Biggest Offseason Additions

Free Agents: Justin Morneau, Boone Logan & LaTroy Hawkins

Trades: Drew Stubbs, Brett Anderson & Brandon Barnes

Biggest Offseason Losses

Retired: Todd Helton

Free Agents: Rafael Betancourt

Trades: Dexter Fowler, Drew Pomeranz, Josh Outman & Jonathan Herrera

Name to Watch in Spring Training: Hawkins

Last season the Rockies had two closers hold down the job.  The first was incumbent Betancourt, who struggled with injury and had an ERA of 4.08 on the season in 32 appearances.  Those kind of stats don’t really scream everyday closer, but the stats of Rex Brothers, a 1.74 ERA in 72 appearances, is a little more like what you’d like to see from that position.  

Brothers is only entering in his third season, though, and that probably led the Rockies to go out and get a veteran that can hold down the job until they felt more sure about the youngster.  As good as Brothers was last season, though, will make it interesting to see how Hawkins performs in spring training.  

He is going to be 42-years-old this season and is coming off of a season in which he pitched 72 innings, the most he pitched since 2003, and although it was one of the most productive years of his career it may have taken a toll on his arm.  If Brothers outperforms Hawkins in spring training it will be interesting to see if the Rockies keep him penciled in as the closer on opening day.

Biggest Spring Training Battle: Barnes and Stubbs

Over three seasons with the Cincinnati Reds it looked like Stubbs was going to be the leadoff hitter for the Reds for a long time.  From 2010 to 2012 he scored more than 90 runs twice and swiped more than 30 bases in each season, but his batting average held him back, and when it dipped to .213 in 2012 it was time for a change.

 He was shipped off to Cleveland for Shin-Soo Choo and failed to live up to the seasons he put up in Cincinnati and now he has yet another new home.  He will be competing for time in left field with Barnes who is coming off of his first full season at the majors, and he showed that he has potential.  Nothing Barnes did offensively jumps off of the page.

 He only hit .240 and only knocked in and scored just over 40 runs, but it is his defensive ability and versatility that made him so attractive to the Rockies.  Spring training will be important for both of these guys.  If one of these two slips up, they could go from fighting for the starting spot in left to fighting for time with players like Cory Dickerson and Charlie Blackmon.

What Went Right in 2013

The biggest thing that went right for the Rockies in 2013 was a much improve pitching staff.  It didn’t hold up through the entire season, but the pitching staff was in the top ten in ERA for the first half of the season, and by the time the season ended they had improved by .78 points on their overall team ERA from 5.22 in 2012 to 4.44 in 2013.  

This improvement wasn’t enough, though, as the front office has made efforts so far this offseason to continue to improve the team's pitching for 2014.

Biggest Areas of Improvement in 2014

The team has made a lot of improvements for the 2014 season on paper.  They have continued a focus on pitching, with an extra focus on the bullpen.  The signings of Logan and Hawkins solidify the back end of the bullpen, and if Brothers can come close to what he did in 2013, they could have one of the most formidable bullpens in the National League.  

They also improved outfield depth, which was a big issue last season when perennial MVP candidate Carlos Gonzalez went down with injury.  The additions of Barnes and Stubbs not only gives them a possible starter for left field, but gives them a solid backup in case someone goes down.

Overall Spring Training Preview

The Rockies have an uphill battle in the NL West.  The Dodgers, Giants, and Diamondbacks have all made improvements that could make them each favorites to win the division, and they all finished ahead of the Rockies in the 2013 standings.  

This makes spring very important for the team.  They will have the chance to see who fits where in a lineup that is up in the air at the top and bottom of the order.  Focus in spring will be to find out who can be the leadoff guy to set the table at the top of the order and set things up for the five power guys who will be hitting in the middle of the order.