Rockies get some help, but is it enough?
| September 1, 2009 | 10:23 AM
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The Colorado Rockies pulled off one trade Monday night — minutes before the deadline to acquire a player and still have him eligible for the postseason — when another didn’t work out. The team needed a starting pitcher to fill in for the injured Aaron Cook and give the team depth even when Cook comes back. The Rockies wanted Jon Garland from the Arizona Diamondbacks, but settled for Jose Contreras from the Chicago White Sox. Not only did the Rockies not get Garland, he went to the Los Angeles Dodgers, who the Rockies are still chasing in the National League West.
Of the two pitchers — both of whom pitched for the Chicago White Sox in the 2005 World Series — Garland at first would seem to be the better option for the Rockies.
Garland is 8-11 with a 4.29 ERA for the Diamondbacks. Contreras is 5-13 with a 5.42 ERA for the White Sox. But Garland has pitched in the National League West all season and is familiar to most of the teams the Rockies will be playing down the stretch. Contreras, meanwhile, is a mystery to most of the teams — of course, he’s been a bit of a mystery to the White Sox, too, which could present a problem. Garland gives up a lot of hits and doesn’t strike out many hitters (10.1 hits and 4.5 strikeouts per nine innings). Contreras has been hit hard in the last month, but he is still striking out plenty of hitters (9.5 hits and 7.0 strikeouts per nine innings). In the end, Garland might have been a slightly safer bet than Contreras, but Contreras has more potential upside in the next month.
Contreras’ problem has not been his stuff. Four or five starts against batters who have never seen his split-fingered fastball might give Contreras new life. Or he could pick up right where he left off with the White Sox — in his past two starts he allowed 13 hits and five walks in six innings.
Regardless of the potential upside with Contreras, the Rockies still preferred Garland, but the decision came down to what the teams wanted in return. The Diamondbacks wanted the Rockies to pick up Garland’s remaining salary in 2010, plus the buyout on his 2010 mutual option, which could have been as high as $2.5 million. The Rockies were willing to do this, but balked at including one of their better pitching prospects as well. Arizona wanted low Class-A pitcher Juan Nicasio, who just turned 23 and could rise rapidly through the Rockies system after a dominating season. The team would include a prospect or it would pick up the money, but it wouldn’t do both.
With Contreras, the White Sox are picking up nearly everything he is owed. In exchange, the Rockies sacrificed Triple-A pitcher Brandon Hynick.
The former eighth-round pick was once considered one of the Rockies’ best pitching prospects. He’s never had much in the way of stuff, and has risen through the Rockies’ system by knowing how to pitch. Maybe he could have come to the major leagues and thrived with a high 80s fastball and brains. Or maybe he would have been another Bryan Rekar.
The organization was clearly beginning to have its doubts about Hynick as he has been passed in the team’s future plans by Jhoulys Chacin, Esmil Rogers, Chaz Roe, Samuel Deduno and Christian Friedrich, all of whom could be with the Rockies at some point next season. The Rockies have injured pitchers Greg Reynolds and Greg Smith lurking in the background as well. Hynick was simply unlikely to be given much a chance with the Rockies beyond this September. In the end, the team elected to go with the veteran Contreras rather than the rookie Hynick down the stretch.
The truth is, neither Garland nor Contreras is exactly what the Rockies need right now, but at least Contreras comes at the right price. What the Rockies need is their hitters to start hitting, and adding a fifth starter wasn’t going to help that much.
Contreras, however, could add something to the team that Jason Giambi will be bringing as well when he joins the team Tuesday to be another bat off the bench. Contreras and Giambi have played for winners and have been in the middle of must-win situations most of the careers. Over the weekend, the Rockies seemed to lack a sense of urgency against the Giants. They have the talent to beat the Dodgers and Giants in their dugout already. They need to realize that, and a couple proven winners might be enough to convince them.
As for what the Giants and Dodgers did: adding Brad Penny to fill out their rotation fixed a big problem for the Giants, but there’s still no guarantee that the team will score any runs (unless they’re playing the Rockies). Adding Garland was a good move for the Dodgers, but what they really needed was a No. 1 or No. 2 starter, a Roy Halladay or Cliff Lee. Instead they added a No. 4 starter in Garland. It helps the Dodgers, but with Chad Billingsley battling injuries and fatigue, the Dodgers still do not have a pitcher who can go toe-to-toe with Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain or Ubaldo Jimenez. The Dodgers also added designated hitter Jim Thome, a strange move considering Thome has not played in the field regularly since 2005 or at all since 2007. Thome will likely get one at-bat a game as a pinch-hitter, but given the expanded rosters, opponents can keep one lefty in reserve just for Thome, who is hitting just .216 against lefties this season. If the Dodgers get to the World Series, Thome will be a bonus. Until then, he’s just a lefty on the bench with a habit of striking out.
Journals, Sports, Steve Foster
brad penny, brandon hynick, colorado rockies, jason giambi, jim thome, jon garland, jose contreras, los angeles dodgers, san francisco giants
