Colorado Rockies: Could they win it all in 2018 with this lineup?

The Colorado Rockies made their return to the postseason in 2017, once again putting “Rocktober” back in the Major League Baseball dictionary. However, that was then and this is now. Are the Rockies ready to return to “Rocktober” in 2018 and go farther than just making an appearance in the Wild Card game? Colorado’s general manager appears to think so.

During the introductory press conference for newly signed reliever Bryan Shaw and re-signed reliever Jake McGee on Friday, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post said that general manager Jeff Bridich was asked if the Rockies could win a World Series in 2018. According to Saunders, Bridich did not hesitate when he answered yes.

For a man who is often known to keep his thoughts very close to him, the answer was a bit of a surprise. One could look at any MLB general manager and think of course he is going to talk about how bright the future is for his team. However, Bridich is not your average GM and the Rockies are not your average baseball team.

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Could the Rockies win a World Series in 2018? It is possible (anything is, right?) but would certainly gain more on the probability scale if they were to do some of the things over the course of the next few weeks that we detailed in yesterday’s article. Colorado is strong right now on paper, but could get a lot stronger before spring training begins.

It could be said that the Rockies gained the most of any National League West team during the last few weeks. Shaw was a big pickup, McGee coming back to the fold was important and Chris Iannetta is back behind the plate in another of Bridich’s low-cost gambles. Greg Holland and Mark Reynolds worked pretty well for the Rockies last season. Could Iannetta follow the same path? Christian Espinoza talked about the possibilities behind the plate in this article.

The biggest hesitation I have personally for saying the Rockies could get to the World Series is the lineup right now. It is a strange thing to say in Colorado but it could be argued right now that the pitching side of the equation is stronger than the hitting side, top to bottom. Absolutely, Nolan Arenado, DJ LeMahieu and Charlie Blackmon can rake. Gerardo Parra rebounded with a strong 2017. Ian Desmond is hoped to follow the same trajectory in 2018 after a disappointing first season with the Rockies. But what about first base? What about the other corner outfield spot? Will Iannetta have another solid year like he did in 2017 with the Diamondbacks when he hit .254 or like he had in 2016 with the Mariners (.210) or 2015 with the Angels (.188)?

Next: Recapping and grading Colorado's Winter Meetings activities

I would love to jump on Bridich’s bandwagon and say the Rockies are World Series-ready right now, but I just don’t see it. There is still more time in the offseason and Colorado can (and hopefully will) get stronger. Until then, I am not ready to proclaim a further dive into “Rocktober” as a high probability for 2018. How about you? Let us know below.