5 things the Colorado Rockies must do to contend again

To say the 2019 season has been a disappointment for the Colorado Rockies is a massive understatement. Coming off back-to-back postseason appearances for the first time in franchise history, there were plenty of expectations for a third straight Rocktober this season.

However, the Colorado Rockies have looked anything like a playoff team in recent weeks. Now at 58-73 after suffering a four-game road sweep at the hands of the St. Louis Cardinals, the Rockies are 20-41 on the season against teams who had a record at or greater than .500 when Colorado faced them.

There is a lot of work the Rockies (who have won just five road games since July 1) need to do the rest of this season and in the offseason to be back in contention for a postseason berth in 2020. After coming within just one game of winning their first-ever National League West title last season, Colorado needs a lot of retooling in order to be back in the neighborhood of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the top of the West next season.

So what do the Rockies need to do throughout the rest of the 2019 campaign and into the 2020 season opener on March 26 in San Diego against the Padres? Here are some ideas.

Figure out the rotation

Colorado’s Opening Week rotation consisted of Kyle Freeland, German Marquez, Tyler Anderson, Jon Gray and Chad Bettis. Three of those pitchers (Anderson, Gray and Bettis) are done for the season after suffering various injuries.

The two who have remained off the season-ending injury list have been inconsistent. Freeland, Colorado’s Opening Day starter, spent some time in Triple-A and has struggled to a 3-11 record and 6.98 ERA. Marquez has posted 12 wins in his 28 starts as one of the bright spots so far.

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Throw in dashes of Peter Lambert, Jeff Hoffman, Chi Chi Gonzalez, Antonio Senzatela and Tim Melville and you’re looking at a rotation that was anything but what we expected this season. As our friend Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post pointed out on Twitter, after Senzatela’s Sunday meltdown where he lasted just 1.2 innings and gave up six runs, Colorado’s starters’ ERA is currently at 5.79. That’s the third-worst mark in franchise history with only 1999 (6.19) and 2012 (5.81) being higher. Last year’s starter ERA? 4.17.

Yes, the injuries have hurt Colorado but so have just simply subpar performances. So has the lack of depth in Colorado’s Triple-A level that was so evident when the Rockies needed a pitcher to step in and step up this year.

Colorado must improve its rotation heading into 2020, and that will likely be through some kind of offseason move. If Freeland, Marquez and Gray can bounce back to form, Lambert can learn in this season of hard knocks and the Rockies can solidify the back end of the rotation, things will be much better in 2020. If they can’t or do nothing to bolster the rotation in the offseason, not much of what is discussed after this will matter.

Retool the bullpen

Let’s face it … the super bullpen experiment has been a dud. Veterans Bryan Shaw, Jake McGee and Wade Davis have not lived up to their contracts and, outside of Carlos Estevez and Jairo Diaz, manager Bud Black has very few dependable options when he needs to go to his bullpen.

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Additionally, young relievers such as Yency Almonte and Jesus Tinoco have struggled. There is much to be said about learning on the job and taking something from the tough lessons while you do. However, it’s still unsure if they can step up consistently in 2020.

The Rockies have had little to celebrate with the veteran trio mentioned at the top of this page. However, that doesn’t mean that the Rockies shouldn’t try to bring in a veteran face or two in the offseason to try to give Black some other bullpen options.

Am I saying spend a lot of money on bullpen pieces like general manager Jeff Bridich did two offseasons ago? No. But there are pieces that can be added at a lower price and shorter contract who could potentially make a difference.

The Rockies will also need to see if they can do anything with the contracts of Davis or Shaw in the offseason and if any teams might be willing to take a chance on them. That leads us to our next thought.

Find a way to lower the payroll

We talked about the high-priced relievers in the last slide. However, there is still the contract of Ian Desmond to consider.

The 33-year-old Desmond is due a guaranteed $15 million next season and $8 million in the 2021 campaign. With Desmond playing a bench role now and having been moved off of first base and out of center field because of defensive concerns, there are few options the Rockies have for Desmond defensively.

Additionally, his offensive numbers have tanked recently. In his last 15 games, he’s hitting just .146/.239/.244 … and that was before his lone plate appearance against the Cardinals on Sunday when he struck out in the eighth inning.

Can the Rockies find a team that will help with some of the contracts for Desmond or their high-priced relievers? Any bit of financial freedom can help them in the offseason retool the roster.

Let the kids play

Look, the Rockies already know what Nolan Arenado, Trevor Story and Charlie Blackmon are going to bring to the table. The rest of the season and September should be focused on the next generation of Rockies and seeing what players like Yonathan Daza and Garrett Hampson can do in extended playing time.

The Rockies also need to see what players like outfielder Sam Hilliard and first baseman Roberto Ramos, both of whom have totaled 100 RBI in Triple-A, can do at the Major League level. The same with reliever Ben Bowden. With September 1 and roster expansion around the corner, the Rockies need to give plenty of playing time to players who still have some question marks attached to them.

So far this season, the Rockies have seen that Ryan McMahon and Raimel Tapia can shine with extended playing time. What about so many other young faces that have been labeled as “prospects?” With a lost season currently underway, using September as a testing ground for the future of the Rockies is critical.