According to a new article on mlb.com, the Rockies apparently have not ruled out attempting to retain the franchise's all-time saves leader, Brian Fuentes.
Long thought that T-Rex would bolt once the season so ignominiously ended, initial reports were that the Rockies hadn't even remained in contact with either Fuentes or his agent; it sounds like O'Dowd has had a change of heart.
The article states that, while the Rockies are not likely to offer Fuentes the kind of money he would command on the free-agent market, they are willing to offer him another year of arbitration, in hopes that he'll want to stay with the team where he became a three-time All Star.
- B/R Ticket Guide
This past season, Fuentes started the year as the set-up man to Manny Corpas, but regained the closer's role after Corpas struggled mightily in the opening month.
Fuentes had arguably his most dominant year with the Rockies, compiling a 2.73 ERA and 30 saves. His four to one strikeout/walk ratio was the best of his career and his stretch from Aug. 15 to September 17 saw him allow a paltry three hits and strike out 24.
While it seems that O'Dowd might simply be trying to regain some of the fans' trust he lost when he dealt the team's best player for three supplemental parts, I'm not sure how serious these talks with Fuentes will be.
If Fuentes knows he can obtain a three-year deal on the open market, what makes O'Dowd think that Fuentes will humor him when he sees the club's hometown offer?
Let's hope that Fuentes will be committed to the Rockies' plan, however twisted and inconceivable it may be.
comments (3) write a comment »
write a new comment
about 1 month ago
That would give them three potential guys who could close games.
I don't see Fuentes going for that though. He can cash in right behind K-Rod.. He's going to do it.
from about 1 month ago
Oh yeah, he's going to command major money on the market once teams realize that K-Rod is way too expensive. Maybe the Indians can give him a shot. They need a closer and I don't think that Jensen Lewis is really the answer even though he did well down the stretch last year.
from about 1 month ago
Fuentes is going to be out of our price range in terms of years it looks like. One too many years.
I'm a big fan of Lewis. He's got a great attitude to get the job done and the Indians are actually not that worried if he's the guy going into next season. Obviously they would like to get another guy in there, but not just what he did, but how he did it down the stretch was real encouraging.
write a new comment