Colorado Rockies need to cut ties with their 30-year-olds

Attention: Members of the Colorado Rockies, attention. If you are 30 years of age or older and your name is not Charlie Blackmon, start packing your bags. Your time with this organization has come to an end.

The Colorado Rockies are having a serious issue with aging players. On the current 40-man roster, there are eight players who are in their thirties and with the exception of Charlie Blackmon and Yonder Alonso (on a low-risk, high-reward MiLB deal), all have been major disappointments this season.

• Yonder Alonso (32)
• Chad Bettis (30)
• Charlie Blackmon (33)
• Wade Davis (33)
• Ian Desmond (33)
• Jake McGee (33)
• Daniel Murphy (34)
• Bryan Shaw (31)

Not only have they been a disappointment on the field, they have become a strain on the pocketbook. Heading into next season, the Rockies will have to pay these players (besides Blackmon) at least for $58.5 million ($79.8 including Blackmon) of the $121 million that is already on the books for the 2020 season’s payroll.

For Alonso, who’s contract expires at the end of the season, and Bettis who is still under team control but doesn’t have a set dollar figure for 2020 (he is making $3.325 million this season).  With almost half of next season’s existing payroll being chewed up by under performing players, the Rockies’ management has some serious decisions to make.

Kyle Newman of The Denver Post recently wrote that the Rockies’ biggest window of opportunity will come in 2021 when most of these high priced contracts expire. However, the Rockies should consider speeding up the process and part ways with as many of these contracts as possible, if not all of them, this offseason.

There are two big reasons for why the this needs to happen now instead of 2021.  For one, some of these big contracts (i.e. Davis, Shaw, and McGee) have performance clauses that kick in for an extra season. The Rockies can avoid such a situation by simply cutting ties now.

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More importantly, if the 2021 season is the target, parting ways with these veterans will open up valuable playing time for younger players.  It will also give the Rockies an entire season to evaluate what they have in the system, specifically in the outfield and at first base. Prospects such as Yonathan Daza, Sam Hilliard, Noel Cuevas, Roberto Ramos, and Josh Fuentes could all benefit from Major League experience but aren’t able to do so with Murphy and Desmond still on the roster.

To make it happen, the Rockies have to swallow their pride, admit that they made mistakes, and absorb most of these contracts. There is a small trade market left for Davis, Desmond, and Murphy but the return would be minimal and cash considerations would have to be included. The others would likely need to be DFA’d outright but their play has left the Rockies with no other choice.

The Rockies have nothing to lose by not waiting. These 30-year-olds have failed us far too many times. However, a prospects or two, if given the chance, could blossom into a star that would round out a potentially potent 2021 lineup. If they don’t, the Rockies will still have the payroll to go after some talent after next season.