Colorado Rockies: 5 interesting quotes we heard from GM Jeff Bridich

On Friday morning, Colorado Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich conducted a phone call with members of the local media (including Rox Pile). During the nearly 45-minute discussion, Bridich covered a wide range of topics, from the contract situation with Nolan Arenado to hinting as to what the Rockies will be focusing on this offseason with free agents.

There is a lot on the plate for the Colorado Rockies when it comes to star power this offseason. The Rockies have already declined to give qualifying offers to reliever Adam Ottavino, second baseman DJ LeMahieu and outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, all three long-time members of the franchise and all three playing integral roles in Colorado’s rise to success over the last two seasons.

That was just the first piece of the puzzle. What happens next will start taking shape when Major League Baseball’s general managers meet this week in California and in mid-December when the baseball world converges on Las Vegas for the Winter Meetings.

So what happens now? What is Bridich thinking when it comes to his team and some of the choices to be made this offseason? We picked out five key quotes from Bridich from the conference call and will be adding some insight into what they mean and what could lie next.

Let’s dive in…

Quote Two

“In 2018, I believe we had a roster and a team that was good enough to go to the World Series. I think that there were certain opportunities in September and October that we did not take advantage of. Really, we have nobody to blame but ourselves for that. I think we put ourselves in position multiple times to win the division and to go deeper into the playoffs and we just did not capitalize on it. That’s nobody’s fault but ours. “I hope this group, going forward, that it’s a learning experience for all of us when you have those opportunities. What it takes to succeed and achieve in those types of situations. I think it’s a credit to our group also, both players and staff, that we put ourselves in those positions and, in spite of some missed opportunities in September, we still found a way to get into the Division Series, even though we didn’t play very well in that series.”

As disappointed as we all were in Colorado’s NLDS elimination, a mid-September road trip to San Francisco and Los Angeles was one of the key stretches of the season. Disappointing losses highlighted by an inability to hit cost the Rockies the chance to grab their first-ever National League West title.

Part of the “learning experience” mentioned above could be directed at Colorado manager Bud Black, who kept fielding a veteran-laden team during those late games rather than often giving younger players a chance to step in and possibly provide a spark. Part could also be directed at players who simply didn’t perform when the pressure was greatest. As much as Jon Gray has been vilified for that on the mound, there are plenty of Rockies who went stone cold at the plate when they were given the chance to deliver the division title to Denver.

The roster was good … but it had a lot of holes and deficiencies as well. Those holes must be patched this offseason.

Quote Three

“We’ll likely be a little more focused on our offense this offseason, as compared to last season when we were bullpen- and pitching-focused a little bit. A lot remains to be seen and learned at the GM meetings next week, and at the Winter Meetings. There are a lot of conversations still to be had and more information to be gleaned before a real, true course for our offseason is determined.”

What could the Rockies have been like in 2018 if their hitting had matched their starting pitching? It may seem crazy to ever utter that sentence when talking about the Colorado franchise but it sums up many of the problems the Rockies faced last season.

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Those problems must be solved in the offseason. I asked Bridich later in the call if he thought the Rockies had enough young, homegrown talent to fill in some of the offensive gaps or would the Rockies have to look outside the organization and bring in free agents. His response was that it was probably going to be a mixture of the two.

We discussed in great detail last offseason how the Rockies needed to bring in a big bat to make an impact. That same drum will be beaten this offseason. However, it seems like Bridich may be much more willing to do it in 2019 than he was this time last year.

Also, don’t overlook the last part of this quote. Bridich’s quest for the NL West is still taking shape and could be somewhat determined by what he learns when he gathers with his colleagues over the next four to six weeks (and on phone calls in between).

Quote Four

“There have been some conversations. They’ve been good conversations. They’ve been honest conversations. They’ve been adult, forthright. Everything has been above board that way for both sides. I would expect that to continue. It’s not like there’s a perfect timeline or specific timeline. We’d love to him here and he knows that. We’ll see what happens. “We’re focused on Nolan being here with us and competing for the playoffs again. Competing for the NL West title like we did last season.”

Nolan Arenado is going to dominate much of the talk during this offseason … and that talk won’t quiet down until the Rockies and their All-Star third baseman decide together what that future holds. Trading Arenado is still a possibility and we’ve outlined some potential trade partners in this article.

Bridich made it clear that the Rockies and Arenado are going to work to see if something can be done to keep him in Colorado for many more years. The fact that talks are happening and that they’re happening quietly is a good sign. Neither side is dragging this into the open (part of the adult and forthright part of Bridich’s quote above) for the public to see.

Rockies fans looking for a glimmer of hope that Colorado can keep Arenado can take heart knowing the work has already started. Those who are more pessimistic will focus on the “We’ll see what happens” part of the quote. However, no matter what you believe will happen with Arenado, know this: Neither side wants this to be a distraction for the Rockies in 2019.

Quote Five

“Bullpens are rarely exactly as good, bad or consistent as you think they’re going to be. It can be a very volatile piece of your team. I think Adam Ottavino is a perfect example of that over the past two seasons. One of the best relievers in the entire game this year and it was the exact opposite in 2017. That is the perfect example of microcosm of what’s been happening.”

If there was anything that was more frustrating for Rockies fans last season than the offense being able to string together hits or score runs, it was that Bryan Shaw, Mike Dunn and Jake McGee were primarily duds … and well-paid duds at that.

The Rockies invested a lot in those three arms and they disappointed mightily last year. Shaw was by far the most disappointing of the bunch. He was so bad that he didn’t even make Colorado’s postseason roster after wearing even Bud Black’s confidence in him thin.

Relief pitching, however, is, to some extent, a crapshoot and a bit of a gamble. As Bridich mentioned, Ottavino was fantastic last year, thanks in part to an offseason regimen that changed his delivery. Can Shaw, Dunn and McGee rebound this season? Can Wade Davis lower his number of home runs allowed and be an even more solid closer? Can Chris Rusin return to his 2017 form? What impact will young pitchers like Harrison Musgrave, Yency Almonte and others have?

Bridich and the Rockies seem to be counting on the pieces needed to be there in the bullpen for 2019, including the return of Seunghwan Oh. It’s a gamble … but so was all of the money spent on the bullpen last offseason.