly productive 2017 season especially since he signed a one year, $1.5 million contract before the season.

He was a candidate for the National League All-Star Final Vote and his numbers have been excellent. In 136 games, he has 128 hits, 20 doubles, 29 home runs, 93 RBI, a .266/.352/.492 slash line, and an OPS+ of 105.

He will obviously be a bit more expensive to resign than last season but I think that the Rockies could sign him for an affordable number. He just turned 34 last month so I would say that the Rockies could sign him for two years for 5-7 million per year.

Percentage chance of returning: 75 percent

Carlos Gonzalez

Carlos Gonzalez is another player who will be a free agent at the end of the season. He has struggled all season but since September 1, he has played in 11 games and he is 14-for-35 (a .400 average), with four homers, 11 RBI, nine walks, a .533 on-base percentage, and a .943 slugging percentage.

Obviously, his numbers from April through August will hurt his value but if he keeps playing well in September and into October, I think that the Rockies may resign him. However, I would not go any higher than a two-year contract. Ideally, I would only go with a one year contract.

I have a feeling that he will be on the market for a while and then, he will see that his market isn’t what he had hoped and he’ll sign a one year contract, whether it be in Colorado or else where.

Percentage chance of returning: 40 percent

DENVER, CO – JULY 18: Greg Holland #56 of the Colorado Rockies throws in the ninth inning against the San Diego Padres at Coors Field on July 18, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

Pat Neshek is one of a hand full of relievers who will become free agents at season’s end. He has proved that he can pitch in Coors Field and in 22 games with the Rockies, he has a 2.76 ERA. He was the Phillies only All-Star this season and it was his second All-Star appearance.

The Rockies could really use him but it is really difficult to predict relievers and whether they will resign because there is such a huge market for them. Every team needs bullpen help (even the Cleveland Indians).

The Rockies also have Jake McGee who will be a reliever and Greg Holland has a player option. If he doesn’t exercise that option, he will become a free agent. I won’t even attempt to predict the percentage chance that Neshek or McGee will resign but I will for Holland and his $15 million option (up from $6 million this year).

Percentage chance Holland tests the market: 75-80 percent

Percentage chance that Holland is with the Rockies in 2018: 20 percent

Ryan Hanigan

Ryan Hanigan is another Rockies player who will be a free agent at season’s end. He hasn’t played that well (offensively or defensively). The Rockies already have Tony Wolters and with Jonathan Lucroy and the Rockies having mutual interest in resigning, Hanigan’s chances of returning are slim.

Percentage chance of returning: 5 percent

Tyler Chatwood

Tyler Chatwood will be an interesting case in the offseason. Since he has spent a decent amount of time in the bullpen or on the disabled list, I don’t think that he will get a ton of money or a long contract. It’s not like he’s Clayton Kershaw or Corey Kluber. Essentially, I think that it’s the Rockies choice of whether or not they want him back. Also, I think that him resigning hinges on whether or not the Rockies sign a starter (or multiple starters) in the offseason.

Percentage chance of resigning: 50 percent

Amarista

Alexi Amarista has a $2.5 million team option for next season. He is versatile off the bench but the Rockies have to determine if he is worth a $1.4 million raise. I don’t. They may try to resign him otherwise but not for that much.

Percentage chance of returning to the Rockies in 2018: 15 percent

Final Thoughts

This offseason will definitely be one of interest for Rockies fans. Especially if the Rockies go far into the playoffs, the Rockies will get a good amount of revenue. That could influence them to have a huge offseason and sign (or re-sign) some free agents.

Next: A look at the Rockies 2018 schedule

They definitely have some things that they need to address but I think that if they resign most of these players and make some tweaks to the pitching staff, the Rockies will definitely be in good shape for the future.

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