With a new general manager and an obvious need to rebuild, the Colorado Rockies are open to listening to trade offers for shortstop Troy Tulowitzki and outfielder Carlos Gonzalez. The team received phone calls regarding these two players at this year's trade deadline, but showed no interest in making a deal.
The Rockies (66-96) finished with the second-worst record in the MLB and the worst ERA (4.84) in the majors, despite having the third highest run total (755). Their roster is centered around All-Stars Tulowitzki and Gonzalez, but their injury troubles have really hindered the team's ability to succeed. In the past three seasons, Tulowitzki has played in only 264 games because of injuries and Gonzalez has only played in 315 (out of the maximum 486).
On top of that, the two sluggers are also owed large salaries, with Tulo earning a maximum of $129 million through 2021 and Gonzalez taking in $53 million through 2017. So now with a new general manager (and possibly a new philosophy), the team has opted to at least listen to offers for the two talented players. Colorado hasn't made the playoffs since 2009 and has endured four consecutive losing seasons, including two with over 95 losses. In 2015, Tulowitzki and CarGo will account for $36 million of their current $65 million payroll, which gives the team more of a reason to try and begin their rebuilding now. (Their salaries will be over 1/3 of the team's projected $95 million payroll.)
However, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported on Wednesday that "one rival official said the Rockies are willing to move Tulowitzki and Gonzalez but only for returns that would reflect their contributions when healthy." This means one of two things: Colorado is going to wait until the two men are completely healthy before pulling the trigger on a trade, or they're not going to make a trade at all because in many cases, it's unlikely they get the amount they want in return for one or both of them.
Tulowitzki is coming off season-ending hip surgery and Gonzalez was dealing with a badly sprained ankle before undergoing season-ending knee surgery. The fact that these two are close to 30 years old does not help their trade value either. They might be great all-around threats, but what use are they if they're sitting in the dugout? Many teams aren't going to offer their most prized prospects or proven talent in exchange for a would-be-great player with an extensive injury history.
But if Colorado is willing to be open-minded about the realistic value of these two, they can make the process a lot easier on themselves as well as their trade partner. The team has done a nice job plugging in some young players, including outfielder Corey Dickerson, catcher Wilin Rosario, third baseman Nolan Arenado and second baseman D.J. LeMahieu. Adding some more talented young guys to that core would be a great plan for the future, especially if Drew Stubbs and Charlie Blackmon can continue their success in 2015 and if Michael Cuddyer accepts his $15.3 million qualifying offer.
It makes the most sense to try and acquire an experienced arm for the starting rotation. Starter Tyler Chatwood (who was one of their young promising pitchers) underwent Tommy John surgery in July and they can't afford to have an extremely inexperienced and young pitching staff moving forward, especially if they're playing 81 of their games at Coors Field. The team had a combination of Christian Bergman, Tyler Matzek, Jhoulys Chacin and Jordan Lyles start a number of games this season, all of whom are 26 or younger and (besides Chacin) have had little big league experience. I'm not sure which big name pitchers would sign off on a trade to Colorado, but hey, you never know.
All in all, keep your eyes peeled because your favorite major league team could land an All-Star either in the offseason or at the beginning of the 2015 season.
