MLB Fastball 1.26.08: Rockies Re-sign Tulowitzki And Holliday
Posted by Neil Borenstein on 01.26.2008
The Colorado Rockies had their most successful season in franchise history last year. Matt Holliday and Troy Tulowitzki were two big reasons for that, and the Rockies re-signed both of them. In this edition of MLB Fastball, Neil Borenstein takes a look at both deals, as well as a concern with an unimpressive starting pitching staff.
Rockies Ink Franchise Players
Tulowitzki, Holliday Receive Extensions
Photo Credit: Yahoo! Sports
The Rockies gave their star batter, Matt Holliday, a two-year extension.
The success of the Colorado Rockies turned out to be one of the biggest surprises that the 2007 season had to offer. They finished the regular season winning 14 of their last 15 games to grab the National League Wild Card spot and the team's first playoff berth since 1995. The Rockies' hot streak continued into the playoffs. They won their next seven games against the Philadelphia Phillies and Arizona Diamondbacks for two straight series sweeps, granting them the franchise's first appearance in the World Series. And despite losing to the Boston Red Sox in four games, the Rockies were still one of the hottest teams toward the end of the last season.
Colorado has no interest in losing any steam going into the 2008 season. Though the first pitch is still about two months away, the Rockies have been gearing up lately by making sure their most important players are locked up in Colorado for many years.
On Wednesday, the Rockies inked shortstop Troy Tulowitzki to a six-year, $31 million contract. Such a deal is the largest for any player with less than two years experience in the MLB. On Jan. 18, the Rockies signed their biggest offensive threat and runner-up to the 2007 NL MVP Award, left fielder Matt Holliday, to a two-year, $23 million contract with much optimism that both team and player would like the relationship to last even longer.
Tulowitzki is coming off an incredible rookie season. He not only became a solid option at the plate for the Rockies, but he was perhaps the best defensive shortstop in the league, as well. He was unjustly left out of National League Gold Glove contention. But he was still very exceptional on the defensive side of the ball with league-leading statistics in fielding percentage (.987), double plays (114), assists (561) and total chances (834.) He also had only 11 errors over the course of the season, in which he played 155 games.
Tulowitzki put up some pretty impressive offensive numbers, too. He saw 609 at bats, which ranked 15th in the National League. He hit .291 at the plate with 33 doubles, five triples, 24 home runs, 99 RBIs and 104 runs scored. His base stealing wasn't tremendous, as he was successful in only seven out of 13 chances. But having that ability in his arsenal just adds to his value to the club.
Skepticism always sets in for me when a player is paid a rich contract based solely on one season of great play in the Majors. In Tulowitzki's case, it was his only season. However, at an average of a little over $5 million per season, it's hard to get worked up over the deal since it's technically a steal based on the current market in baseball if Tulowitzki continues to produce like he did last season.
Photo Credit: Yahoo! Sports
Troy Tulowitzki received the longest contract for a player with less than two years of experience based on a strong rookie season.
The contract itself is pretty backloaded. Tulowitzki will see $750,000 in both 2008 and 2009, $3.5 million in 2010, $5.5 million in 2011, $8.5 million in 2012 and $10 million in 2013. There is also a club option for 2014 that will cost the Rockies $15 million if they choose to exercise it, or $2 million if they decide to buy it out. Essentially, the Rockies are paying $5 million for the first half of the deal and $24 million for the second half (not including the option year.) Even after the first three seasons, the deal will then average out to $8 million per season, which is still pretty nice for a player of Tulowitzki's caliber. So while he's been dealt this record contract by the Rockies based on one season of play, it's still a worthy investment from the team even if he slips a bit in production based on what other players of his ilk are making.
Holliday did not receive the length Tulowitzki did in his contract, but he did receive a nice payday with $23 million coming his way over two years. Holliday is receiving a pretty nice raise from the $4.4 million he made last season with a $9.5 million salary in 2008 and $13.5 million in 2009.
Holliday was not only the Rockies' leader in almost all of the important offensive categories, but he was also an NL leader in many as well. He finished the season with a .340 batting average, with Chipper Jones coming second in the NL at .337. Holliday also led the NL in RBIs with 137, ahead of Ryan Howard by one. Holliday was fourth in the NL with 36 home runs. A part of his game Colorado wants Holliday to improve upon next season is his base stealing. They would like him to steal more, which shouldn't be impossible as he was a decent 11 for 15 last season.
Holliday has steadily improved his game in every one of his four years in the Majors. He is without a doubt one of the best offensive forces in the league. And it's nice to see that he's not just a power bat at the expense of discipline hitting, ranking high in both departments. It makes him a more versatile hitter.
Keeping him in Colorado for the next two years is great. It keeps him out of the free agent spotlight until at least the 2009 season. But it's hardly enough to satisfy everybody involved. Fans most certainly want Holliday to remain a Rockie long-term, but management has to want that as well. And they do. It just depends on the price. Holliday is definitely on board, and is willing to give a bit of a hometown discount to the Rockies. However, he is not willing to accept an offer far off his worth.
"It's important to me. I want to stay. But it has to be a mutual feeling and there has to be compromise from both sides," Holliday said to Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post. "I am not looking for top years and top dollar. But they have to be in the ballpark."
Holliday apparently wants a deal consisting of at least six years on top of the current extension he will be playing under. It's assumed he's looking for something in the realm of what Todd Helton received from the Rockies, which was nine years at $141.5 million. Even though Helton has really been a solid player for the Rockies, outside of a year or two, out of that deal, I'm not sure they want to go down that path again of committing so many years and so much money into a player, no matter his production.
Those negotiations likely aren't going to end anytime soon, and it's probably going to take talks well into the 2009 season before anything is finalized. For right now, though, Holliday is in Colorado and making a dollar figure not exactly near his worth, but close enough at $11.5 million on average per year.
The re-signings of these two players is a good sign for the Rockies, who definitely don't want to take a step back from their recent success. Winning the pennant is one thing, but going all the way is the ultimate goal of any franchise. And the Rockies have to feel that if they can build upon what they did last season, a NL West crown could be in order as well as a strong shot at competing for the World Series Trophy.
Holliday and Tulowitzki are going to be big pieces in attempting to make that dream a reality. As will Brad Hawpe, Garrett Atkins and Helton. But those players might not be enough, as the Rockies' starting pitching still leaves a lot to be desired.
Jeff Francis is really the only bright spot in the rotation. He went 17-9 over the course of 2007, with a 1-3 April being the only month of disappointment. Starting in May, he put up a 16-6 record and was also a huge arm in the playoffs with a win against both the Phillies and the Diamondbacks.
It's expected that following Francis in the rotation will be Ubaldo Jiménez, Aaron Cook, Jason Hirsh and Kip Wells. That's a bit difficult to get excited over, and it's going to take a lot from Colorado's offense and fielding to get wins for those pitchers. The recently signed Josh Towers could find himself a spot in the starting rotation. But he's hardly an upgrade over any of the pitchers currently slated for the 2-5 spots.
Understandably, there isn't very much on the market right now that isn't without risk. There are those starters who could be impact pitchers, but come with question marks that don't necessarily make them extremely better options than what Colorado is running with now. And bringing Josh Fogg back into the mix isn't an answer, either.
Offering a one-year deal to either Kris Benson or Freddy García wouldn't be the worst move in the world, just to give the Rockies a veteran option for the No. 3 or 4 slot that could pan out. Injuries make them big risks, but they could also be high-reward investments that don't cost a lot of money to bring in. It's not the ultimate fix the Rockies need in their rotation. But it might help, as again, there isn't an option available to Rockies right now that will make their starting rotation amazing. They will rely heavily on Francis in his starts, and hope that the offense and fielding of their other stars can backup the rest of the rotation well enough for wins.
Realistically, the Rockies aren't really going into this season with much less than what they had last season, anyway. And as their 90-win campaign from 2007 will tell you, what the Rockies have might just be enough. I doubt it. But it might.
Outside of starting pitching, though, Colorado wants to make sure that the players key to their success from last season are going to remain wearing Rockies uniforms for quite some time. With Tulowitzki signed for the next six years and Holliday in the lineup until at least 2009 with plans to extend his tenure even further, there should be more building and improvement upon the success of the franchise's best campaign in team history last season.
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