Colorado Rockies: Could Carlos Gonzalez Be Traded This Winter?

Right fielder Carlos Gonzalez has had another good season for the Colorado Rockies. There were some rumors around the August 1 non-waiver trade deadline that he might get traded. Now we have a story floating around the Rockies might look to trade him over this winter instead.

In the last offseason there was speculation that Carlos Gonzalez could be on the trade block.  However, there were “no great offers” for him, per Jon Heyman of todaysknuckleball.com.

Heyman goes on to argue the Rockies should look to shop him again over this winter, as the team’s glut of left-handed-hitting outfielders could represent an opportunity to improve in other areas – prime example, the bullpen.

The bullpen has been a disaster in 2016. Jeff Todd of mlbtraderumors.com believes that CarGo’s reasonable contract (it goes through the end of 2017) could be turned into some more young prospects for the Rockies:

Gonzalez is hitting a productive .300/.350/.523, even if it is aided by playing at Coors Field, and is owed a reasonable $37MM over the next two seasons. It’s worth noting, too, that the club could potentially not only turn that contract into some intriguing, younger assets, but would also free up a good bit of payroll space to deploy on the open market.

However, the Rockies may look at keeping him in the fold, as there is a potential opening at first base. If the Rockies don’t re-sign Mark Reynolds, CarGo might be required to man first base, as Gerardo Parra doesn’t look like a good long-term option at the position.

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They could also look at recent call-ups Jordan Patterson and Stephen Cardullo to play first on a full-time basis in 2017, or continue their oft-used platoon approach instead.

Management has to figure out a way to fix the bullpen in 2017. Trading CarGo for more pitching prospects (plus freeing up the second-biggest expense off the payroll – $20,428,571 in 2017 per spotrac.com) would give management the financial flexibility they need to find other bullpen replacements.

In this case the trade should go down. They just have to ensure proper value is received.

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The Rockies have the promise in 2017 to be a very good ballclub. The last thing it needs is another beleaguered  bullpen. If trading CarGo is the necessary move to give it a major shot in the arm, then it simply has to be done. I wouldn’t be thrilled by it, but I also want this team to win.