Three things Colorado Rockies fans should wish for this Christmas

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DENVER, CO – AUGUST 20: Starting pitcher German Marquez #48 of the Colorado Rockies walks off the field during the second inning against the Houston Astros at Coors Field on August 20, 2020 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /

With Christmas upon us, 2021 is just one week away and there are three fans that Colorado Rockies fans should hope for entering 2021.

First of all, on behalf of all of us here at Rox Pile, we wish you a Merry Christmas and hopefully, you can enjoy time with your family and friends, whether that be in person or virtually.

In the spirit of Christmas, as a Colorado Rockies fan, there are plenty of things that you are probably hoping that you will receive in 2021 in regards to the Rockies but we will discuss the three biggest things that you should want to see soon.

The Rockies get more MLB depth

Of all the issues the Rockies have right now, that is probably the biggest, overarching problem with the team: they don’t have a ton of players that have played MLB-caliber baseball in the past couple of seasons. Their lack of depth in the pitching department has been evident both in the starting pitching staff (especially when injuries have occurred) and in the bullpen.

After German Marquez, Kyle Freeland, and Antonio Senzatela, the Rockies starting pitching staff is a question mark. That’s because of the lack of depth they have there and injuries, as Jon Gray has had several stints on the injured list in recent seasons.

SEATTLE, WA – AUGUST 08: Starting pitcher Ryan Castellani #60 of the Colorado Rockies delivers a pitch during the first inning of a game against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on August, 8, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images) /

How have the Rockies addressed their depth?

The Rockies currently have Ryan Castellani as their fifth starter but their depth after Castellani is suspect. They have addressed that problem, somewhat, this offseason as they resigned Chi Chi Gonzalez and signed Dereck Rodriguez to minor league deals but none of the trio have been all that successful in the majors in the last two seasons. The Rockies are hoping that Rodriguez (the son of Hall of Fame catcher Ivan Rodriguez) will pitch as he did in his rookie campaign (2018) when he pitched to a 2.81 ERA (135 ERA+) in 21 games (19 starts) for the Giants. Even if he does pitch like that, as the adage goes, “you can never have too much pitching.”

Offensively, they need depth as well. Currently, the Rockies don’t have any top prospects waiting to make their MLB debut in 2021. In fact, outside of their current 26-man roster, they only have three players (two of which are non-roster invitees) that have any MLB service time and all three have less than one year of service time.

As it stands, the Rockies, outside of Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story, would have the worst offense in the entire sport. Even with them (granted, Arenado was not himself in 2020), the Rockies had the third-worst in baseball in 2020. If you just look at the last 46 games of the season (or slightly more than 75 percent), the Rockies had the worst offense in the NL.

PHOENIX, ARIZONA – AUGUST 24: Infielders Trevor Story #27 and Nolan Arenado #28 of the Colorado Rockies during the MLB game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on August 24, 2020 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Rockies defeated the Diamondbacks 3-2. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

The Rockies get MLB or MLB-ready talent in return for Arenado and Story or they don’t trade them.

As much as Rockies fans like to criticize Rockies owner Dick Monfort and general manager Jeff Bridich (and, often, for good reason), they have spent a lot of money on the team in recent years. However, the free-agent signings haven’t panned out and the Rockies decided to make the poor decision to put an opt-out in Nolan Arenado’s contract. With the current financial situation in baseball, Arenado is unlikely to opt-out next offseason, even if just for the probable fact that he won’t get more on the free-agent market than his current contract.

While that could be good for the Rockies, it’s also bad in a way. Why? It likely means that they can’t afford to keep Trevor Story long-term.

Whether the Rockies decide to trade one or both of them, they will be looking for MLB or MLB-ready talent in return. Considering how the Rockies are not fans of huge rebuilds, they aren’t going to be looking for low-ranked prospects that played in Rookie-ball because they won’t help the team for five years or more, if ever. The Rockies want to elongate their window for playoff contention, not slam it shut. The vast majority of fans think it is already shut but the Rockies, themselves, do not think that so that points to wanting MLB or MLB-ready talent in return.

In other words, if the return for Arenado and/or Story doesn’t help them build their depth at the MLB and Triple-A level, they shouldn’t trade them. If the Rockies are out of contention at the trade deadline in 2021, the Rockies can re-examine trading one or both of them then when playoff contenders will be more desperate.

DENVER, CO – AUGUST 13: Fans and their dogs watch the game from the “rockpile” bleacher seat section in a general view during “Bark at the Park” promotion during a game between the Colorado Rockies and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Coors Field on August 13, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /

Fans should hope that they can attend games

While Opening Day is slated to begin on April 1, that could change depending on the state of COVID-19 in the United States and Canada. If players and other personnel can’t get vaccines, fans may not be allowed in stadiums to begin the season or at all. The worst-case scenario would be that the season would be canceled but considering that they got a truncated slate accomplished in 2020, the chance that happens is infinitesimally small.

Regardless of the state of the Rockies on the field or in the front office, fans will want to be back at Coors Field and other MLB, MiLB, and independent baseball stadiums in 2021. At this point, I think that it will happen sometime in 2021.

Perhaps not at the beginning of the season but at some point, fans will likely be able to attend games. Everybody is hoping and waiting for the day that we will be able to resume activities, like going to Rockies games, with no restrictions.

dark. Next. Who made the Rockies naughty and nice list?

Regardless of when that will come, just know that each day means that we are one day closer to achieving that and you can be thankful that wish, someday, will become a reality.

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