It’s been a quiet few weeks on the Kris Bryant front since the free-agent market opened, but MLB Network’s Jon Heyman and MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand both report that he has a somewhat surprising suitor in the form of the Rockies (Twitter links). Feinsand suggests that while the Rockies have “real” interest in getting something done, however, there may not be time to put together a contract and complete a physical between now and the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement.
Similarly, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports that it’s “less and less likely” the Rockies will make any sort of major move prior to the lockout (Twitter links). Saunders adds that the Rox have “definite” interest but that Bryant could be eyeing a deal in the $160-170MM range, which likely makes a more affordable outfield target (e.g. Michael Conforto) more palatable in Denver.
A deal with Bryant would be at least somewhat surprising given that the Rockies last major, nine-figure expenditure (Nolan Arenado) resulted in a trade to St. Louis that saw Colorado covering more than $50MM of the guaranteed money on the deal. The Rockies also balked at even a qualifying offer for righty Jon Gray and haven’t to this point been strongly linked to their own free agent with a case for a nine-figure deal: Trevor Story.
That said, it’s easy to see how Bryant could fit into the Colorado lineup — either in the outfield or at third base. The Rox could play Ryan McMahon at second base, move Brendan Rodgers to his original position (shortstop) and clear an easy path for Bryant at the hot corner.
In the outfield, things are even more open. Neither center fielder Sam Hilliard nor infielder/outfielder Garrett Hampson has provided any offense over the past two seasons, and while Connor Joe hit well this past season, it was only a sample of 211 plate appearances for the 29-year-old journeyman. Charlie Blackmon remains entrenched in right field, but it’d be easy to write Bryant in as the primary left fielder and let the others vie for time in center and/or around the infield.
It remains to be seen whether the Rockies will actually engage in a serious pursuit of Bryant or are merely hoping to serve as an opportunistic landing spot in the event his market doesn’t crystallize as hoped. But from a payroll vantage point, Colorado can certainly afford to make a splash of that nature. The Rox currently have about $103.5MM in projected salary, per Roster Resource — a far cry from the franchise-record $136MM payroll.
The dollars on any offer to Bryant will be paramount for Colorado — perhaps more so than with other teams. While Bryant would surely be intrigued by playing half his games at Coors Field, the Rockies’ generally noncompetitive status for the past several seasons could make for a tough sell to high-end free agents — at least if they have comparable offers from contending clubs. The Rockies have made some moves early in the offseason, re-signing would-be free agents C.J. Cron and Jhoulys Chacin while extending both righty Antonio Senzatela and catcher Elias Diaz.
However, all of those pieces were already in place in a 2021 season that resulted in a lowly 74-87 finish. Meanwhile, the Rox have already lost Gray to the Rangers and could potentially lose their best position player, Story. A series of extensions for 2021 holdovers shows a willingness to spend some money — as does even passing interest in Bryant — but doesn’t make a particularly compelling sales pitch for prospective free agents hoping to sign with a win-now team. That’s not to say the Rockies don’t have any chance at signing Bryant (or another free agent of this caliber), but they’ll likely need to go the extra mile in terms of an additional year and/or a premium in terms of annual salary — similar to the Rangers’ approach this winter.
Rockies moment
Conforto should go to the Rockies. He needs that high altitude to learn how to hit again. If he takes a pillow deal someone might actually pay him a lot after next season.
Monfort; “Now what about this Chris Brian guy?”
Schmidt; “Uhh, you mean Kris Bryant, sir!”
Monfort; “ Yea him, how much for him?”
Schmidt; “Well, probably about $160M sir”
Monfort; Hmmm, sounds like a lot, what about this Story guy, didn’t he used to play for us?”
Schmidt; “Actually he did sir, he hated your guts & that’s why he doesn’t play for us anymore.”
Monfort; “Hmmm, this stuff is REALLY good, go ahead & twist up another one Schmidty. Oh yea!
Alright, who else you got dude.”
Ahahahaha!
The Rockies being interested in Kris Bryant is like me being interested in a super model. I think our odds of landing them are pretty similar.
So a good chance that Bryant is a Rockie 😉
So you’re saying there’s a chance.
That’s sounds like my friends.
A girl tells them, ‘you have a better chance of hitting the lottery than hooking up with me’
When the story makes it back to me, he says ‘yeah, me and her were talking about hooking up together’
That Veronica Vaughn is one piece of ace, I know from experience dude. If you know what I mean.
No you dont
I think there are probably quite a few super models who you could hook up with for 160 million bucks.
He could definitely hook up with Tess Holiday
Gross
I said dollars, not donuts.
I remember debating giants fans that not only wouldn’t giants extend Bryant before free agency but that they wouldn’t try hard at all to sign him period! Farhan is pretty predictable at least until he knows he has a annual contender he’s loathe to have guys under contract for more then 2 years beyond special cases and Bryant isn’t a special case
If SF really had any intention of bringing him back, it would have been done already. Maybe losing Gausman and having to pivot energy to SP has consumed the front office agenda, but I’d wager that KB wasn’t ever a huge priority to begin the offseason.
For the giants the price to rent him waa so inconsequential! Solid return for the Cubs but guys giants wouldn’t protect from the rule 5 anyways! They got a better return for hair a season of Baez
The Giants traded two very good prospects to the Cubs, go look up Caleb Killian. Canario is also a very good OF prospect, but the Giants at the time needed a 40 man roster spot and had to trade him to not lose him for nothing.
I really don’t understand Zaidi, I hope last years success doesn’t go to his head that he can continue to find diamonds in the rough, eventually you have to pay for talent if you want to raise that trophy.
Reports from earlier in the off season said that the Giants weren’t impressed by what they saw from Bryant. He’s going elsewhere.
Giants clearly have a plan – address the rotation first and foremost because those holes in the rotation aren’t going to fill themselves. Wait out the position players and address needs on shorter term pillow contracts in January and February. No sense in overpaying wildly for too many years on an impulse purchase.
This would be bittersweet if it ever happened. I go to Denver twice a year. Mostly based around cubs games. This is the last thing I want to see. I think he goes north west to Seattle. I think I had him either re-signing with SF or SD. The latter would be difficult with Hosmer and Myers on the books.
6-160 to the Mariners. That’s where I believe Bryant lands.
Nah 6/160.5. Too many 6’s in a row for the aav
What a dysfunctional franchise. Sign another guy to a huge contract, then trade him away and eat the money 1.5yrs later.
If it works as well for them as the Arenado trade did, that’s exactly what they should do.
I always wonder what the players think when they see tweets about interest or the Rockies communicate they’re interested directly. I wonder what KB’s reaction was
What, as opposed to the Rangers, who finished something like 15 games worse than the Rockies last year and don’t play in front of 30k every night like the Rockies?
In other words the Rockies are content with being a 75 win team for the next decade
I see Jon Heyman is smoking that good Colorado today…..
Maybe that’s what Bryant wants to be able to do
It’s the fault of all you darn hippies in the old Mile High. I think the Rox FO is literally making it a mile high. The Rox made more sense before they legalized dope.
OTOH, maybe this is making it easier on the fans.
I think it’s the Rockies FO that stays high. This move preceded by the ridiculous trading deadline standstill, the Arenado fleecing and the Desmond signing would be enough to warrant a visit to rehab
The Desmond deal never fails to bring a smile to my face. They paid $70M for a player, and didn’t even have a position to play him.
No just doing what Boras tells him to do. Guess he roped Feinsand in too this time. I doubt the Rockies are actually that interested. Not their kind of move. I’d expect them to be more interested in someone like Conforto, who’s younger and left handed and cheaper, or perhaps bringing Story back. But they let themselves be used like this quite a bit. They have no interest in leaking back that the story’s wrong.
He’d RAKE there
That’s what i was thinking. No pressure and put up stupid numbers.
Monfort is a chea-pass. No way he ponies up enough to be Bryant’s best option.
Monfort’s a lot of things, including dumb about baseball, but cheap isn’t one of them. The Rockies run up a higher payroll per size of market than almost any team in baseball, consistently. And that’s as one of the poorer (relatively speaking) owners in the game.
This has about the same chance as me rooting for the Guardindians.
Without offense in that place, they’d need a few dozen 10¢ Beer Nights but otherwise, it makes no sense at all, unless they think Bryant is ok with playing on a Team to Nowhere, so long as he can pad his stats in Coors.
Wonder how many years Bryant wants for that amount of money. Would love my Sox to be all over that, but The Russa prefers players like Leury Garcia.
Leury as a utility, Bryant signed for rf and see what it would take to trade for Whit Merrefield for 2nd
I can’t imagine Bryant would have any interest in Colorado unless they also resigned Story. If a team isn’t willing to hold on to their own star players it is going to be hard to attract one from outside the organization.
Huh. Must be why the Rangers were able to sign Semien and Seager after trading away their remaining stars … (For the record, the Rockies are famous around baseball for irrationally clinging to their own guys, not the reverse. That’s what made the Arenado thing so weird.)
Bad take and really comparing apples to oranges. Rangers have always shown a willingness to sign big FA and to try to retain their own. They at least knew they were due for a rebuild and followed a plan to get to this point by clearing salary, build their farm, so they could have plenty of room for their recent signings. The Rockies have shown they have no plan in place, from not trading Story or Gray before the deadline to not giving Gray a QO so they could land a compensatory draft pick. Really, bad decision after bad decision going back prior to the Arenado trade.
This is mental
Stay away we need him in Seattle!
Meh, I would rather sign Story. He would be an upgrade at either 2nd or 3rd defensively, add the same power numbers, and not the extensive injury history of Bryant.. Bryant can play the outfield but that is really not a huge concern for the M’s in the upcoming years.
No way does Kris Bryant or anyone else worth .10 is going to Colorado. That organization needs to be SOLD.
No offense man – but you’re a moron. While I’d love to have a different owner NOT related to the Monfort or McMorris families, respectfully – the one thing I NEVER want to see is the Rockies sold to someone interested in moving them.
Coors Field is the MLB’s most beautiful. I’ve been to ALL thirty of them. The city of Denver comes out and really loves this team; we simply willing to do whatever is necessary to win a Championship.
I’m hoping Brittany Bowlen takes her share of the Broncos sell and purchases the Rockies baseball team so she can build her own legacy, lol.
That’s cool that you’ve been able to go to every MLB park. I’ve never been, but I always hear about Pittsburgh being the nicest. What’s your opinion on that place??
I tend to think that Bryant had a taste of winning, so he’s not going to wanna sign up for a rebuild. So, he’ll probably politely say “no thank you” to Colorado. However, ya never know when it comes to hitters. They all know/assume that their numbers would be ridiculous in Colorado. Starting Pitchers on the other hand……Let’s just say that Colorado would have to outbid everyone else probably, imho.
But is Bryant interested in the Rockies? Only for leverage…
No offense to Rockies fans but why would he sign with this the disorganized mess that is Colorado?
Hitters dream about their numbers playing half their games there, probably. Bryant’s had a taste of winning though. So, he’s probably not going to wanna sign up for a rebuild, imho. Ya never know with FA hitters though, as evidenced by the past. SP’s would be much harder for Colorado to sign, imho.
It doesn’t surprise me one bit that the Rockies are interested in kris Bryant . They have been interested in him for years . Ever since he was drafted Dan O’Dowd the Rockies former gm said that they were interested in taking him back when they drafted Jon gray in the 2013 mlb draft . But I like the fit for kris Bryant with the Rockies . He wouldn’t be playing much of the infield he would be there outfielder to replace Charlie Blackmon . So Blackmon could be the dh. I don’t agree much with the Rockies signing Michal comforto over kris Bryant tho . Bryant would cost more probably but he gives you more versatility and he doesn’t have the qualifying offer attached to him . So the Rockies wouldn’t have to give up a draft pick .
if colorado really wants him – offer him like 1-2 years with a 35mm AAV, or with an opt out after year 1 – give him a year to hit in CO to parlay it into a big contract
They’re idiots for having interest and he’d be an idiot for signing
Boras to Bryant….Ah…Kris sorry I’ve been busy. Let’s just leak some off the wall rumor like the Rockies are interested, that should start getting people interested. Also you know some GM will believe and make an offer competing against himself.
The Rox never fail to amuse me. But just so I understand:
They extended Arenado for $260M/8, which was too high.
Then, only one year later, paid $51,000,000 to StL to get rid of him.
So, had they not traded Arenado, they would owe him $164M, and would still have $51M, making the marginal cost $113M/5. But instead, they are going to pay Bryant $160M? This is just like Preller. The team would be better off if all the telephone lines were cut.
The Rockies have already paid half of that $51m, so your numbers are off, and they got a nice return in that trade. If you think about it as trading Arenado for Bryant (a more or less even exchange on the field and in dollars but Bryant is younger), and getting Montero and Gomber for free, heck yeah. Works for me.
Not to mention they disrespected a hall of famer! They chose there gm over nolan what does that tell you. I don’t mind that they traded nolan arenado but they waited and traded him in a year where he had his worst season offensively . They always wait to long to trade there players . Look at the tulo trade how did that turn out for them ?
Even if the Rockies sign comforto or Bryant . They need to do more than that to be competitive . I don’t want them to just sign one free agent then sit on there hands and do nothing for the rest of the off-season . How about replacing Jon gray . They need to be looking at pitching depth outside the organization to through free agency or trades , plus bring in some much late inning relievers either through trade or free agency . You can’t just rely on Rollison and lambert two bright and up coming prospects yes but they are always hurt . And they need to either Bring back story or look for one year deals for shortstops on the open market my pick is Jose Iglesias to replace Trevor story .
Lol, I mean they got a good return for Nolan so.
Can’t tell if sarcastic. They actually did.
I like the sarcasm lol . Sure gomber and montero are a good return in a package of players . But they shouldn’t be the headliners in a trade like this. Should have been some top prospects or a young controllable player or two as the headliners in a trade like this. For a future hall of famer no way this trade should have been orchestrated like this ! Point blank and simple they waited to long to trade Nolan arenado .
It’s not a terrible idea. Bryant will be cheaper than Arendado in terms of years and AAV and provides some versatility. They can then possibly sign Story, whose contract would be in line with Baez’s as opposed to the massive one Seager got. Losing Gray hurts them, but he’s no star and is replaceable. The team otherwise played well in the second half, which is something to build on. It’s not all gloom and doom. If they feel the Giants and Dodgers night come back to the pack a little, it might worth their while to try competing as they replenish the farm.
*Arenado
If they wouldn’t have ate 50 mill plus of Arenados contract I might get agree but they did and they got marginal return at best.. dumb dumb dumb organization
New GM and expanded playoffs are on the horizon. It’s not far-fetched to think they can compete for a playoff spot right away. Try to look at it from the probable Rockies perspective, which is really the only perspective that matters. Going for a playoff spot in 2022 would generate fan interest, which is good for the long-term health of the franchise.
Bud Black has been almost 0.500 as a manager with the Rockies for five years, he does a great job with the personnel they have. They are not doormats, just middle of the road. Just the Dodgers have been on a run for a decade and the Giants joined them last year. If the playoffs are expanded much, Rockies could make playoffs although they lack the elite pitching that often carries postseason play.
He can pad his numbers and continue to look better than he is
Rockies paying 50 mill of Aerenados contract already for the Cardinals and now want another high priced 3rd basemen? These guys are idiots.. if anything should have let him walk if he was unhappy.. prospects they got in teturn weren’t worth it.. ridiculous
Not happening
More:
Major League Baseball is talking about expanding the playoff field to 14 teams. The Rockies were 74-87 in 2021. That includes going 49-46 over their last 95 games after a dreadful 25-41 start. The sixth and seventh teams in the NL were the Reds 83-79) and the Phillies (82-80). Improving the roster would in theory put the Rockies in the playoff hunt, even if the expanded field is 12 teams instead of 14. You also have to figure there will be more winnable games in their division since the Giants and Dodgers are unlikely to repeat the extraordinary seasons they had in 2021. The top of the Rockies’ rotation is otherwise good enough to give them an opportunity to do damage in October. And if they’re in the hunt at the trade deadline, they can make a trade or two to fill whatever pressing needs they might have.
That’s the value of an expanded playoff field: It gives more teams a chance to contend, which increases fan interest and makes more money for both the owners and the players. There’s also less of a need for teams to do a complete teardown.
Rockies are going to be the 4th best team in the NL West for years to come. Regardless of expansion of the playoffs they are going to beat up within the division for the next few years. Signing Bryant doesn’t make a lot of sense for a team that needs to go into rebuild mode.
Why do they need to tank? Why should any team need to tank? Being competitive now won’t keep them from drafting and developing players. Long rebuilds are bad for the game.
I never said tank, but rebuild. At some point you get diminishing returns on your team even with star players. Teams need to be able to know when you need to shed salary and to begin opening up spots for players who you believe are going to be part of future. Otherwise you will be mediocre for years. Sometimes its best to pull the band aid off and build for the future.
Agree, they outplayed the Padres in the second half no one says Padres should tank.
@MannyBeingMVP, Expanded playoffs will change how teams are built. With the road to playoffs being less-steep, they’ll be able to compete and build for the future simultaneously. That’s great for the game and its fans. No more fans shifting their attention to football every August because their baseball is hopelessly out of contention.
While Bryant would probably be intrigued thinking about his potential numbers playing half his games in Colorado, I’m thinking that the taste of winning he’s had so far will have him not wanting any part of a rebuild. As of right now, my guess would be that the Giants are the front runners for Bryant. Seattle would probably be 2nd, imho.
Ask Arenado how that panned out?
Pipe dream!
maybe Rockies turn to now go wild? Kris Bryant, Michael Conforto, Marcus Stroman, Joe Kelly
Do it!
Not bad at all. I can see Stroman succeeding there and giving them a pretty solid rotation. See that? A possible expanded playoff field has people talking about Rockies baseball in the wintertime. That’s good for the game, right?
I think this would be a great fit for both. I don’t see Bryant as a NY guy. Denver or Seattle make more sense.
Put the pipe down brother.
This is like an onion headline lol. After paying a team to take arenado, letting story go, hiring a new GM from inside the same rotten failing house, not giving qo to gray……the team that did all that is now suddenly interested in spending on a good free agent? We’re supposed to believe that? Sounds like this rumor started from Monforts office
The longer this plays out, the more likely he ends up a Brewer! They love utility and guys that have power. He checks a lot of boxes…
The Rockies have retooled, reloaded and are rejuvenated for their epic world series run in 2022. While other teams slept, the Rockies have developed a goliath in hitting, pitching, base stealing and team management. Raise the ticket prices. This team is the best ever put together in the modern era.