Third base was an offensive black hole for the Colorado Rockies, amassing a league worst -1.5 fWAR (Wins Above Replacement). Among the culprits for this were Ian Stewart, Jose Lopez and Ty Wigginton. Stewart and Wigginton remain members of the Rockies' organization while Lopez was jettisoned months ago.
The team did look at Kevin Kouzmanoff, soon to be released, Chris Nelson and Jordan Pacheco at the position over the last few months of the season, but neither figures to be a long-term solution. General manager Dan O'Dowd needs to find a solution to the problem this offseason.
Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports that league executives expect the Rockies to pursue David Wright, who had been a point of interest for the team during the season. O'Dowd would need to pony up the prospects to get Wright if the Mets did want to move him, which might not be the case.
Instead Renck, believes the Rockies could try to re-ignite trade talks with the Pirates for Pedro Alvarez and with the Padres for Chase Headley. Alvarez has been a disappointment for being the No. 2 overall pick in 2008. As a rookie in 2010, he hit 16 home runs, but he regressed in 2011 with a .191/.272/.289 triple-slash line and four home runs. Headley, though, could serve as a third baseman for a year before Nolan Arenado is ready for the majors. He could eventually shift to the outfield, where he has experience. Headley would likely see an increase in home runs by getting out of PetCo Park. He hit .289/.374/.399 in 113 games this season.
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