Colorado Rockies: 10 Biggest Trades in Franchise History: 10-8

#10: Larry Walker to the St. Louis Cardinals for Jason Burch, Luis Martinez and Chris Narveson

Starting with his MVP season in 1997 through 2001, there were few hitters in the game that inspired more respect than Walker. Over that five-season span, Walker hit a ridiculous .357 with 156 home runs, despite injuries limiting him to just 454 at-bats per season. All of this from a guy that was also one of the game’s premier defenders (as evidenced by his seven Gold Gloves in right field).

In 2004 though, the Rockies were on their way to a 94-loss season and Walker, then 37 years old, had expressed a desire to compete for a title before he was forced to retire. Colorado honored his request, sending him to a loaded St. Louis squad for a trio of prospects.

Ultimately, the Cardinals were probably the “winners” of this deal. Walker helped them reach the 2004 World Series, where they were ultimately defeated by the Boston Red Sox. Walker retired after the 2005 season, and unfortunately never got his World Series ring.

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As for Colorado, the only real win from the trade was the good PR of doing right by one of their aging stars. None of the three prospects they received in the trade ever appeared in an MLB game for the Rockies, and Narveson was the only one to stick in the majors (which happened with Milwaukee).

Ultimately, this trade will be remembered as the unofficial end of the “Blake Street Bombers” era. Lost to time however, is the alternate reality where the Walker trade worked out much differently: The Rockies had originally planned on shipping Walker to Texas, and the Rangers had agreed to the deal, but Walker used his 10-5 rights to veto the trade, ultimately forcing a move to St. Louis instead.

Why is that significant? Because if you believe the reports, the alleged deal would have sent then top prospect and future MLB all-star Ian Kinsler to Colorado.

It’s hard to blame Walker. The Rangers were atrocious at the time and would be for a while longer. But it’s also hard not to wonder what a middle infield of Troy Tulowitzki and Kinsler would have looked like.