Bridich: Rox 'always' looking to improve pitching

DENVER -- Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich believes his club might rebound without a remake.

Interviewed at the MLB General Managers Meetings in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Tuesday, Bridich didn’t rule out moves. But he believes the bulk of the improvement will come from holdovers from 2019, when the Rockies went 71-91 and struggled to protect leads and keep games close.

“I wouldn’t say that the bullpen is the top, No. 1 on our priority list right now,” Bridich said. “But in Colorado, Denver, we’re always going to want to keep our eyes and ears open for ways to improve -- one way or another -- our pitching.”

What happened in 2019?

It is deeper than the bullpen’s 5.18 ERA, which was second highest in the National League. Rockies relievers finished ninth in ERA in 2017 (4.40) and 13th in 2018 (4.62), yet made the postseason.

In the second half of the postseason years, manager Bud Black used his best-performing relievers when he had leads and Bridich traded for reinforcements at the Trade Deadline.

But in 2019, closer Wade Davis (1-6, 8.65 ERA, three blown saves) had his worst year, replacement closer Scott Oberg (6-1, five saves, 2.25 ERA) saw his season end in August because of blood clots in his arm, Seunghwan Oh went from trusted reliever to a non-participant because of an arm injury, and big contract relievers Bryan Shaw and Jake McGee were inconsistent at best.

Of course, Black had little opportunity to figure out his best lead protectors, since the starting rotation struggled and the offense went through a dry spell in July and August.

But the final two months became an evaluation period in which a few relievers stepped forward.

• Righty Carlos Estévez held a 0.84 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 10 2/3 innings and a .061 batting average against in September. Estevez, who turns 27 on Dec. 28, made a career-high 71 appearances with a 3.75 ERA.

• Righty Jairo Díaz, who turns 29 on May 27, went 5-for-7 in save opportunities and fanned 15 in 17 innings after taking the closer job in late August.

• In an under-the-radar development, lefty James Pazos -- acquired from the Phillies at the start of the season -- posted a 1.74 ERA with 10 strikeouts in 10 1/3 innings and a .200 batting average against in 12 games. Pazos, who turns 29 on May 5, had solid years with the Mariners in 2017-18 (8-6, 3.39).

Are they and Oberg ready to go into next season as dependable relievers? Will Davis, at the end of his contract -- three years and $54 million -- rebound? Those questions face the Rockies, regardless of any additions. The Rockies looked at moving Shaw and McGee, each at the end of three-year, $27 million deals, at the July 31 Trade Deadline, and could get renewed interest this winter.

“I’d like Scott Oberg to have a successful rehab from blood clots,” Bridich said. “We expect that to happen. As of now, it’s going really good in terms of rehab. And we need Wade Davis and a couple of veterans to pitch like they can, like they have in the past and like they should.

“There was some nice growth from a couple of guys in particular. Estévez had a nice growth year and Jairo Diaz did what he did for us, we’re going to count on those guys. Then we have some younger pitchers that have been up and down, and a new guy like James Pazos to [join] the mix for us in August and September this year.”