Colorado Rockies rumors: Adam Ottavino’s decision could come soon

The Colorado Rockies are reportedly still in the running to retain Adam Ottavino’s services in the bullpen. We may know very soon if the Rockies are willing to spend enough to keep him or lose him to a team in the Eastern time zone.

According to a tweet from Jayson Stark of The Athletic, the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies are “both heavily focused on the bullpen market this week.” That seemed to be reinforced earlier today by Philadelphia signing former Yankees reliever David Robertson to a two-year deal that reportedly guarantees him at least $23 million.

Also, the Boston Red Sox have reportedly shown interest in acquiring Adam Ottavino as well.

With Robertson now off the table, the Yankees are still reportedly very much in the hunt for Ottavino and Zach Britton to boost their bullpen. The Yankees now not only have a hole to fill in their bullpen but also a market-setting figure for relievers of the caliber of Robertson (and Ottavino).

If a deal for Ottavino stretches into the neighborhood of more than $10 million per year, it’s unlikely the Colorado Rockies will stay in the bidding war for the 33-year-old right-hander’s services. Last season, Colorado spent a record amount on its bullpen, inking deals with Bryan Shaw, Wade Davis and Jake McGee. While Colorado general manager Jeff Bridich hasn’t ruled out making a move in the bullpen, it would likely be a minor one in 2019 rather than spending big like last season.

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In the event that Ottavino leaves Colorado, it’s likely that the bullpen will rely on Scott Oberg, Seunghwan Oh and Chris Rusin to pick up the slack in the set-up role for Davis. Additionally, it is hoped by the Rockies that Shaw and McGee can bounce back from very disappointing seasons in 2019.

Ottavino’s 2018 season will be tough to duplicate by whoever may fill his shoes. Last season, he struck out 112 batters in 77.2 innings while making $7 million. Those numbers virtually ensured Ottavino would test free agency this offseason.

Will Ottavino head East or remain with the Rockies? We will keep you up-to-date with the latest news and developments.