Rockies trade rumors: update with 18 hours to the trade deadline

MLBTradeRumors.com recently published a list of the top 25 players that they believe will be traded before the trade deadline. With the Rockies being buyers and them scouring the market in multiple positions, they have been linked to nearly all of these players.

The Rockies have made it no secret that they are looking to improve in a few different areas (starting pitching, bullpen, and catcher are the primary three spots). Since MLBTradeRumors.com published their list of the top 25 players to be traded at the deadline, we will run down the players who have been linked to the Rockies and how they may help the Rockies. The number listed before the player’s name is the rank that MLB Trade Rumors gave them of being traded.

NOTE: We are not considering Oakland A’s starter Sonny Gray, considering that Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post says, on Twitter, that the Rockies are not pursuing Gray. He also says that a trade for Lance Lynn is “not going to happen.” 

Also, we were going to include #7 Alex Avila and #8 Jonathan Lucroy here but since Lucroy was acquired by the Rockies, according to Ken Rosenthal, during the writing of this article, the Rockies won’t be acquiring Avila and Lucroy is a moot point (since the Rockies already acquired him for a player to be named later (according to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports)).

2. Yu Darvish, Right-Handed Starter, Texas Rangers

We have mentioned Yu Darvish as a potential target for the Rockies before in these two articles.

Darvish was an All-Star this year and he has an ERA of 4.01. That number has risen a lot lately as in his last eight starts (which is since June 18), he has not recorded a win as he is 0-5 and he’s got an ERA OF 5.81 and a opponent’s batting average of .277 in that span. He’s also only signed through the end of this season.

He would provide the Rockies with some help in the rotation as he could be an ace-like pitcher for the Rockies down the stretch and into the postseason.

Jon Heyman, in this article on FanRag Sports, mentioned that the Rockies have looked as Yu Darvish of the Texas Rangers to help their starting rotation. However, the Rockies are one of the ten teams on his no-trade list as a part of his contract so it would be more difficult to come to a deal for him.

3. Addison Reed, Right-Handed Reliever, New York Mets

Addison Reed is another potential target that we have mentioned before in these two articles. There hasn’t been much rumors surrounding him as of late but there are some trades that happen every year that there aren’t many rumors surrounding it until it happens.

He has a 2.57 ERA in 48 games and 49 innings pitched. He has 19 saves, an ERA+ of 166 and a 8.8 to 1.1 strikeout to walk ratio per nine innings. Batters are hitting .255 with a .275 on-base percentage this season.

In six career games and 5 2/3 innings at Coors Field, he has a career ERA of 4.76 but batters have only hit .227 against him with a .261 on-base percentage.

He would just be rental option for the bullpen as he is only signed through the end of the season.

4. Justin Wilson, Left-Handed Reliever, Detroit Tigers

Justin Wilson of the Detroit Tigers is a potential Rockies target that we have mentioned in six different articles here at Rox Pile alone (with these two being the most recent).

In 2017, he has a 2.68 ERA in 42 games and 40 1/3 innings pitched. He has 13 saves with an ERA+ of 133. Batters are also only hitting .157 with a .242 on-base percentage against him.

He has only pitched in two games and two innings at Coors Field but he has had success as batters are 1-for-6 against him (a .167 batting average) and a .286 on-base percentage.

He is under contract through next season.

11. Brad Hand. Left-Handed Reliever, San Diego Padres

We have mentioned Brad Hand six times in the past few weeks as a potential target for the Rockies.

This season, he has a 2.00 ERA in 49 games and 54 innings pitched. His WHIP is 0.963 and his strikeout to walk ratio is five to one (11.7 to 2.3).

In 2016, he was 4-4 with a 2.92 ERA and he led the National League in appearances with 82 and had 89 1/3 innings pitched in his first year as a full-time relief pitcher.

His career ERA and opponent’s batting is a bit high in his career at Coors Field (.258 and 5.87) but in the past two seasons in (the best two seasons of his career), he’s pitched in four games at Coors and in 3 1/3 innings pitched, he’s allowed one run and only one hit for an opponent’s batting average of .083 and an ERA of 2.70.

He is signed for the 2018 and 2019 seasons so he would be a good option for now and the future for the Rockies.

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12. Zach Britton, Left-Handed Reliever, Baltimore Orioles

Zach Britton is another reliever that the Rockies could look at and he is another player that we have three times before.

He has converted 55 straight saves. His last blown save was on September 20, 2015.

He has been injured much of the 2017 season as he has only pitched in 18 games and between April 14 and July 5, he only appeared in two games due to two stints on the disabled list. When healthy, he is, arguably, the best reliever in baseball.

In 2016, he only allowed four earned runs in 69 games (which is an ERA of 0.54) and batters had a .162 batting average with an on-base percentage of .221.

He is a free-agent after the end of next season.

13. Brad Brach, Right-Handed Reliever, Baltimore Orioles

We have mentioned Brad Brach as a potential relief option four different times here at Rox Pile.

In 2017, he has a 2-2 record with a 2.70 ERA in 43 games and 43 1/3 innings. While Britton had been injured, Brach took over in the closer’s role so he has 16 saves on the season. He has a 9.6 to 2.7 strikeout to walk ratio per nine innings and he has a WHIP of 0.946. In 2016, he was an All-Star as he went 10-4 with a 2.05 ERA in 79 innings.

In his three seasons with the San Diego Padres, he has spent time in Coors Field and it has not been pretty. In 2 2/3 innings pitched, he has allowed five hits and three runs with batters having a .417 batting average and a .462 on-base percentage against him.

He is signed through next season.

Next: Jake McGee placed on the 10-day disabled list

Final Thoughts

The Rockies have acquired a catcher (Jonathan Lucroy) and a bullpen arm (Pat Neshek) but I believe that the Rockies will still be active tonight and into tomorrow. Don’t be surprised if more help is acquired for the starting rotation and/or the bullpen.