Jon Gray

Rockies not selling the farm but will be open-minded in search for pitching

Published Nov. 12, 2015 4:05 p.m. ET

foxsports

The Colorado Rockies have a few areas to address this offseason, but none is more of a priority than its pitching staff.

General manager Jeff Bridich says that while he isn't interested in depleting the organization's top young talent and prospects, he's keeping an open mind in his approach to improving the team.

"When I say we're open to whatever, I mean it," Bridich told reporters on a conference call Wednesday. "I don't think we'll ever be in a 'sell the farm' mode. I don't think that's a wise decision for us. But you have to be open minded to things that can improve your ballclub."

While the Rockies have veteran Jorge De La Rosa and promising rookie Jon Gray in their rotation, they need to add at least a pair of solid starters in order to be competitive in 2016.

Overall, Colorado's pitching staff ranked last in MLB in ERA (5.04), WHIP (1.51) opponent average (.283), and opponent OPS (.814) this past season.

While the thin air of their home field certainly doesn't help their pitching statistics, the Rockies still didn't rank well in games away from Coors Field, as they were slotted 21st in ERA (4.37), 26th in WHIP (1.43), 19th in opponent batting average (.262), and 26th in opponent OPS (.767) in road games in 2015.

Bridich hinted that the Rockies might be better suited pursuing pitching through the trade market instead of free agency.

"It's probably easier to get aggressive on the trade front, especially early on," he said. "Free agents like to see what the full market is, most of them. But we'll run parallel courses to the best of our ability."

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Jon Gray

Colorado Rockies

Major League Baseball