Colorado Rockies: Three “bold moves” the team should explore

Non-tender Chad Bettis and/or Tyler Anderson

Flash back to the start of the 2019 campaign and remember that Chad Bettis and Tyler Anderson represented two-fifths of the Rockies’ Opening Week rotation. Anderson was even slated as the number three starter ahead of Jon Gray.

Well, Anderson and Bettis both underperformed and now the Rockies have a decision to make on not only two pitchers who have come up through the organization but also two who are coming off (Bettis) or still working toward coming back from (Anderson) injuries.

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Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post has speculated that the Rockies will not offer contracts to either player, saving the franchise a total of between $6 and $7 million.

At first glance, you may not think that this is a hard decision but there are implications in both. For Bettis, the Rockies could be saying goodbye to their longest-tenured pitcher. For Anderson, it means Colorado is officially throwing in the towel on a former first-round pick.

Is this likely to happen? It certainly seems so.

It also means Colorado is officially ready to rebuild the back end of its rotation. With Kyle Freeland, Gray and German Marquez expected to be the top three starters heading into 2020, what happens with the fourth and fifth starter will be a key development to watch during spring training. There are plenty of candidates but are any of them a season-long solution for the Rockies? That remains to be seen.

So what can the Rockies do? Maybe another bold move.