Colorado Rockies: Logan Morrison officially off the market

On Sunday, news broke that first baseman Logan Morrison had agreed to terms with the Minnesota Twins. It is reportedly a one-year deal for $6.5 million. This comes as a disappointment to some of my colleagues here at Rox Pile as well as some Colorado Rockies fans.

Many of us thought that Morrison would be a good fit to solve the revolving door at first base in Denver. This signing, however, comes as no surprise with the current state of the free agent market. Late signings for lower prices are becoming the norm. As March approaches, we’re now seeing the signings pick up and many guys coming to Spring Training a little behind schedule. Since the Rockies decided to not go after Morrison, it now leads to the question about who will be at first. Ryan McMahon seems to have the early lead but there are still options.

You can now cross off Morrison and Eric Hosmer off of my free agent first basemen list. So, in reality, the Rockies still have two free agent options left … Mark Reynolds (baseball gods, please send him) and Lucas Duda. If the Rockies do not sign any more free agents, it’s highly likely that they will lean on McMahon will be the starting first basemen. The good thing about this situation is that they do have plenty of options on what they want to do.

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What would Reynolds and Duda bring to the Rockies? Let’s take a look.

Mark Reynolds

It would be like getting the band back together if the Rockies brought Reynolds back. Reynolds, 34, has already stated that the Rockies would be his first choice. This makes me wonder why the Rockies haven’t pulled the trigger on signing him back. Despite being signed to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training last year, Reynolds blew expectations out of the water. He had a batting average of .267, hitting a whopping 30 home runs, and logged 97 RBI. Don’t forget about the amazing throws he dug out of the dirt to save errors.

He ended the season rubbing shoulders with Nolan Arenado and Charlie Blackmon in the home run column. He had a great year with the Rockies, so it’s confusing why they haven’t offered him anything … unless they want to hand the job to McMahon.

Lucas Duda

32 year-old Lucas Duda was next on my list after Morrison. Duda had a stellar year as well. He hit 30 home runs despite having a batting average of .217 and came up with 64 RBI. He did split his time between the Mets and Rays last season, but that didn’t stop him from coming in clutch for both teams. He committed just four errors last season, so his defense seems solid as well.

Final Thoughts

As of now, the Rockies don’t seem to be making any moves to be signing either of these free agents. Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich has commented on the slow-moving market … even though they don’t appear to be looking to sign anyone. This leads to the most logical decision … and that’s Ryan McMahon, who is already getting plenty of time at first during Spring Training.

Next: Where to catch the Rockies on radio and TV this spring

Once Spring Training winds down, that is when we will know that the Rockies are pushing forward with this youth movement. Perhaps it’s for the better and the long-term goals the front office has to turn these “kids” into a championship team.