Last year the Rockies made one of the biggest moves at the trade deadline, sending Troy Tulowitzki to Toronto for Jose Reyes and a trio of minor league pitchers. They could be players again this year, but in so doing, need to secure a proven major league starter.
The results have been mixed at best with the shortstop swap – Tulowitzki is currently on the DL and Reyes is now in Triple-A on a rehab assignment after a 51-game domestic violence suspension. With the emergence of rookie Trevor Story, it’s no secret that the Rockies want to move Reyes sooner than later. He must be added to the 40-man roster by June 15 and it’s unlikely the soon-to-be 33-year-old will be happy staying in Triple-A past that date.
Miguel Castro, the only pitcher in the Tulowitzki deal with (limited) major league experience, has been hot, cold and injured through the first one-third of the season with the big club in Denver. Jeff Hoffman has been good in Triple-A, but is not ready to make the jump to the majors. Jesus Tinoco has struggled so far this year, going 0-3 with a 14.85 ERA in Modesto.
Meanwhile, the Rockies have one of the most explosive offenses in baseball yet again. Through 52 games they are fourth in MLB in runs scored and third in batting average at .276. Trevor Story has exploded, Nolan Arenado is a superstar and the rest of the team has showed they still hit, not only home runs but for average.
What they need is a proven MLB starter to pair with a solid pitcher in Chad Bettis and help mentor guys with big upside like Jon Gray, Tyler Chatwood, Eddie Butler and eventually Hoffman.
ESPN’s Buster Olney has reported that the Angels, White Sox, Rays, Reds and Padres could be in the market for Reyes.
The Padres have been shopping James Shields for the past year and could really use a shortstop to take over for Alexei Ramirez, who is hitting .240 with one home run.
The Padres might be willing to deal, considering they’re in last place in the NL West and executive chairman Ron Fowler is using worlds like “miserable failure” to describe his team. San Diego could use some prospects in their farm system and may be willing to shake up the clubhouse with a veteran like Reyes. Shields, who had over 200 strikeouts last year, could benefit from an offense like the Rockies.
One team not on Olney’s list is the Washington Nationals, sitting in first place in the NL East, who could also be an intriguing trade partner with the Rockies.
Their shortstop, Danny Espinosa, is hitting .199 and the Nationals could be an even bigger threat with a versatile player like Reyes at the top of their lineup. In return, the Rockies could ask for starter Tanner Roark, who is only 29, and having the best season of his career, posting a 2.70 ERA. At 4-4, he’s had some hard luck losses. Roark is making just $529,600, so Colorado would have to be willing to eat much of Reyes’ $22 million salary (and perhaps ask for a few more pieces) to make a deal happen.
Colorado made some noise at the deadline last year, but that move may not pay full dividends until 2017 or even later. If they can make a deal this year to immediately boost their starting pitching, they shouldn’t think twice.
