Colorado Rockies Looking to Stay Put at Trade Deadline?

During one of his recent pregame press conferences in the Colorado Rockies dugout, manager Walt Weiss was asked about the upcoming trade deadline and his feelings on what might happen.

“We have to win as many games as we can so it makes it a tough decision,” Weiss said, referring to the uncertainty of whether the Rockies would be buyers or sellers when August 1 arrived.

The Rockies have done exactly that, making what seemed to be a fairly easy decision at the All-Star break much more complicated as the hours tick away toward the trade deadline.

Do the Rockies trade off some of their more valuable current players to make a run at the playoffs next year or the year after that? The answer seems to have shifted dramatically within the span of a week or two.

With an impressive victory on Wednesday night in Baltimore, the Rockies took two of three games from the leaders of the American League East to start a pivotal seven-game East Coast swing. They added to that with a come-from-behind 2-1 win in New York on Thursday to open a big four-game series against the Mets. The victories in Baltimore and New York pushed the Rockies to 10-4 after the All-Star break (2-1 in Atlanta, 1-2 at home against Tampa Bay, 4-0 at home against Atlanta, 2-1 in Baltimore and 1-0 so far in New York).

Additionally, the victories in Baltimore marked the third series win in Colorado’s four outings since the Midsummer Classic festivities in San Diego.

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The Rockies are winning and they’re looking good while doing it. They’re one of the hottest teams in MLB as they continue their series against Mets, a team they’ve won all four meetings against this season.

A Rockies team suddenly putting things together makes the trade deadline even more complicated for the franchise. Do the Rockies hold on to their pieces and say they’re ready to try to win now and in 2017 rather than targeting 2018? The answer looks to be yes.

Based on a four-game sample size, David Dahl has certainly seemed like the phenom everyone envisioned him to be as the buildup for his call-up continued to swell. Hitting his first homer in his third MLB game will only add to the excitement (although Trevor Story might remind him how he did in his first four games in the bigs).

Some wondered if Dahl’s call-up might signal that a trade involving Charlie Blackmon or Carlos Gonzalez was imminent. However, the banter surrounding both of the Colorado outfielders seemed to have cooled in trade talk rumors.

So where do the Rockies stand as the minutes count down to the trade deadline? They look to be standing firm with what they have in their clubhouse … and what else could be coming to Denver through Colorado’s minor league system.

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The Rockies are proving they can win with the players they have, and reinforcements are on the way in the form of Jeff Hoffman, Gerardo Parra, Raimel Tapia, Jordan Patterson, Tom Murphy and others in the coming weeks and months. How will the addition of any or all of those players affect Colorado’s red-hot chemistry at the moment? That remains to be seen but it will certainly affect it less than pulling Blackmon or Gonzalez out of the mix.

Additionally, if Colorado was to suddenly turn seller, the Rockies should expect to receive a haul for either Blackmon or CarGo in a deal similar to the Troy Tulowitzki trade from last summer. They’re both All-Stars and would make an immediate impact on any team fighting for a pennant. Nothing less than some of the contender’s best prospects should be expected in return. Is a team willing to do that right now after the Chicago Cubs just pulled off the Aroldis Chapman trade? Look at the prospect price paid to bring the heat-thrower to the north side of Chicago.

Is another team willing to pay that right now? My bet is no.

When Colorado finished off a sweep of the Braves at Coors Field last Sunday, some wondered if that would be the last time we’d see CarGo or Blackmon or Jorge De La Rosa or Boone Logan or even Nick Hundley in a Rockies uniform. Certainly there could be a surprise and a deal could still happen. However, it’s looking more and more likely that the bet is that the future is now for the Rockies.

Next: More Thoughts on Should the Rockies Be Buyers or Sellers

The bold decision that Rockies fans have been thinking general manager Jeff Bridich might make is a bold one indeed … staying put when everyone expected the Colorado Rockies to sell and give up on the season.

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