Colorado Rockies: Who could be the closer in 2018?

When the Colorado Rockies report to spring training in 2018, one of the team’s strengths from this season could have a completely different look and feel next year.

Colorado’s bullpen was one of the most talented in franchise history this season. However, the chances of it being the same when February rolls around are very slim.

Greg Holland had an All-Star season after battling back from Tommy John surgery. He set the franchise record for saves in a single season, converting on 41-of-45 save opportunities while opponents hit just .193 against him. Except for a brutal stretch in August where he went 1-4 with a 13.50 ERA and closed out just 3-of-6 chances, Holland was solid for the Rockies in the closer role.

However, with the great performance comes a great price. As Nick Groke of The Denver Post pointed out in this article, Holland’s $7 million base deal for 2017 had at least $9 million in bonuses lumped on top of it after his what some would call surprising bounceback after a year out of Major League Baseball.

Colorado Rockies

Additionally, that success caused a $10 million mutual option for 2018 to morph into a $15 million player option. Those numbers may not only make the Rockies hesitate to bring Holland back, but also tempt the 31-year-old right-hander enough to test the open market.

Jake McGee is another Rockies player who may or may not return next season. He signed a one-year, $5.9 million contract before the start of the 2017 season and the 31-year-old southpaw is an unrestricted free agent heading into 2018 after posting an 0-2 mark with a 3.61 ERA and three saves in 2017.

At the age of 37, Pat Neshek was paid $6.5 million this season and was one of Colorado’s biggest acquisitions at the trade deadline. Will he be back with the Rockies next season? It’s likely he will test the free agent market as well.

Those are the three biggest question marks for the Rockies bullpen next season. They also represent 44 of the 47 saves compiled by Colorado last season. Chris Rusin with two saves (who is eligible for arbitration and should get a nice pay increase) and Tyler Chatwood with one save (who is a free agent as well heading into the 2018 season) were the only other Rockies to log a save in 2017.

So who could be Colorado’s closer next season? If the Rockies don’t resign any of the three players above (and decide to stick within the organization), here are some other options…

Carlos Estevez

2017 stats: 5-0, 5.57 ERA, 32.1 innings pitched

Other than Raimel Tapia, no one saw more time between Triple-A Albuquerque and the Rockies than Estevez. In his second season with the Rockies, Estevez made the Opening Day roster but never seemed to find his exact role with Colorado this season.

It can be argued that Estevez had a worse 2017 than 2016, when he appeared in 63 games and put together 11 saves for the Rockies. Opponents hit .240 against him last season and .293 against him in 2017.

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Still, Colorado manager Bud Black is high on the promise that lies within Estevez. He was also pleased to see Estevez finish the regular season with six scoreless innings spanning nine games.

“He’s pitching very well,” Black told Rox Pile and other media members near the end of the regular season. “When you pitch well, it breeds confidence and I think he’s coming into games with a great deal of confidence. He’s coming into games physically in a really good spot because his velocity is up.  And I think last year’s experience of getting saves and having heat on him in the ninth inning has been good for him. Experience is a great teacher. We have a lot of guys experiencing things for the first time and they’ll be better in the long term for it.”

Estevez has experience as Colorado’s closer. He has also gained experience since some rocky outings toward the end of that run. Those things could pay off in 2018.

Adam Ottavino

2017 stats: 2-3, 5.06 ERA, 53.1 innings pitched

It is easy to forget that Ottavino entered the 2015 season as Colorado’s closer and had three saves in three opportunities before suffering a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, forcing him to have Tommy John surgery and end his 2015 season. Before his injury, opponents were hitting .094 against him in 10.1 innings.

Ottavino came back in 2016 to pitch in 34 games and recorded seven of 12 save chances. Fully healthy in 2017, Ottavino pieced together a 1.42 ERA in April in 12.2 innings spanning 12 games. It looked like the Otto of 2015 was back. However, he struggled mightily in the remaining months as his slider was inconsistent. He threw four wild pitches in one horrific outing in Los Angeles.

The 31-year-old right-hander enters 2018 due $7 million by the Rockies as the last year of a three-year, $10.4 million contract. Depending on who re-signs with Colorado in the offseason, it’s very likely that Ottavino will again be given the chance to compete for Colorado’s closer position. However, he will need to find more consistency that he displayed in 2017 for that to be a reality.