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KRIEGER: Fuentes' likely exit quiet - and puzzling

By Dave Krieger, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published September 19, 2008 at 11:23 p.m.

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Brian Fuentes will likely not be back with the Rockies next season.

Brian Fuentes will likely not be back with the Rockies next season.

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Somehow, the best closer the Rockies ever had is on his way out the door with virtually no fanfare, and precious few complaints.

It's a little odd. Brian Fuentes' impending departure as a free agent doesn't bring anywhere near the debate the possible losses of Matt Holliday and Garrett Atkins do, even though the Rocks arguably have fewer options in trying to replace Fuentes.

"I don't really think about it as my last home series," Fuentes said Friday as the Rocks prepared to close out their Coors Field schedule with a weekend set against the Diamondbacks. "I'm sure I'll play here again. It'll probably just be in a different uniform."

Little noticed in the Rockies' season-long fade has been the best stretch of Fuentes' career. Since July 7, he is 16-for-16 in save chances, counting Friday night's nail-biter. In his last 14 appearances, covering 14 innings, he has givenup one run.

"Since being put back in the closer's role, he has built up a momentum and a dominance that we have not seen from him before," said manager Clint Hurdle.

"This streak he's been on the last two months of the season, it's eye-catching. The strikeouts per innings pitched have spiked dramatically upwards, more so than when he first started in the closer's role. His fastball command has been the best it's ever been. And his confidence is at an all-time high. In all the years we've had him here and watched him, this has been the finest run I've seen him on," Hurdle said.

And yet, in an unspoken acknowledgement of their place in baseball's food chain, the Rocks have made no attempt to keep him from becoming a free agent.

"That seems to be the way things are going," Fuentes said. "I haven't heard anything from the Rockies about extending or anything, so I assume that I'll go out and test the market."

In fairness to the Rocks, Fuentes' ups and downs complicated the timing. Last winter would have been the logical time to consider offering him a multiyear contract, but he'd lost the closer's job with a nightmare week in the middle of 2007. This turned him from an underpaid closer to a well-paid setup man.

But the way he dealt with that demotion contributed to the team ethic that carried the Rocks to the '07 World Series.

"I wish I didn't have that bad week and lose my job," he said. "I thought things were going to go a little differently when I came back, but it didn't. But we were winning, and I think most important is to put the team first and not cause a big stink about it and go about my business in a professional manner.

"I felt like I did that and I think as a team we benefited from that. It showed. Everybody did their roles, whether it was off the bench or me coming in the eighth inning. Everybody just kind of chipped in where they needed to be."

That attitude helped convince general manager Dan O'Dowd not to trade Fuentes before the deadline this season.

His impending free agency never became a distraction.

When Manny Corpas, his replacement as closer, had his own meltdown in April, Fuentes took the job back and has been lights out since. In July, the Phillies signed closer Brad Lidge to a three-year, $37.5 million contract extension, establishing a market for top closers out of the Rockies' reach.

About the same time, Fuentes passed Jose Jimenez for most saves in Rockies franchise history, with 103. He's added 11 since.

"That's something pretty special for me," Fuentes said. "As it was approaching, I was just like, 'another save' type of thing. That's just the mind-set I took. But once I actually accomplished it, I looked back on it like, wow, that's pretty special to do. Obviously, it's not as many as some other organizations, being that it's a relatively young organization, but still, it was a nice accomplishment."

At 33, Fuentes should be the No. 2 closer in this year's free-agent market, behind only Francisco Rodriguez, the record-breaking Angels closer. Teams that could be in the market include the Angels, Mets, Tigers, Cardinals, Rays, Brewers and Indians.

"This is a first for me, the whole freeagency thing, so I'm going in open-minded," Fuentes said. "I'll talk it over with my family and decide what we want to do. Obviously, a multiyear deal would be ideal. That's what most guys play for, is some security. There's not a whole lot of financial security in this game, just because it's so hard."

The Rocks are prepared to offer him arbitration if no multiyear offers materialize, but that seems unlikely. Assuming he signs elsewhere, the Rockies will confirm their inability to play in the financial big leagues by letting the best closer in their brief history walk without a fight.

"I've loved it here," Fuentes said. "I love the fans. I still swear it's the best park in baseball. I'm going to miss it."

The Rocks are confident Corpas or Taylor Buchholz can close. They'd better be right. Otherwise, come next season, this decision will be generating a lot more complaints than it is now.

Comments

  • September 20, 2008

    1:14 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    SDcat writes:

    I suppose there hasn't been the complaining because as fans, we thought it's a foregone conclusion that Rockies mgmt wouldn't be stupid by not signing him.....

    oh...right..what am I thinking..

  • September 20, 2008

    6:25 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    weemoose writes:

    Good grief, management..... put up the bucks to tweek this team into an always, every year, contender!

  • September 20, 2008

    7:23 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    suffernofools writes:

    It's too bad the Rockies organization won't give as much back to Fuentes (and other players) as he's given to the team. He could've just quit after 2007's demotion and bided his time, but he didn't, and now his numbers point to a strong, consistent closer again. Brian's been nothing but professional in his time here; I wish the Rockies would respond in-kind--and I wish Fuentes all the best.

    If it's a matter of truly not having enough money for ownership to compete in today's MLB, why don't they invite in a partner with some cash. Last year shows the fans will turn out if there's a good, competitive team on the diamond--and in my estimation both the Monforts and any partner they get would still make money.

    Yes, I know baseball is a business, but I hope plain ol' greed isn't the basis behind the Monforts growing good talent, milking the players for all their worth and then letting them go when their market value increases with hardly a pat on the back....

  • September 20, 2008

    9:18 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    bilco writes:

    Hey Monforts...sign the big guy so I can buy one of his jerseys!