Colorado Rockies: Could Charlie Blackmon be traded in the offseason?

It is a question worth asking but also one that Colorado Rockies fans may not want to even think about as the 2017 Major League Baseball season has officially come to a close: Could the Rockies deal Charlie Blackmon in the offseason?

Colorado’s All-Star center fielder and Most Valuable Player candidate was the center of a number of trade rumors last offseason, including deals that would have sent him to the Toronto Blue Jays for Marcus Stroman and St. Louis Cardinals before the Redbirds inked Dexter Fowler to a lucrative deal. It is very likely that Blackmon will once again be under the weight of rumors again this offseason. He is also very likely Colorado’s biggest bargaining chip heading into the 2018 season.

Why would the Rockies entertain the notion of trading off one of their most entertaining and well-liked players? It is simply a matter of timing and finances.

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Blackmon is entering arbitration again this offseason and is scheduled to become a free agent at the close of the 2018 season. We detailed all of Colorado’s players heading to arbitration this winter and what their salary might become, including Blackmon, in this article. Chuck Nazty is one of five Rockies scheduled for arbitration and his salary is projected to jump from $7.3 million to $13.4 million for 2018 … if the Rockies do not sign him to a long-term contract first.

That is the tough decision now facing the Rockies. If you ink Blackmon to a three-year deal, for example, you have to think about Blackmon’s age at the end of the contract. The 31-year-old center fielder would be in or approaching his mid-30s at the end of a long-term deal.

In the field, Blackmon ranked 28^th among MLB center fielders in FanGraphs Defensive Runs Above Average at 1.7. His UZR (Ultimate Zone Rating) was -0.6 (51 players who logged 50 innings or more in center field had 0.0 or higher). Meanwhile, his 6.5 WAR was a career-high as was his wRC+ (117). It is a mixed advanced statistical bag for Blackmon.

At the plate, Blackmon’s worth will never be higher than it is right now. Coming off a record-setting season where he hit .331 with 37 home runs and 104 RBI, had an OPS of 1.000 and scored 137 runs, it is hard to think that Blackmon could improve those numbers moving forward. Is it possible? Sure. Is it improbable? Probably the answer is yes here as well.

If (and it is a big if) the Rockies were to dangle him in the market this offseason, the return could be high. Another starting pitcher? A pitcher who could be a set-up man or closer? Could the Rockies gain more youth and depth to an already stacked farm system? These are the questions that will be asked and answered in the coming days.

Next: A Colorado problem? The Rockies have too much young depth.

As was said last season in the heat of the Blackmon rumor mill, it will take a massive deal to move Blackmon out of Colorado. One thing is for sure though, every team, including the Rockies, would be more than happy to have Blackmon’s services in 2018.