Rockies Take 1st Off-Season Step, Signing Multi-Year Deals with Senzatela and Cron

Three days after having the interim title removed and becoming the Rockies general manager, Bill Schmidt took his first step in putting together the 2022 version of the Rockies.

He signed right-handed pitcher Antonio Senzatela to a five-year, $50.5 million contract that includes an option worth $14 million a year before Senzatela would be free-agent eligible, and retained veteran first baseman C.J. Cron to a two-year, $14.5 million deal.

The Rockies are looking to provide stability with key players that will return in 2022, but also are focused on finding help from outside. Indications are they want to add to legitimate power hitters, and a bullpen closer. Among the 30 major-league teams, the Rockies 33 saves ranked ahead of only Pittsburgh (25 saves), Baltimore (26 saves) and Arizona (22 saves).

There was talk at the trade deadline that right-hander Jon Gray had asked the Rockies to not make a trade involving him because he wanted to remain with the Rockies, even though he is now free-agent eligible. Whether Gray can convince his agent not to explore the free agent market remains to be seen.

Senzatela and Cron, however, did not waste time in getting their situations settled.

With Senzatela signed, the Rockies already know they have four of five slots in the rotation set with Senzatela, German Marquez, Kyle Freeland and Austin Gomber. In the background, if Gray does not return, is former first-round draft choice Ryan Rolison, who made the jump from Double-A to Triple-A in June with the anticipation he would join the big-league team by mid-August.

Rolison, however, wound up having to undergo surgery to remove his appendix, and in working out to rejoin the Isotopes rotation suffered a broken finger, which kept him out for nearly two months. He was inconsistent initially when he returned to game action but worked six shutout innings in his final start for Triple-A Albuquerque.

He is headed to the Dominican Republic this winter, where he will make five starts to build arm strength and then return home to begin off-season workouts in preparation for the 2022 season.

Schmidt, meanwhile, is getting ready for his first off-season as the man in charge of the organization, after spending the last 22 as the Rockies scouting director.

And on Tuesday he took an impressive first step in the signings of Senzatela and Cron.

“We made it known our pitching (rotation) is a good thing and we want to try and keep it together,” said Schmidt. “It takes two to tango and he wanted to be here.”

Just 26, Senzatela was a misleading 4-10 with a 4.42 ERA. His season was bookended by a season-opening start in which he gave up seven runs on 3 1/3 innings against the Dodgers and ended with a Saturday start at Arizona, where he retired only two batters and gave up six runs.

In 26 starts between the first and final starts of the season, Senzatela had a 3.77 ERA.

Two stats that stick out as impressive for a pitcher in Coors Field are Senzatela ranking second in the NL by inducing 19 doubles plays, and averaging 1.84 walks per nine innings, the third-best ratio in the NL.

In eight starts prior to his season-ending disappointment in Arizona, Senzatela was only 2-0, but he had a 2.67 ERA, striking out 31 and walking seven while allowing 16 earned runs in 54 innings. He was only 3-3 in 15 starts at Coors Field, but again the visible numbers belie his success. He had a 3.97 ERA in the hitter-friendly ballpark.

“He kept us in games and gave us a chance to win if you look at what he did,” said Schmidt. “I see a lot of positives.”

Cron, who will turn 32 in January, provided the Rockies veteran leadership in the field, and finished the season hitting .281 with 28 home runs, 92 RBI and 142 games played. He struggled early, but then he had only played in 13 games with Detroit in 2020 before undergoing season-ending knee surgery.

Given regular playing time from the start of the season, Cron showed his potential in the final two months, hitting .337 with 14 home runs and 49 RBI in his final 55 games.

“He is a positive influence on the other players, and he wanted to be here,” said Schmidt.

Signing Cron gives the Rockies time to watch the development of two highly-thought-of first basemen.

Grant Lavigne, the 42nd player selected in the 2018 draft out, was the highest high school draft pick to come out of New Hampshire since pitcher Chris Carpenter was selected by Toronto in the first round exactly 25 years earlier. Lavigne played for both of the Rockies Class A affiliates in 2021, hitting .281 with 40 RBI at Low-A Fresno, and .225 with 18 RBI in 32 games at High-A Spokane.

Michael Toglia was the Rockies’ first-round selection out of UCLA in 2019, who split his year between Spokane and Double-A Hartford, hitting 22 home runs and driving in 84 runs.

While Cron is expected to open the 2022 season as the Rockies first baseman, there also is the anticipation of the National League adopting the DH in either 2022 or 2023, another possibility for Cron if Toglia or Lavigne were to make a sudden jump in the farm system.

Tracy RingolsbyComment