Exploring Trade Options for the Rockies at Third Base

It’s no secret the Rockies have a huge hole at third base.

It’s also no secret the Rockies need a big bat to spark an offensive reawakening.

It’s time for Dan O’Dowd to step up and make another statement that he’s committed to winning. The best way to accomplish this is through a trade. The most logical position to trade for is third base. Ian Stewart is all but done at the hot corner, Jose Lopez has fizzled at third, Ty Wigginton is on the DL but has faltered offensively, and there aren’t a whole lot of options in the minors.

Ian Stewart is the best defensive glove the Rockies have seen at third base since Vinny Castilla. There’s no question about his defense, but what the Rockies need now is offense.

Since superstar third baseman like Evan Longoria and Alex Rodriguez are obviously out of the Rockies’ league (pun intended), the Rockies should target a quality third baseman on a perennial non-contender.

So who’s the perfect target?

If you answered Michael Young of the Rangers, like the Rockies targeted in the offseason, you’d be incorrect.

Why not shoot for a young third baseman, who’s as solid as Stewart defensively, but has the bat to back it up?

That makes the perfect target Ryan Zimmerman of the Washington Nationals.

Yes, he’s missed a lot of 2011 due to injury. Yes, he’s only had 28 at-bats this season. But he’s a career .289 hitter, which isn’t bad. Sure is better than Stewart’s .064 he’s hitting this year.

Zimmerman already has a Gold Glove at third, and two Silver Sluggers entering just his sixth year in the league. It’s true he’s making $9.05 million this year, but the Rockies can get some of that back by offloading Stewart’s $2.3 million, which he’s not earning playing the way he is.

Acquiring Ryan Zimmerman would give the Rockies one of the most solid infields in the game, and it would add a nice punch in their lineup. With Zimmerman, the Rockies would have three infielders wearing Gold, along with Tulowitzki and Helton.

Now comes the question of how the Rockies would get the Nationals to give up one of their prized players.

The fact of the matter is the Nationals are a rebuilding team. They have been for a while, they will be for a while, and it will be years before they contend in the very tough NL East.

Send Stewart, Lopez, and minor leaguers Matt Macri and Willy Taveras to the Nationals for Zimmerman. Stewart and Lopez can hit under the right system, Macri is one of the Rockies’ most prized prospects, and Taveras has already proven himself at the Major League level. This package would give the Nationals two third baseman who have proven they can play under the right tutelage, and Macri and Taveras will help them inch closer to “contender” status in the NL East.

A trade needs to happen. That’s been clear for a while. Trading for a player like Ryan Zimmerman just makes sense for both the Rockies and the Nationals. As much as Nationals fans wouldn’t want to let Zimmerman go, there comes a time when teams have to let their star go in order to contend in the future.

See the Matt Holliday trade of 2008. Worked out in the long run for both the Rockies and the Cardinals, who eventually acquired Holliday.

Nationals GM Mike Rizzo, take notes from Dan O’Dowd. Take a risk. You never know what’s in the cards.