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The Colorado Rockies continue to wait for official word on shortstop Jose Reyes‘ potential suspension.

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Rockies Fearing the Worst for Reyes Suspension

Monday, March 7

Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported Colorado is preparing for what could be a “lengthy suspension” for the four-time All-Star.

Reyes was arrested Oct. 31 for an alleged domestic-violence incident in Maui, Hawaii, per ESPN.com. ESPN.com noted Reyes allegedly shoved his wife into a glass door in the hotel they stayed at and was later released after posting a $1,000 bail.

On March 1, Major League Baseball suspended newly acquired New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman for 30 games after a police report revealed Chapman was accused of firing a gun eight times and choking his girlfriend, per Jeff Passan and Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports.

Nick Groke of the Denver Post reported Reyes is scheduled to go on trial April 4, and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred told Groke he plans to act quickly once the trial concludes.

“My expectation is, once that process plays out, we’ll be in position to act quickly,” Manfred said. “We’ll have access to all the facts.”

Reyes has three years remaining on a six-year, $106 million deal he signed with the Miami Marlins in December 2011. The Rockies are the third team Reyes has played for since signing that deal. Miami sent him to the Toronto Blue Jays in 2012 in a trade that centered around pitchers Mark Buehrle and Josh Johnson. Toronto then sent him to Colorado last season for All-Star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki.

Reyes, the highest-paid player on the Rockies, is set to earn $22 million this year, per Spotrac. He batted .259 in 47 games for Colorado in 2015.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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Colorado Rockies reliever Jairo Diaz will miss the 2016 season after suffering a right ulnar collateral ligament tear in his right elbow, which will require Tommy John surgery.

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Diaz Won’t Get Chance to Impress in 2016

Sunday, March 6

The Rockies announced on Sunday that the surgery is imminent.

Diaz, 24, pitched in 21 games for the Rockies last season, compiling an ERA+ of 200, with 18 strikeouts and six walks in 19 innings, per Baseball-Reference.com.   

He suffered the injury during a spring training game on Saturday. 

“I didn’t feel it pop or anything,” Diaz said Sunday morning of the injury, per Nick Groke of the Denver Post. “It just feels weird.”    

With the serious diagnosis, Diaz now will not be able to battle for his roster position, per Groke:

He battled wildness at times, but his 18 strikeouts against six walks seemed promising.

Diaz was set to battle with Scott Oberg, Justin Miller, Miguel Castro and Carlos Estevez for a spot in the bullpen. The elbow reconstruction surgery facing Diaz usually requires 12 to 16 months of recovery and rehabilitation.

While it doesn’t appear the Rockies were going to rely on the right-hander to carry the bullpen, any pitching loss for Colorado is bad news considering it finished last in the majors in 2015 in team ERA at 4.65.

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The Colorado Rockies have gone without a winning season for five straight years, and not much is expected in 2016 for the team that has finished last in the National League West in three of the last four years.

General manager Jeff Bridich is entering his second season with the Rockies, and after a 68-win campaign last year, Bridich said there’s no point in discussing when Colorado will turn it around Monday, per Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post:

What’s the point? Why limit ourselves? So if I were to come out and say something that’s pleasing to the ear of you, or a fan here or a fan there, and I say, ‘We’re not going to win for X.’ So what? What’s the point of doing that?

It’s about people. It’s about process. And it’s about how well can we do that together. If a lot of that or most of that comes together for us this year, wonderful. Why say something where it’s got to happen X number of months and years in the future, where really a lot of good things can happen this year. I just don’t see the point.

The Rockies have made the postseason once since their World Series run in 2007. Not a single player is left from that team after Colorado traded star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki to the Toronto Blue Jays last year.

While Colorado may be in rebuild mode, the Rockies have much to look forward to with All-Stars Nolan Arenado and Carlos Gonzalez as the team’s centerpieces. Arenado hit a career-high 42 home runs and had 130 RBI while making his first All-Star Game in 2015. The 30-year-old Gonzalez hit a career-high 40 homers for Colorado last year as well.

Despite finishing below .500 last year, the Rockies were fifth in the majors and No. 1 in the National League in runs scored with 737. However, Colorado gave up 844 runs a year ago, the most in the majors, per ESPN.com.

Pitching has been the issue for the Rockies since they traded ace Ubaldo Jimenez in July 2011. Colorado’s best pitcher since 2012 has been Jorge De La Rosa, who has a 39-26 record over the last four seasons but has finished with an ERA over 4.00 in each of the last two years.

The Rockies offense has shown it’s capable of putting up a lot of runs. Colorado can have a solid 2016 season and back up its general manager’s words if the starting rotation can consistently perform at a high level.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com. Follow Danny Webster on Twitter.

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Major League Baseball has placed Colorado Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes on administrative paid leave until the completion of his legal proceedings.

Commissioner Rob Manfred made the announcement Tuesday afternoon, per MLB Communications. Shortly after, the MLB Players Association issued a statement in regard to the situation:    

Reyes was put on leave to handle the criminal proceedings stemming from his alleged domestic violence incident in Hawaii at the end of October.

MLB cited a section of the league’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy that allows the commissioner to suspend a player with pay until a case is resolved. Depending on the result of the case, the commissioner could then hand down further discipline if he or she deems it necessary.

According to Chelsea Davis of Hawaii News Now, Reyes’ wife, Katherine, told authorities he “grabbed her off the bed and shoved her” at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea. Citing sources, Davis reported “she also told police that he grabbed her throat and shoved her into the sliding glass balcony door.” Reyes pleaded not guilty Nov. 24 to a domestic-abuse charge.

Joe Torre, MLB’s chief baseball officer, addressed both Reyes and New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman, who was also the subject of a domestic violence investigation, back in December:

Christian Red of the New York Daily News reported Jan. 14 that Reyes’ trial is set to begin in Maui County, Hawaii, on April 4, when the Rockies open the regular season against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The judge could potentially move up the trial date.

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Colorado Rockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu is fresh off a career season in 2015, and his team rewarded him with a new contract Wednesday as the two sides avoided arbitration.

The Rockies announced on Twitter they agreed to the two-year deal with the 27-year-old.   

The Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com) said the contract was for $7.8 million with LeMahieu getting $3 million in 2016 and $4.8 million in 2017. When exchanging proposed arbitration salaries, the infielder “asked for a raise from $517,500 to $3.3 million, and the Rockies had offered $2.8 million,” per the Associated Press.

The Associated Press also noted players were 3-1 in arbitration this year and added more details: “Players had their first winning record in arbitration since they went 2-1 in 2011. Management has a 302-224 advantage since arbitration started in 1974. Teams were 8-6 last year, the most hearings since 2001.” 

It is no surprise LeMahieu was set for a raise considering he turned in career-high offensive totals nearly across the board last season:   

As a result, the second baseman made his first career All-Star Game in 2015 and helped the Rockies finish fifth in the major leagues in total runs scored despite their abysmal 68-94 record.

LeMahieu also took runs off the board on the other side as an impressive fielder. He won the National League Gold Glove at second base in 2014 and is responsible for 37 total defensive runs saved above average at second base since the 2012 campaign, per FanGraphs.

The National League West is a loaded division with the Los Angeles Dodgers fresh off a 92-70 campaign and the San Francisco Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks coming off notable offseasons. San Francisco added Johnny Cueto, Denard Span and Jeff Samardzija to a club that finished 84-78 last year, and Arizona bolstered its rotation with Zack Greinke and Shelby Miller.

The Rockies are facing an uphill battle in the next couple of years with that competition, and the wild-card race won’t be much easier with the Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets and Washington Nationals all poised to make postseason runs in 2016 and 2017.

Perhaps Colorado’s best chance is to outscore teams with a strong offense in Coors Field, and ensuring LeMahieu is well-paid and there at second base alongside Carlos Gonzalez and Nolan Arenado is an ideal place to start.

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Gerardo Parra is headed to Colorado. The free-agent outfielder and the Rockies agreed to a three-year deal Tuesday that will pay at least $27.5 million.  

Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post and Spanish reporter Wilmer Reina provided the news. The deal will have a fourth-year option at $12 million.

Parra, 28, hit .291/.328/.452 with 14 home runs and 51 RBI last season, adding 14 steals on 18 attempts. He split the season between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Baltimore Orioles, coming over to the American League for the first time via a midseason trade.

Brilliant throughout the first half in Milwaukee, Parra struggled mightily during his 55-game stint with the Orioles. He hit .237/.268/.357, played miserable defense and failed to help the Orioles make a postseason push. FanGraphs credited him with just 0.4 wins above replacement in 2015, a number that would categorize this contract as a massive overpay.

Parra hasn’t been the same since his brilliant 2013 campaign, when he produced a career-high 4.5 WAR and seemed to find a comfort level defensively. Split seasons each of the last two years have hurt his performance, as he’s seen a drop-off in play after each deadline deal.

The Rockies were one of three finalists in the Parra chase, according to agent Jose Mijares, who spoke with Saunders on Monday. The other two teams were not named, but Mijares’ openness in discussing Colorado made it look like the favorite.

It’s unclear at this time what the trade means for Colorado’s incumbent outfielders, but Saunders noted there has been speculation about the Rockies making a trade in the search for starting pitching.

“I don’t know anything about a trade by the Rockies, I’m just trying to find the best fit for Gerardo,” Mijares said. “We will see what is the best offer and the best situation.”

Parra’s arrival should make those trade possibilities easier. His offensive emergence in Milwaukee last season should bode well for his transition to hitter-friendly Coors Field, and Parra’s massive defensive descent feels more like an outlier than anything.

While he’s been graded negatively each of the last two seasons, his level of drop-off between 2014 and 2015 was so big that a positive regression should be in order.

Follow Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) on Twitter.

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According to CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman, the Colorado Rockies have agreed to a three-year extension worth $10.4 million with reliever Adam Ottavino on Saturday. 

Ottavino appeared in just 10 games before Tommy John surgery derailed his season back in May. It’s a straight deal with no options for the 30-year-old, whose one-year, $1.3 million contract expired at the end of the 2015 season, via Spotrac.com. 

He pitched just 10.1 innings last season but was dominant in that short time. Ottavino didn’t allow a single run and gave up just three hits while saving three games, finishing five games in total. Just five baserunners got on while he was on the mound, and he struck out 13 of the 32 batters he faced. That’s an 11.3 strikeouts-per-nine-innings mark. 

Ottavino’s presence was sorely missed in a Rockies bullpen that ranked 24th in saves and dead last in the MLB with a 4.70 ERA. 

He showed flashes of why he can be Colorado’s man out of the bullpen for years to come, which is why Colorado was probably willing to extend his deal three years. His fastball increased almost three mph from 2014 to 2015, jumping from 97 to 100 mph.

Pair that with some nasty breaking stuff, like this one to get Nori Aoki of the San Francisco Giants, and Ottavino will be one tough man to get a hit against when he comes back healthy:

The problem is, Rockies fans will have to wait a while to see him take the mound in 2016. Per Heyman, he’s expected to be back with the team by the middle of the summer, though he is recovering well from the torn UCL. 

With the Rockies adding Chad Qualls and Jason Motte this offseason, the team does have options for late-inning situations until Ottavino returns. If he is able to regain his form from 2015, Colorado could have an improved combination coming out of its bullpen.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com

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The Colorado Rockies attempted to bolster their bullpen Tuesday by coming to terms with a pair of veteran relief pitchers, Jason Motte and Chad Qualls.

Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post first reported the news and the Rockies quickly confirmed the two-year deals for both relievers. Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, citing sources, reported Motte’s contract is worth $10 million and added that Qualls’ contract is worth $6 million.

Upgrading the bullpen was one of the top things on the Rockies’ to-do list this winter. They finished last in the majors in reliever ERA last season at 4.70, according to ESPN.com. The National League average was more than a run better at 3.66.

Motte spent last season with the Chicago Cubs, posting a 3.91 ERA across 57 appearances. He broke into the majors with the St. Louis Cardinals, where he finished with an ERA of 2.75 or better in four of his first five seasons before struggling in 2014 with a 4.68 mark.

Saunders noted the 33-year-old right-hander dealt with shoulder soreness near the end of last season. If he’s back to full strength, he should be a strong bounce-back candidate.

The Rockies will mark the ninth different stop in Qualls’ career. He sports a 3.80 career ERA, including a 4.38 mark last season. Yet, a 2.99 xFIP and a 8.39 strikeout rate in 2015, per FanGraphs, while with the Houston Astros suggests he pitched better than his ERA would indicate.

Ultimately, Motte and Qualls aren’t going to solve all of Colorado’s woes in the latter innings. The former must prove he’s back to full health, and the latter has endured some up-and-down campaigns over the past handful of years.

They can provide some stability in the late innings if at their respective best. For the Rockies, which struggled mightily in those situations in 2015, it’s worth taking a chance on a pair of resurgent seasons.

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Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported the Colorado Rockies are open to trading outfielder Charlie Blackmon.

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Trading Blackmon Could Upgrade Colorado’s Pitching

Monday, Dec. 7

Blackmon was a solid contributor in 2015, slashing .287/.347/.450, although his 17 home runs and 58 RBI were a drop-off from his 2014 totals.

However, if the Rockies are listening to offers for outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, per Rosenthal, who had a career year with 40 home runs and 97 RBI in 2015, hitting numbers are not what the Rockies are worried about.

Colorado has lost at least 88 games in five straight seasons and posted the worst team ERA in the majors at 5.04 in 2015.

If Colorado can find the right fit for Blackmon, it might be able to land some pitching, even if it’s in the form of prospects. Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post thinks upgrading the starting rotation is the only way the Rockies can compete:

The notion seems to make sense, considering Coors Field is a hitter’s park, to say the least.

Of course, it would be harder to find a pitcher who can perform well in Colorado than it would be to replace Blackmon’s bat in the lineup.

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Colorado Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez is one of the best hitters in baseball, but he could be on the move in the offseason as his team looks to rebuild with an eye on the future.

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Rockies Open to Trading Gonzalez

Sunday, Dec. 6

While Gonzalez drilled 40 home runs and tallied 97 RBI last season, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported Colorado is “open-minded” about trading the outfielder. According to Spotrac, Gonzalez is under contract through the 2017 season, but the Rockies were a dismal 68-94 last season and are likely multiple years away from contention.

The team owes him a combined $37 million in base salary in 2016 and 2017, which is a lot for a potential bottom-feeder in the National League West to dole out to one player.

Trading Gonzalez in the offseason would fit under the sell-high category for the Rockies after he bounced back from an injury-plagued 2014 campaign. Gonzalez played only 70 games in 2014 and hit a career-worst .238 with 11 homers. It was his only season in the last six years in which he hasn’t hit 22 long balls, which is why it was important for him to put up impressive numbers in 2015.

Gonzalez is only 30 years old and theoretically has a couple of years of prime production remaining in the tank. Whichever team trades for him would immediately land a multidimensional talent who could slide right into the middle of its order.

Gonzalez is a solid fielder with experience at all three outfield spots (although he was solely a right fielder last year). According to FanGraphs, Gonzalez has recorded 19 total defensive runs saved above average over the course of his career.

The Rockies traded Troy Tulowitzki last season in a rebuilding effort, and nobody on their roster has as much value as Gonzalez after his formidable 2015. Losing the 2010 National League batting title winner would hurt in the immediate future, but he would net plenty of prospects and potentially open the door for a younger outfielder to take his place.

Baseball America ranked the top 10 prospects in the Colorado system in November, and outfielder David Dahl was second, while outfielder Raimel Tapia was 10th. There are some possible stars waiting in the wings, but don’t expect the Rockies to contend in 2016 without Gonzalez in the middle of their order.

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