By signing Gerardo Parra this offseason, the Colorado Rockies have something of an overload of lefty outfielders, including Carlos Gonzalez, Corey Dickerson and Charlie Blackmon, which points us to a very simple question: Are they going to trade anyone?
The Rockies, in general, hold on to their stars. It hasn’t really worked for them. They haven’t been to the postseason since 2009, haven’t had a winning record since 2010 and have won just 134 games in the last two years. They did move Troy Tulowitzki to the Toronto Blue Jays last season, and yet they seem hesitant when it comes to moving on of the mentioned players despite the opportunity here to keep this as a strong unit and gain something from someone.
Gonzalez, who is making $37 million over the next two years, has been the one most mentioned in trade rumors, being the best player of the bunch. The 30-year old hit 40 home runs last season, winning his second Silver Slugger award. The Rockies seem to be asking for quite a lot for him which is why the talks have been derailed, although Gonzalez himself seems to be quite happy in Colorado, not eager to push himself out towards a contender.
The player who probably offers the most value of the three that Parra joined is Dickerson. He’s the youngest of the bunch (turning 27 in May), doesn’t make that much money and has a pretty good bat, hitting 34 home runs in 196 games over the last two seasons, posting a batting average of .309 and an impressive OPS of .910. His defense needs some work and obviously there’s the injury risk, but if the Rockies aren’t asking for too much, maybe it’s worth making a push for the left fielder.
Blackmon isn’t a bad player himself, hitting 17 home runs last season and batting .287 with a .797 OPS. An All-Star in 2014, his $3.5 million salary in 2016 shouldn’t stand in the way of a trade if the Rockies wish to move him. However, as of now, it seems more likely that Colorado will head into the 2016 season with all four of them on the roster, and maybe think of breaking the group apart later in the season, if and when it falls apart for them.