What veterans do the Rockies have who might be attractive to contenders around the deadline?
Daniel Descalso should be a familiar name for anyone who watches the baseball postseason, playing in 44 postseason games with the Cardinals from 2011-2014 posting a .557 OPS in 94 plate appearances. He was a member of their 2011 World Championship club. He has experience at all four infield positions. Descalso fractured his hand in Spring Training so he has only 44 plate appearances this season for Colorado since first playing this year on May 13. He has hit well, posting a .368/.455/.521 batting line in limited duty (just six starts). His versatility might make him attractive to someone, especially since makes just $2.1 million this season.
Carlos Gonzales is a name who often makes trade chip lists for the Rockies. Maybe this is because the outfielder becomes a free agent after 2017. Until then he makes $17 million this season and $20 million in 2017. He has three Gold Gloves and a Silver Slugger award to his credit. The former batting champion slugged 40 homers last season, hammering 15 roundtrippers already this season. The Rockies might choose to let him walk since his next contract his sure to be well over $100 million.
Mark Reynolds might be attractive to a team needing a corner infielder at a reasonable cost. He is making just $2.6 million this season. He can even play some outfield in a pinch. While he isn’t the guy who hit 30 plus homers in 2009-11, he hit 22 in 2014. This season he is hitting better for average, 288 (career .232) and his OPS, .799 exceeds his career .777 mark. His OPS is 82 points better at home in Colorado, which might account for the jump. Still, a team might give up some lower level prospects for his power potential.
Now that we’ve looked at some potential trade chips if the Rockies are sellers this season, let’s take a look at it why they might be buyers at the deadline.
Next: Should the Rockies Be Buyers at the Deadline?