Believe it or not, the Rockies aren’t in need of a total rebuild

Maybe the Rockies aren’t so terrible after all. Perhaps they don’t have to blow it up, start over and rebuild from scratch.

Those may seem like absurd notions. Five months ago, they were thoughts that would’ve been laughed at by anyone paying attention.

At that time, the conventional wisdom suggested that the Rockies would have to burn the whole thing down. After Nolan Arenado was traded away, the organization needed to transition toward a full-on fire sale.

Trevor Story would be moved. Jon Gray would be sent packing. The youth movement would be underway, beginning a three- to five-year stretch where 100 losses would be the norm as Colorado tried to restock their farm system and start anew.

That might not be the case, however.

Yes, the Rockies are 37-49 on the season. They’re also 16.5 games out in the National League West and have the worst road record (6-32) in baseball.

That’s all true. But Colorado also boasts as many home wins (31) as any team in the NL (tied with San Diego) and are tied with the White Sox for the most in Major League Baseball.

Based on that number alone, the Rockies should know that they have something cooking. Things aren’t as bad as once feared.

How so? Well, consider would a rebuild would entail.

If Colorado blew things up, they’d want to reconstruct the team in a certain way. They’d want to follow a plan that would put them in a particular place.

It can be argued that they’re already well on the path toward do those things.

The first step would be developing homegrown pitching. The Rockies already have four legitimate starters that are under 30 years old.

German Marquez is pitching at an All-Star level, as he’s been nearly unhittable for the past month. Kyle Freeland looks to be returning to his old form, when he finished fourth in the 2018 Cy Young voting. Austin Gomber was finding his groove before landing on the Injured List. And Gray still has great stuff on any given night.

Throw in Antonio Senzatela and that’s a pretty decent five-man rotation. It could take years for the Rockies to rebuild a staff that good.

The Rockies would also want to develop some young position players in a rebuild. Again, they already have a plethora of under-30 guys on the roster who are starting to blossom.

Ryan McMahon is leading the team in home runs (16) and RBI (45). Raimel Tapia leads Colorado in hits (92) and is hitting .292. And Yonathan Daza has been a sensation in centerfield, hitting .300 and playing sterling defense.

That trio looks like they’re ready to make the leap. They’re players who simply needed the opportunity to be in the lineup every day, something this season provided.

Throw in Brendan Rodgers, who is finally living up to the hype by hitting five home runs and driving in 20 runs in just 38 games so far this season, and that’s a pretty decent young nucleus. It won’t take three to five years for them to be ready to compete.

So why are the Rockies looking to throw in the towel now? They currently boast what a rebuild would hopefully produce in the future. As a result, they should simply do now what they’d need to do then.

First, they need to add a star. Well, they already have one on the roster. Don’t trade away Trevor Story, a two-time All-Star selection, and that big item is checked off the list.

Then, they need to fill in the remaining gaps with solid free agents.

The Rockies need an upgrade in rightfield, as Charlie Blackmon’s best years are clearly behind him. They need a more consistent bat at first base or third base, depending on where they play McMahon on a daily basis, so Josh Fuentes can be the utility infielder. And Colorado needs to add a catcher, as Dom Nunez and Elias Diaz just aren’t getting it done.

From there, it’s all about the bullpen. Namely, the Rockies need a closer. When they’ve been a playoff team, they’ve always had someone who could close the door in the ninth inning, even at Coors Field. Daniel Bard is simply too much of an adventure.

That’s four pieces. And they’ll have money to spend in the offseason.

Put the money saved by shipping Arenado to St. Louis to use. They can fill four voids with $32.5 million per year.

Dick Monfort was being overly optimistic when he said the Rockies could compete this year even after trading away their best player. But the team’s owner wasn’t incorrect in his assessment that the cupboard isn’t bare in Colorado.

There are pieces to work with on the current roster. It could take years to get back to the current level.

That’s why whoever replaces Jeff Bridich should ignore the conventional wisdom. The Rockies don’t need a rebuild; they simply need to reallocate the Nolan Arenado dollars to reload.

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