Trade Candidate: Charlie Blackmon

May 2, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies center fielder Charlie Blackmon (19) hits a single during the second inning against the New York Mets at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

As the season begins, we are profiling some potential trade candidates the Rockies may be able to move this summer in return for younger players. Let’s take a look at a dark horse, Charlie Blackmon.  

Charlie Blackmon broke out last season en route to his first All Star game appearance, and after a hot start (including a wild Opening Day in Denver), cemented himself as an everyday outfielder for the club.

This season, after Corey Dickerson’s own breakout and a healthy return of Carlos Gonzalez (so far…), Dickerson may find himself a pretty good player with just enough value to get traded for a different piece.

Additionally, rumors have swirled about him all winter, and there’s some thought the Rockies might be shopping him at some point.

The contract. Blackmon hasn’t reached arbitration yet, so he’s not making a ton of money with the Rockies. He’ll be arbitration eligible in 2016, so if he gets traded to another club, he’d have to be offered more somewhat more money fairly soon after the trade.

The history. Blackmon, a Georgia Tech product, was drafted by the Rockies in 2008 and has played his entire career with the organization. He broke through in 2011 and earned 102 plate appearances, and after shuttling between Denver and Colorado Springs in 2012 and 2013, he finally stuck with the big club (probably, for good) in 2014.

The tenure. The break out last year saw Blackmon finish with a .288/.335/.440 slash line, 19 home runs, 27 doubles, and 28 stolen bases in 648 plate appearances. He was named an All Star, and was really only one of two every day players for the Rockies (along with D.J. LeMahieu), while he led the team in games played and plate appearances.

The angle. Between Dickerson, Blackmon, Gonzalez, Drew Stubbs, and Brandon Barnes (and arguably, Kyle Parker), the Rockies have 5-6 big league capable outfielders, which is one too many. Trading Blackmon (or, as we argued earlier, trading Stubbs) would solve that problem.

Obviously, it would only make sense for the team to trade one or the other between Blackmon and Stubbs; trading both would leave the Rockies short-handed. And admittedly, Stubbs is the more enticing trade piece considering he’s a free agent after the season and two years older than Blackmon.

Nevertheless, Blackmon has been involved in rumors before, so, I suppose it’s worth keeping an eye on. Considering Blackmon comes with more team control and two years younger than Stubbs, I’d assume Blackmon would also fetch a better return in any potential trade.

The replacement. As mentioned above, the Rockies have capable outfield hands in Gonzalez, Dickerson, and perhaps Parker on the corners, should Blackmon be traded. And, Stubbs and Barnes could theoretically split center field and roam to corners as needed, too.