How to Fix the Rockies and Other Thoughts

     The Rockies are in the middle of another miserable season. It's looking like they're going to have another miserable season next year. But, to brighten the future, owner Dick Monfort's hired me as the next GM. Here's what I'd do.
    Obviously the biggest issue the Rockies have is pitching. Their team ERA of 4.99 is last in the league. Coors Field has some effect on that, but they also have a road ERA of 4.80. As the A's and Tigers have figured out, pitching wins championships, which is why I'm trading Troy Tulowitzki to Kansas City for pitching prospects Kyle Zimmer and Sean Manaea at the deadline next year. There's no question Tulo's a great player, but his body just can't take playing in Denver. Since 2007 he's averaged 117 games per season and hasn't played 150 since 2009. After that move, I'm still concentrating on nothing but pitching, in the draft, smaller trades, free agency, anything.
     Meanwhile, for the offense, I'm staying cheap but efficient by going the Michael Cuddyer and Justin Morneau route. Both of them were decent hitters with the Twins, but going to Coors Field turned them into potential All-Stars. Looking at the list of 2015 free agents, Mike Morse and Jed Lowrie are the two who stand out for me as relatively cheap players whose batting average will bump up quite a bit in Denver.
     Moving up north, the Tigers are in danger of ending up as a wild card after being considered a World Series favorite two weeks ago after acquiring David Price, causing Michigan to have a collective freak out. Part of this is the fact that Justin Verlander simply isn't a good number one, number two, or even number three starter at this point in his career. I still think they'll eventually take the Central just because the Royals are the Royals and eventually the 1-2 punch of Scherzer and Price will be too much.
     Rob Manfred was just named Bud Selig's successor, the second change of commissioner in the last year. There was lots of fanfare when David Stern left, and while he was an entertaining character, his legacy can't hold a candle to Selig's. I'll remember Selig as a guy who did things. PEDs where a problem, so he handed out strict punishments, there were controversial calls that changed games dramatically, so Selig implemented instant replay. And you can bet that if tanking were a problem in the MLB, Bud would have done something about that too.