Colorado Rockies' Best Offseason Move: Letting Brian Fuentes Go

The Angels made a big splash before the New Year with the signing of closer Brian Fuentes to a two-year deal worth $17.5 million.

Many experts considered him the second best closer on the market this offseason, right behind departed Angel, and now New York Met, Francisco Rodriguez. 

Rodriguez departed the Angels after setting the single-season record for saves with 62.  He finished third overall in the National League Cy Young voting and sixth in the MVP voting.

Rockies fans have reacted poorly to the organization not pursuing a long-term deal with the All-Star closer.

Many believed that the Rockies should have at least made an effort to sign Fuentes, whose two-year deal was nothing near the $30 million that many thought he would get when the season came to a close.

The Rockies had entertained the thought of trading him at the July 31 deadline, deciding to hold on to him, deciding not to fold too early in the weak N.L. West.

The Rockies did this knowing that what they received in return may not be as valuable as the two compensatory picks that they would receive if Fuentes spurned arbitration and tested the free agent market.

The Rockies thought briefly about attempting to sign Fuentes, but after acquiring Huston Street from the A's in the Matt Holliday deal, Fuentes became expendable.

The Rockies will go into 2009 with Street, Manny Corpas, and Taylor Buchholz as potential closers. GM Dan O'Dowd has said that Street will go into camp with the advantage.

While many fans remember the second half of 2008, in which Fuentes blew only one save after June 30 and finished the season with a 2.73 ERA.

However, many fans will also recall the number of late innings they spent biting their nails down to the cuticles as Fuentes struggled to find his changeup, or could not locate his slider.

Fuentes lost his closers role in late June of 2007 after he set a Major League record by blowing four saves in four games, helping the Rockies dig themselves into a hole that would take a miracle run to recover from.

While Fuentes has been an All-Star three times, he has never been a dominant closer type. Teams never felt like the game was over because Brian Fuentes was coming to the hill.

Rarely did Fuentes have a clean ninth inning, and often times he would get up on a righty 0-2 before throwing an inside slider that would hit the batter, which was usually followed by another batter or two to find his control again.

In fact, in 2005,his first year as an All-Star, Fuentes hit 10 batters and threw eight wild pitches in 74-1/3 innings pitched. In his career, Fuentes has a WHIP of 1.237, not exactly the mark of a dominant closer.

In his final year with the Rockies, Fuentes only blew four saves, however, he did not begin the year in the closers role. 

Fuentes regained the roll of closer after Manny Corpas, who helped the Rockies to their miracle pennant run in 2007, faltered in early 2008.

After becoming the closer again, Fuentes had his fair share of struggles, finally finding a groove after giving up eight runs to the Padres in the ninth inning of a June 30 game.

Throughout his career with the Rockies, Fuentes seemed to fair better if the Rockies had the lead going into the late innings.

During the infamous streak in 2007, Fuentes blew three saves after his team had gained the lead in the ninth inning, two games in which rookie Troy Tulowitzki hit go-ahead home runs.

Fuentes does have value, he has saved 115 games in his career, and a lefty who throws from his arm slot is always in demand.  Fuentes, however, is just not the closer that the Angels think that they are getting. 

The Rockies instead save the money that would have gone to Fuentes, which has shored up money to land starting pitcher Jason Marquis from the Cubs, who fills a hole in the Rockies' rotation that was much more of a concern than the bullpen.

With Street, Corpas, and Buchholz anchoring the bullpen, and Marquis helping solidify the rotation, the Rockies may have improved their team simply by letting Fuentes get away.