It came as little surprise to anyone, really, when the Colorado Rockies designated for assignment -- and subsequently released -- veteran right-hander Rafael Betancourt late last month.
Betancourt's fastball velocity was down (though it had been that way for a couple years), his pitches were flat and his command was waning. As a result, the 40-year-old reliever ended his final season with the Rockies with a career-worst ERA and his highest walk rate of any healthy season since 2008.
Despite all that, Betancourt battled until the very end, and perhaps even got a bit of a raw deal in what was a disappointing -- and equally depressing -- 2015 campaign.