Colorado Rockies

The Colorado Rockies and starting pitcher Antonio Senzatela reportedly reached an agreement Tuesday on a five-year, $50.5 million contract extension through the 2026 MLB season.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported details of the deal, which includes a $14 million club option for 2027.

Senzatela posted a 4.42 ERA and 1.34 WHIP across 28 starts for the Rockies in 2021.

The 26-year-old Venezuela native relies predominantly on a fastball, which he throws 56.1 percent of the time with an average velocity of 94.7 mph, per FanGraphs. While it doesn't register as a sinker, it's a pitch he usually tries to keep down in the zone to mitigate the impact of hitter-friendly Coors Field.

He also throws a slider, which is his out pitch, along with a changeup and cutter.

Senzatela is an old-school pitcher from the perspective he pitches to contact rather than trying to post high strikeout numbers. His 6.03 K/9 ratio would have been the second-lowest total in MLB in 2021 if he had enough innings to qualify, according to FanGraphs.

The right-hander has spent his entire career with the Rockies since getting called up in 2017. He's posted a lower ERA at home (4.65) than on the road (5.06) despite pitching at Coors.

In August, Senzatela agreed with Colorado manager Bud Black that further developing his changeup would help keep hitters more off balance.

"I think it's the next part of my game," he told reporters, adding he wasn't yet comfortable to rely heavily on the pitch in game situations.

The Rockies are clearly betting on his continued development with the lucrative extension.

Colorado, which missed the playoffs with a 74-87 record, also re-signed first baseman C.J. Cron on Tuesday as they start their 2022 roster-building process, per Jon Heyman of the MLB Network.

Trying to find a true ace to lead a rotation that features solid depth with Senzatela, German Marquez, Kyle Freeland and Austin Gomber would be a major step in the right direction.

The Colorado Rockies have determined that an alleged racial slur heard in Sunday's game against the Miami Marlins was instead a fan calling out to the team's mascot, according to Steve Staeger of 9News.

The team provided an official statement on the matter Monday:

Microphones picked up what sounded like a fan yelling the N-word while Marlins outfielder Lewis Brinson, who is Black, was at the plate. The team said in a statement after the game that it was investigating the incident:

The team spoke to the fan in the question and determined the fan was yelling "Dinger," referring to the Rockies mascot.

While the Bally Sports Florida broadcast picked up the fan's yelling, none of the players heard it.

"Neither Lewis, nor any other Marlins on the field or in the dugout, heard what was shouted," Marlins spokesperson Jason Latimer told the Associated Press.

The Rockies condemned the apparent slur and noted that any use of derogatory language would result in ejection and a ban. MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark also released a statement:

The Rockies have identified the fan and believe the situation was a misunderstanding.

Dinger has been the club's mascot since 1994, Colorado's second year in the majors.

Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story had been one of the most discussed names on the trade market for months. A sinking Rockies team in an ultra-competitive National League West and his expiring contract made the 28-year-old a virtual lock to be moved at the deadline. 

Except that didn't happen. As Friday's MLB trade deadline passed, Story found himself staying put and isn't quite sure why. 

“I’m confused," Story told Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. "And I don’t have really anything good to say about the situation and how it unfolded."

Story was later scratched from Friday's lineup against the San Diego Padres.

While Story is having a notably down year at the plate, he's still slashing .240/.312/.429 with 13 home runs, 17 stolen bases and 48 RBI in 89 games. That's without much power around him in the Rockies lineup. 

Speaking to reporters after the deadline, interim general manager Bill Schmidt said the team wasn't impressed enough with offers for Story and chose to keep him in Colorado for the rest of the season, then deal with the fallout over the winter. 

"With what we were offered, we thought the [competitive balance] pick was better suited for us and we could have Trevor on our team for another two months," Schmidt said. "If [any deals] were close, we probably would've got to the finish line."

Schmidt also chose to take starter Jon Gray off the market because the team believes it can re-sign him this offseason. 

The Chicago White Sox, Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees and New York Mets were all reportedly interested in Story at various points before the deadline, but those clubs were able to fulfill their needs by trading with other clubs. 

Chicago acquired second baseman Cesar Hernandez from Cleveland, the Rays added Nelson Cruz and Jordan Luplow in separate deals, the Yankees pulled off blockbuster moves for Anthony Rizzo and Joey Gallo and the Mets acquired Javier Baez from the Chicago Cubs. 

Notably, each of those teams gave up a number of highly-touted assets to make the deals happen, which only adds to the intrigue over what the Rockies turned down. 

In all likelihood, Story will not be on the Rockies after this season. The only difference now is he'll have to do it in free agency.

The New York Yankees remain interested in Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story ahead of Friday's 2021 MLB trade deadline despite their acquisition of slugger Joey Gallo from the Texas Rangers, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network.

SNY's Andy Martino reported Thursday the Yanks' interest is contingent on not trading one of their top prospects, such as shortstop Anthony Volpe.

Story is a popular name leading up to the deadline. He can become a free agent at season's end with the conclusion of his two-year, $27.5 million contract, and the Rockies have faded out of playoff contention in the National League with a 44-58 record.

The 28-year-old's numbers are down this year, including a .741 OPS that would be a career low, but he was one of the most productive hitters in the NL over the previous three seasons. He compiled a .909 OPS with 83 home runs and 65 stolen bases in 361 games from 2018 through 2020.

Story said last week he'd heard the trade rumors but was doing his best do ignore the chatter.

"Obviously, I'm aware of the talk, but that's all out of my control, so it doesn't do me any good to think about that," he told reporters. "I'm just concentrating on playing baseball and helping my teammates. I think I have done a pretty good job of not breathing a lot of life into it."

If Story joins Gallo with the Yankees, it would help revitalize an offense that's been stuck in neutral. The Yanks rank 25th in MLB with 415 runs scored in 2021.

His arrival would lead to some lineup shuffling. Gleyber Torres would likely head to second base while DJ LeMahieu stays at first, even when Luke Voit returns from the injured list, which would make Rougned Odor the odd man out in the infield.

It's unclear whether a trade is possible if New York is unwilling to part with any of its best prospects. Colorado can get a compensation pick in the draft if Story leaves in free agency, so it doesn't have to force a trade.

That said, the Yankees, who are 2.5 games back in the AL wild-card race, showed they're focused on making a playoff push with the Gallo trade. It wouldn't be a surprise to see them get more aggressive on the Story front to further bolster their lineup.

The San Diego Padres were apparently looking within the National League West for a potential deal before they traded for Adam Frazier.

ESPN's Buster Olney reported the Padres "talked internally about trading for Trevor Story and putting him in center field" prior to acquiring Frazier from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Dennis Lin reported Pittsburgh landed outfielder Jack Suwinski and shortstop Tucupita Marcano in the deal, while ESPN's Kiley McDaniel noted pitcher Michell Miliano is headed to the Pirates as well.

Asking Story, who plays shortstop for the Colorado Rockies, to play center field in the spacious Petco Park would have been a risky move for the Padres, but they also would surely be far more interested in his bat than anything else in such a deal.

After all, the two-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger is one of the best hitting shortstops in the league when he's at his best.

He launched 37 home runs in 2018 and 35 home runs in 2019, and entered the 2021 campaign with three straight seasons of batting .289 or higher. However, those numbers have taken somewhat of a dip this year, as he is slashing .242/.314/.427 with 12 home runs and 45 RBI.

Instead of Story, the Padres traded for Frazier.

The former Pirate was a first-time All-Star this season and leads the league with 125 hits. He is slashing .327/.392/.453 and was a rare bright spot for a struggling Pittsburgh club.

Frazier will now have an opportunity to compete for a playoff berth with the Padres and help anchor a strong lineup that already features Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado. That stands in stark contrast to the 38-61 Pirates, who are in last place in the National League Central.

Trevor Story's days with the Colorado Rockies are likely numbered, but it appears he wants to go out with a bang.

Story committed to participating in the 2021 MLB Home Run Derby at Coors Field on Monday:

This will be Story's first time participating in the Home Run Derby. The two-time All-Star appears unlikely to make his third appearance in 2021, hitting just .254/.327/.443 with nine home runs and 34 runs batted in so far this season.

"Naturally, you know what the circumstances are," Story told reporters earlier this month. "Almost every year is a contract year. You're playing baseball on those terms—a lot. So this is not the first time. So I wouldn't say that there is added pressure. I just want to play better to help my teammates and play better to help win games."

However, it appears he plans on sticking around the Denver area for the festivities regardless.

Story, an impending free agent this winter, has been the subject of near-constant trade rumors. It seems almost like a foregone conclusion a contender will acquire him before the deadline, with the Rockies well out of contention and unlikely to pony up the massive salary necessary to keep him in Colorado.

As it stands, All-Star Weekend might be a sort of farewell for Story with the Rockies. He has been with the Rockies organization since being a first-round pick in 2011. He made his MLB debut in 2016. 

Colorado Rockies star Trevor Story has landed on the injured list with an elbow injury. 

The Rockies announced Saturday they have placed the two-time All-Star on the 10-day injured list with elbow inflammation. 

Story was removed from the second game of Thursday's doubleheader against the New York Mets in the fourth inning.

The shortstop has been a bright spot for a Rockies season that hasn't gotten off to a strong start, which isn't what the team envisioned even after trading away star Nolan Arenado in the offseason. Colorado currently sits in fourth place in the NL West with a 19-32 record. 

But Story has picked up right where he left off after leading the league in triples (four) and stolen bases (15) in the shortened 2020 season. Through 50 games in 2021, the 28-year-old is hitting .255/.322/.424 with five homers and 23 RBI.

He is in the second year of a two-year deal, earning $18.5 million while staring down unrestricted free agency in 2022. 

If Story is forced to miss significant time, Brendan Rodgers will take over at shortstop. 

Toronto Blue Jays star George Springer and Colorado Rockies star Trevor Story are donating $150,000 to the Perfect Game Cares Foundation.

The money will be put toward "programs that will combat the systemic barriers that many Black youth athletes and underprivileged youth face."

Perfect Game, which was originally launched in 1993 to help grow amateur baseball at all levels, began its charitable foundation in 2003. 

The aims of Perfect Game Cares extend beyond baseball. Executive director Jennifer Ford said the foundation raised more than $500,000 in 2020, which went toward pediatric cancer patients and children from underserved areas.

The donation by Springer and Story focuses on what has been a longstanding issue within youth baseball.

Washington Nationals first baseman Josh bell told Al Jazeera America's Ray Glier in 2014 he believed more and more children were being priced out of the sport.

"Baseball is one of those sports that is really expensive, and the showcases are starting earlier and earlier," he said. "The competition is getting stiffer, so the need for some sort of training outside of the hitting tee in the backyard comes more and more at an earlier age."

Writing for FanGraphs in 2018, Shakeia Taylor explained how the issue tied into the wider lack of diversity across MLB.

In announcing his decision to opt out of the 2020 season, two-time All-Star Ian Desmond recounted how he had recently visited the Little League fields on which he played in Sarasota, Florida. He called the fields "run down" and "neglected."

Desmond went on to say he "felt the triumph of success" and "the love of others" through his days playing at the youth level.

"I got to experience that because it was a place where baseball could be played by any kid who wanted it," he said. "It was there, it was affordable, and it was staffed by people who cared."

The Houston Astros may not have been the only team using technology to steal signs in the last few years—just the most effective at it. 

According to former catcher Erik Kratz, the Colorado Rockies may have also devised a system to use monitors near the dugout to help relay which pitches were coming with the help of a massage gun and a metal bench. 

Here's how Kratz, who played for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2018, explained the scheme on YES Network's Curtain Call podcast on Friday (h/t/ Brendan Kuty of NJ Advanced Media): 

“And I can also tell you because I don’t care, I don’t really know anybody over there, the Colorado Rockies were doing the exact same thing in 2018, and we caught them, and we played them in the playoffs. Know how many runs they scored in a three-game playoff series in 2018? Not many people watched the NLDS. They scored two runs in the ninth inning of Game 2. They used to take a Theragun and bang it on their metal bench. And they were doing the exact same thing, from the TV. So, there you go. If you think no one else was doing it, you are wrong. The difference is, the Astros may have taken it a little too far. Maybe a little bit too far. Maybe continued to do it. Or maybe it’s just the fact that they won the World Series and everybody’s pissed about that.”

Despite the alleged cheating, Colorado didn't find much success against the Brewers in that Division Series. Milwaukee swept the Rockies, 3-0, giving up just two runs and 12 total hits with two shutouts. 

That same postseason the eventual World Series champion Boston Red Sox were implicated in a sign-stealing scandal that would—temporarily—cost manager Alex Cora his job. He served a one-year suspension and was hired back the following year. 

Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred has taken steps to scale back the use of technology in the dugouts over the last two years, but it seems players like Kratz aren't ready to let go of the schemes various clubs devised to get an edge. 

It doesn't matter whether the alleged perpetrators wound up winning the World Series or not. 

Colton Welker, the 11th-ranked prospect in the Colorado Rockies organization, was suspended 80 games by MLB on Thursday after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.

The Associated Press reported Friday the Rockies said they were "disappointed" by the news and also provided a statement from Welker:

"I want to make it very clear that I have never willingly nor intentionally ingested any substance to enhance my athletic performance. Given the information provided to me by the players' association and laboratory, the amount detected was so minimal that it would have no effect on enhancing my performance.

"I understand that a number of other players, like me, have tested positive for this metabolite at microscopic levels, and I intend to join them in seeking answers as to how this is happening in order to clear my name."

The AP noted Welker, whose suspension is without pay, tested positive for Dehydrochlormethyltestosterone, which is a form of anabolic-androgenic steroid.

Welker was a fourth-round pick of the Rockies in the 2016 MLB draft. The third baseman spent the first four years playing in the club's minor league system across four different levels. The minors' 2020 campaign was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The 23-year-old Florida native enjoyed a strong spring training this year with a .362 batting average, .945 OPS, two home runs and 12 runs batted in across 28 appearances.

He couldn't crack the club's 26-man roster, however, and was set to start the season with the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes before the suspension.

In March, Welker credited his 10-pound weight loss, leaner frame and overall spring success on a new carb-free diet.

"I think I can perform at that [major league] level," he said at the time. "I feel confident pretty much against anyone right now."

Welker would have likely been high on the Rockies' call-up list if they suffered infield injuries in the coming weeks. That role now falls to Eric Stamets.

The prized prospect will be eligible to return from his suspension in late July.