Colorado Rockies: Three Possible Trade Deadline Candidates
Even though the Dodgers acquired Manny Machado, it is not a given that they will win the NL West. The Diamondbacks are only 1.5 games back and the Colorado Rockies are only 2.0 games back. The Rockies are 8-2 in their last 10 games, so they are forcing the hand of the front office.
The Colorado Rockies currently hold a 54-44 record and they are on a 6 game winning streak. Although they are only 23-23 at home, they are 29-22 on the road. The Rockies front office has shown that they will make moves if the team is competing, so the upcoming trade deadline should be entertaining for Rockies fans.
Last trade season, the Rockies acquired Pat Neshek from the Phillies and Jonathan Lucroy from the Rangers. The Rockies were 10.5 games behind the Dodgers at this point last season, but they were right in the middle of the Wild Card race.
As the Rockies have a chance to win the division, expect the Rockies to be buyers at the trade deadline.
It is widely known that Nolan Arenado will be a free agent following the 2019 season. DJ LeMahieu and Adam Ottavino are also free agents after this season. The Royals went all-in during the 2015 trade season while they still had Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain, Wade Davis, and others under contract.
In 2014, the Royals went to the playoffs as a Wild Card team, just as the Rockies did in 2017. In 2015, the Royals secured a division title after acquiring Johnny Cueto and Ben Zobrist. The Royals then went on to win the World Series in that same season.
Although the Rockies lost the Wild Card Game in 2017 and the Royals went all the way to the World Series as the Wild Card team in 2014, the Rockies have the pieces to compete.
However, if the Rockies can acquire another impact player, they would have the pieces to be victorious.
I detailed the Rockies upcoming payroll dilemma in a previous article. The Rockies have some difficult decisions to make in regards to retaining their own free agents, as the Royals did following 2015/16, so this may be their best opportunity to win.
Who do the Rockies have to trade that other teams would want?
Let’s take a look at the Rockies top prospects:
A lot of teams do not have the necessary prospects to acquire impact players; however, the Colorado Rockies are not one of those teams.
Three Rockies are on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 list. Brendan Rodgers is number 6, Colton Welker is number 85, and Peter Lambert is number 87.
Eight players from the Lancaster JetHawks (Rockies A affiliate) were named to the California League All-Star team this season. Those players were Roberto Ramos, Vince Fernandez, Colton Welker, Alan Trejo, Rico Garcia, Reid Humphreys, Justin Lawrence, and Heath Holder.
Six players from the Hartford Yard Goats (Rockies AA affiliate) were named to the Eastern League All-Star team this season. Those players were Brendan Rodgers, Yonathan Daza, Sam Hilliard, Peter Lambert, Matt Pierpont, and Mitch Horacek.
Three players from the Albuquerque Isotopes (Rockies AAA affiliate) were named to the Pacific Coast League All-Star team this season. Those players were D.J. Johnson, Josh Fuentes, and Mike Tauchman.
The Rockies also have other talented players that have not yet been mentioned. These players include Riley Pint, Ryan Vilade, Garrett Hampson, Ryan Castellani, Tyler Nevin, and Yency Almonte. These six players, along with Rodgers, Welker, Lambert, and Hilliard, are listed in the top 10 of MLB Pipeline’s top 30 Rockies prospects.
As the Rockies have a talented farm system, who should the Rockies look at acquiring with these prospects?
Let’s take a look at three possible trade targets for the Rockies:
The Colorado Rockies should go all out for Jacob deGrom and make the Mets an offer that cannot be refused.
In 123.1 innings pitched this season, deGrom has a 0.973 WHIP and a 4.97 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He is also averaging a career high 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings this season. Although he only has a 5-4 record through 18 starts, he owns a 1.68 ERA and a 2.32 FIP.
Jacob deGrom is 30 years old with 126 games of experience in the regular season and 4 games of experience in the postseason. As deGrom is controllable through the 2021 season, he is a perfect piece to add to this team.
It is unknown what exactly the Mets are looking for in return for deGrom. He is arguably the best pitcher in the game right now, so it would require quite a haul.
First, the Mets would most likely require Brendan Rodgers and Peter Lambert as a starting point in a trade for deGrom. Second, the Mets would also most likely need a major league ready player such as Raimel Tapia or David Dahl. Third, the Mets would also most likely need two other top 30 team prospects such as Riley Pint, Sam Hilliard, Yonathan Daza, or Vince Fernandez.
Even if the Rockies are concerned about not being able to retain LeMahieu in free agency, they can still afford to move Brendan Rodgers in a trade for deGrom. The Rockies have Ryan McMahon and Garret Hampson as viable options to fill in for LeMahieu next season, if he leaves.
As deGrom could bring the Rockies to the next level, they should invest their prospects into acquiring him.
A commitment of this level by the Rockies front office may potentially be enough to persuade LeMahieu and Arenado to take some form of hometown discount to keep this team together.
Let’s now take a look at another possible trade target for the Rockies:
The Colorado Rockies currently have a revolving door at the catcher position, so it would help their pitching staff to have some consistency.
This season, Chris Iannetta has appeared in 61 games, Tony Wolters has appeared in 44 games, and Tom Murphy has appeared in 18 games for the Rockies. The three catchers have combined to hit 9 HRs with 46 RBI.
J.T. Realmuto has appeared in 69 games for the Marlins this season. He has compiled 12 HRs and 45 RBI on his own. He also holds a .310 batting average and a .365 on-base percentage.
Realmuto made his first All-Star team in 2018. He is currently in his 4th full MLB season and he is one of the few standouts remaining on the Marlins following a flurry of trades in the 2017 offseason.
Similar to deGrom, Realmuto is controllable through the 2021 season.
The Marlins are currently debating whether to re-sign him to a longterm deal or trade him. The Rockies should make the decision easier for them and put together a strong offer.
If the Rockies were able to pull off a trade for deGrom using Brendan Rodgers, Peter Lambert, David Dahl, Riley Pint, and Yonathan Daza, they would still have trade chips left over.
Realmuto would fill the catcher position with Iannetta as the backup, so Wolters and Murphy would be expendable. Tom Murphy is a 27-year-old catcher that is controllable through the 2023 season. Tony Wolters is a 26-year-old catcher that is also controllable through the 2023 season.
The Rockies could put together a trade package starting with one of their controllable catchers and Colton Welker. They could then add in MLB ready players such as Raimel Tapia or Jeff Hoffman. As the Marlins would most likely require more pieces, the Rockies could sweeten the offer with some combination of Ryan Castellani, Sam Hilliard, Sam Howard, or Vince Fernandez.
An offer like this should be enough to at least get the conversation started with the Marlins for their All-Star catcher.
Let’s now take a look at the third possible trade target for the Rockies:
The Colorado Rockies bullpen was the main reason of their poor record in June. Even though the bullpen has performed much better in July, reinforcements are always welcome.
Raisel Iglesias is a 28-year-old closing pitcher for the Reds. He is currently in his 4th MLB season and he is controllable through the 2022 season.
Over the course of his career, he has compiled 291.2 innings pitched. He holds a career 3.02 ERA, 1.114 WHIP, and a 3.33 FIP. He also holds a splendid 10.0 strikeouts per nine innings with a 3.42 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
This season, Iglesias is 1-1 with a 2.36 ERA, a 1.024 WHIP, and a 3.88 FIP. As a comparison, Wade Davis is 0-2 with a 3.72 ERA, a 1.112 WHIP and a 3.95 FIP.
The Reds are in a rebuilding stage right now, so it would make sense to move Iglesias while his value is high.
As I have been playing fantasy general manager in this article, let’s assume the Rockies have set aside Brendan Rodgers, Peter Lambert, David Dahl, Riley Pint, and Yonathan Daza for deGrom. Let’s also assume they have set aside Colton Welker, Tom Murphy, Raimel Tapia, Ryan Castellani, and Vince Fernandez for Realmuto.
If Rockies GM Jeff Bridich could pull off a “miracle” by acquiring both deGrom and Realmuto using those pieces, the Rockies would still have more to offer for Iglesias.
Jeff Hoffman and Tony Wolters could be the main MLB ready pieces of the trade. Ryan Vilade, Tyler Nevin, and Sam Hilliard (three top 10 team prospects) could then round out the trade.
Even though it is an incredibly long shot for the Colorado Rockies to acquire all three (or even one) of these players, the point of this article is that the Rockies have the pieces available to acquire an impact player.
Next: Blackmon addresses Coors Field stigma
As Jacob deGrom, J.T. Realmuto, and Raisel Iglesias loom as trade candidates, the Rockies should explore every possible avenue to trade for one or more of these difference makers. After all, the Royals were able to pull off trades for both Johnny Cueto and Ben Zobrist in 2015, so anything is possible with the right offers in trade season.