Rockies Rumors: Could They Pursue David Wright or Michael Cuddyer?

I'm not talking about this month, of course. Wright and Cuddyer are too valuable to clear through waivers, so the focus here is clearly on this winter when all 30 teams can get involved. But yesterday, Troy Renck of the Denver Post wrote an interesting article discussing big bats that the Rockies might try to acquire this winter, and he tossed a couple of intriguing names out there: New York's David Wright and Minnesota's Michael Cuddyer.

Renck mostly suggests Wright because he's a trade target commonly brought up by fans, but he also notes that, "Wright would fit perfectly. It's an open secret that the Rockies want the third baseman." The Rockies haven't been able to find a consistent, regular third baseman since Garrett Atkins departed a few years ago, and third-baseman-in-waiting Ian Stewart has been an utter disappointment for most his career. So yeah, in that sense filling a long-term hole with one of the game's top players at the position makes a good deal of sense. But as Renck reminds his readers, "It's not going to happen...  The Mets, once a mess, are starting to regain their footing. They want to re-sign Jose Reyes and keep Wright. Credibility, what an interesting concept. They aren't trading him."

So that's that.

But Renck does seem to be a bit more optimistic about Colorado's chances of landing Cuddyer. According to him, "Cuddyer represents exactly what the Rockies need: a power corner outfield bat." Now, I'm not sure if that's exactly right. Honestly, I'd say that the Rockies need a top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher more than anything, but, well...   they kind of traded that guy a week ago. So sure, I can see what Renck is getting at; the Rockies could use another power bat to help out Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez.

I'm just not sure if Cuddyer is really the difference-maker that Renck is making him out to be. Are we really forgetting that Cuddyer has essentially alternated very good years with extremely poor years over the past four seasons? Sure, Seth Smith can't hit left-handed pitching, this is true. He's also a solid defender that kills right-handed pitching; the Rockies are better off spending less money on a platoon mate than they are benching or trading Smith in order to acquire Cuddyer. Or they could simply call up Tim Wheeler and have him join Smith in the outfield.

Either way, I'm not really sure if Cuddyer is the kind of impact guy that the Rockies should be seeking. Renck recommends offering him a three-year deal at market price, which likely equates to something around three years and $25 million. I personally think they'd be better off getting a cheaper platoon mate for Smith, someone that can defend well and hit lefties. One possible suggestion? Reed Johnson.