Rockies News: Samardzija trade rumors, minor league update

The Colorado Rockies are coming off a truly, utterly disastrous road trip. They blew leads late, they didn’t hit, they got shut down by opposing starters, and they had starters exit games early. This feels familiar. This Rockies team looked like it might be different than those from the past in that it might actually win on the road. There is still plenty of season left for that to happen, but it sure didn’t look promising this past week.

There are plenty of reasons to be pessimistic and still a few reasons to look on the bright side. The Rockies are off on Monday and then take to the field against the Arizona Diamondbacks at home Tuesday night. Here’s what else is happening.

Jeff Passan of Yahoo! brings those darn Jeff Samardzija trade rumors back to life, suggesting the (absurd) possibility that the Rockies might actually pull the trigger on a deal for the Cubs’ ace before this week’s draft.

"“The Cubs have inquired about receiving a competitive-balance draft pick and the accompanying bonus-pool money as part of a package for Samardzija, two sources told Yahoo Sports. Of the contending teams with high, tradable picks, the Colorado Rockies, choosing 35th, make the most sense. Chicago executives Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer are creative enough, too, to consider three-team deals with an asset as valuable as Samardzija, like Price not a free agent until after next season.”"

Bryan Kilpatrick of Purple Row runs down the happenings in the minor leagues this past weekend, particularly the rough start from Tyler Matzek:

"“After a terrific run of starts that re-solidified his place as one of the more intriguing left-handed pitching prospects in the game, Tyler Matzek appeared to be knocking on the Rockies’ door.While one bad outing shouldn’t change that, it just might; Matzek picked perhaps the most inopportune time to have one of his worst starts of the season, giving up eight earned runs and failing to get out of the fourth inning in Triple-A Colorado Springs’ 9-8 loss on Sunday.”"

David Martin of Rockies Review casts a skeptical eye towards the Rockies’ chances to turn things around this season:

"“The reality is, we were all fooled once again. The Rockies made us believe that their early season success was a reality. They made us think that they had finally overcome the hurdles that caused them to struggle in years past and that this team was good enough, and had the right attitude, to fight for a playoff spot. With May coming to and end, reality has slapped Rockies fans in the face.”"