Bye

Well, it finally happened. The Rockies traded away 2007 MVP runner-up Matt Holliday to the Oakland A’s.

The general reaction in Denver was one of outrage and disappointment that the Rockies didn’t pony up the big bucks to keep their star player. I think that the fans and media should have had such feelings out of their system by now, because this day had been coming for well over a year, long before the Rockies made their fantastic run to the World Series. The chances of Matt Holliday staying in Colorado past the 2009 season were roughly 2.163%.

Matt Holliday wants the absolute most money he can get. It’s his career – he’s only going to be a professional baseball player once.

The Brothers Monfort apparently want to be a “small market” club like Minnesota or Oakland, developing young talent and then shipping it out the door when payday comes. I wondered if their philosophy of running the Rockies on the cheap might change with the World Series appearance. Looks like no. Hey, it’s their money. They can spend it how they choose.

Personally, I think the Rockies made the right call. He’s a good player, but I don’t think he’s worth $150 million. Paying Todd Helton top dollar a few years ago didn’t work out so well.

Of course, the Rox won’t be going to the World Series in 2009 without him. . . but I think they’re okay with that. The fans won’t stop coming despite what they might say.