Rockies in win-now mode entering Meetings

DENVER — While some in the baseball world look at the Rockies with increased hope, general manager Jeff Bridich prefers to see his club through clear eyes.

The Rockies faded in August and September and finished with a sixth straight losing season, but the future looks bright, with a rotation full of young talent and the usual high-scoring offense. The postseason was full of teams that entered the season with similar profiles. And if Bridich can bolster the team’s key holes, some could be ready to call the Rockies a contender.

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Just don’t depend on Bridich to lead the hype.

“I really don’t care about that stuff,” said Bridich, heading into his third season as GM. “All that stuff now is all just hearsay. Certainly contending and getting back into the postseason, that’s been a goal from the get-go two years ago. So that’s not changing. I hope and I do believe we are closer to that than we were two years ago.”

Bridich will seek a productive first baseman and proven bullpen help, and has a vow from club owner, president and CEO Dick Monfort to increase payroll. The big event for making those decisions could be the Winter Meetings, which begin Monday.

MLB.com and MLB Network will have wall-to-wall coverage of the 2016 Winter Meetings from the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center outside Washington, D.C. Fans can watch live streaming of all news conferences and manager availability on MLB.com, including the Rule 5 Draft on Dec. 8 at 7 a.m. MT.

Club needs

Bullpen: Last winter’s acquisitions all suffered through injuries and slumps, and the Rockies’ relievers posted a Majors-worst 5.13 ERA in ’16. While the Rockies expect bounceback seasons from lefty Jake McGee and righties Jason Motte and Chad Qualls, this is an area where some money will likely be spent. Bridich has acknowledged free-agent talks with veteran closer Mark Melancon and lefty reliever Mike Dunn, and he is open to trading to bolster the ‘pen.

While landing a proven closer such as Melancon would be a coup, Bridich acknowledged that there are in-house options. Those include Adam Ottavino, who had the role at the end of last season after recovering from Tommy John surgery; McGee, who was solid before suffering a knee injury in June and struggling upon his return; and Carlos Estevez, forced into the ninth inning in midseason …

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