Former Mets GM Steve Phillips: The Colorado Rockies should “tear it all down”

On MLB Network Radio on Thursday, their “Spring Training Tour” covered the Colorado Rockies, including some interviews and analysis on the team.

Former Mets GM Steve Phillips and former MLB pitcher and current Rangers broadcaster C.J. Nitkowski were hosting MLB Network Radio’s morning show, The Leadoff Spot, on SiriusXM Radio on Thursday and they discussed their thoughts on the Rockies.

Both of them said that they believe that the Rockies are not going to be a 100+ loss team due to their starting pitching but both of them believe that they will be in the basement of the National League West.

However, where the two disagreed was on how to move forward with the team. Nitkowski said that he would keep the Rockies starting pitchers (their strength) unless a huge offer came. Phillips, the former GM, said that if you’re going to finish in last place, why not trade all the veterans you have more minor league depth and young MLB depth?

“The way I look at it is, you were a fourth-place team with (Nolan) Arenado and (Trevor) Story you got rid of Arenado,” said Phillips. “So how are you, under the current (roster) construction, going to be a better team than you were then if you sign Story?”

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So what would Phillips do?

"“I would trade them all,” said Phillips. “I would trade Story, I’d trade (Charlie) Blackmon, I’d trade the (starting) pitchers, I’d do the complete rebuild … Tear it all down, rebuild it, and do it the right way, build depth for yourself and use the guys you have to build the quick turnaround where you have a unit coming to the big leagues together.‘They’re out of sync right now with where their pitching and with where their position players are and, the reality is, you’re not going to sign Story. If I’m Trevor Story, I’m not signing back to Colorado because if I make an eight-year deal, how do I know a year after that, they’re not going to think ‘you know, let’s rebuild it and try to move him’? And then, you’d lose some control of where you go … You might as well get something for all of those guys, if you can, right now. I’d trade them all.”"

He said that German Marquez would have “real value” on the trade market since he has four years of control. And Phillips made the point of are the Rockies going to be in contention in those four years? Probably not. Therefore, because of how well he has pitched and the team control, Phillips said that he thinks that Marquez could bring back some “really interesting depth and prospects.”

That’s something that the Rockies really should consider in the coming weeks and months and, frankly, should have thought about this offseason. However, when ownership believes that they have a “very talented team that has underperformed” in the last two years, that thought process is not likely to be happening any time soon.