It’s MLB trade deadline season and a time when everyone wants to find players who might match a need for another team. Such was the case for a proposed hypothetical trade between the Colorado Rockies and Atlanta Braves on Wednesday.
In his article for The Athletic (subscription required), Enos Sarris suggests a trade between the Rockies and Braves that would send veteran outfielder Charlie Blackmon to Atlanta for the team’s postseason run. On the surface, it may make sense for the Braves to acquire Chuck Nazty as a left-handed hitter who could do some damage in a platoon setting. However, there are plenty of reasons why the trade may make sense, but will never happen.
Why a Colorado Rockies-Atlanta Braves trade involving Charlie Blackmon won’t happen
First, let’s start with health concerns. Blackmon, who turned 37 on July 1, has been on the injured list with a fractured right hand since June 11 and is just now starting to swing a bat again. He has yet to experience live at-bats, so there is a question of just what it will take and how long it will be until Blackmon is back up to speed. Also, Blackmon was struggling before the injury, slashing just .152/.222/.182 in 36 June plate appearances before being plunked on the hand in Kansas City.
Blackmon, scheduled to be a free agent next season, is slashing just .265/.347/.422 with five home runs and 26 RBI. All of those numbers are down compared to past seasons when Blackmon was earning All-Star Game nods and Silver Slugger awards.
There’s also the matter of Blackmon spending all 13 of his MLB seasons as a member of the Rockies. Would he be willing to waive his no-trade clause to head to Atlanta, where he went to high school and played at Georgia Tech? If there was a team that Blackmon might waive it for, it would be the Braves. However, Blackmon also has a special appreciation for Rockies history, including Todd Helton, who was on the 2011 Rockies when Blackmon made his MLB debut and played all 17 of his seasons in Denver. Not many players get to play their entire career for one franchise, and Blackmon has the opportunity to do just that.
Would the Rockies listen to offers on Blackmon? General manager Bill Schmidt recently told The Denver Post they would.
“If something came up, I would sit down with Charlie and talk to him about that,” Schmidt told Patrick Saunders. “He’s meant a lot to this franchise. He deserves that kind of respect.”
It would have to be a tremendous offer for Schmidt to even broach the subject with Blackmon. Would Atlanta be willing to part with a high price of prospects in exchange for the chance of a rebirth of Blackmon’s form at the plate? Like so many things about this deal, it just seems like the answer would be no.