Kiz: Pardon me while I wipe the egg off my face. I tried to be optimistic about the Rockies’ playoff chances, and the yolk’s on me. During a recent West Coast trip, the team’s playoff chances fell in the Pacific Ocean, as Colorado went 1-5 and struck out an almost unfathomable 41 times while getting swept in three games in Los Angeles. So now the Rox look like sellers at the trade deadline. Who should go by Aug. 1?
Groke: Kiz, you missed a spot on your collar. But I take an egg bath most weeks. Selling now seems like a wise move for the Rox — build for next year when the rotation is filled with prized, young arms and the playoff window creaks open. But what’s the trade market? It’s not what the Rox want to sell, it’s what teams want to buy. To me, that’s Charlie Blackmon. St. Louis and Cleveland, for example, would get drastically better with a sure-handed, leadoff-hitting center fielder, someone just like Chuck Nazty.
Kiz: There’s much to like about the Colorado batting order (sorry, there I go being optimistic again). Shortstop Trevor Story is playing like the rookie of the year. I don’t ever want Carlos Gonzalez to leave town, either by trade or free agency, although CarGo has leverage in shaping his future that the long-term contracts signed by Todd Helton and Troy Tulowitzki never allowed. So, after years of crying about the lack of pitching, who do I think the Rockies should trade? A pitcher. Of course.
Groke: Every team wants pitching — just like I will always be in the market for a good flannel shirt. There’s always room in your drawer for another flannel. And there’s always room for another arm, especially a lefty. But, oy, if there’s one thing the Rockies would have a tough time stomaching, it’s giving up pitching. But hey, maybe they can get pitching in return. That’s an idea.
Kiz: There’s always a market for relievers at the deadline, so it might be easy for Colorado to find a taker for Boone Logan or Jake McGee. But this month is probably the last month the Rockies can get any trade return on Jorge De La Rosa. He’s 35 years old. He went 4-0 with an earned run average of 1.96 in June. Give him a chance to join a contender and get a prospect or two in return.
Groke: And with Jeff Hoffman and Kyle Freeland, among others, on the brink of pitching for the Rockies, and with De La Rosa’s contract ending after this season, now would be a great time to nab something in return, even if it’s on a waiver-wire deal. But if I’m the Red Sox, I’d want CarGo pronto. If I’m the Cardinals, gimme Blackmon, like, yesterday. Both of them are immediate difference-makers.
