Colorado Rockies: A look at the starting pitching options on the trade market

The Colorado Rockies starting pitching staff has had it’s ebbs and flows throughout the first two plus months of the season.

Entering June, the Rockies starters have an ERA of 4.33, which is 21st in baseball but their ERA+ is 111. They have mainly had issues with Jon Gray and Tyler Anderson, their two most veteran pitchers. So, that leads to the question: do the Rockies need to acquire a starter before the trade deadline?

I’ll let you decide on that but before you decide, let’s look at some of the options that are on the trade market that the Rockies may look at.

Danny Duffy

The Kansas City Royals one of, if not, the worst teams in baseball. They have a record of 18-36 so they, even in the weak American League Central, are already finished, at least for postseason contention.

As a result, they could look to shop their ace Danny Duffy. Entering 2018, Duffy had an ERA of 3.47 (122 ERA+). However, in 2018, he has an ERA of 5.71 in 12 starts (75 ERA+) and a 5.75 FIP.

The left-hander just signed a contract extension with the Royals, though, so he is owed between $15.25 and $15.5 million for the next three seasons.

Considering that he is a decent option but because he is both not particularly a top flight pitcher nor doing well this season, I don’t think he would be a great fit for the Rockies.

Kevin Gausman

Kevin Gausman would be an interesting starting pitching candidate for the Rockies. If the Rockies were to acquire him, he would be the second local guy in the starting rotation, joining Kyle Freeland, as Gausman is from Centennial and graduated from Grandview High School in Aurora, which is less than 25 miles away from Coors Field.

Considering that the Baltimore Orioles are in dead last at 17-37 and, seemingly, millions of miles away from the Yankees and Red Sox in the standings, the Orioles will be sellers at the trade deadline so one of the pieces that could be moved is Gausman.

Thus far in 2018, he is 3-4 with an ERA of 4.31 and a FIP of 4.44. He has an ERA of 4.06 from 2014 through 2017, which is lighting the world on fire.

Looking at his contract situation, Gausman is still arbitration eligible through the 2020 season. He is making $5.6 million this season so, contractually, he would be fairly inexpensive.

If the Rockies were to acquire him, he would probably slide into the back end of the rotation.

Primarily because of that reason, he’s not a great match for the Rockies.

Dylan Bundy

Dylan Bundy is another Orioles starter that could be shopped on the market.

The Rockies have spoken to the Orioles about both Bundy and Gausman before as we discussed before last year’s trade deadline in early July in this article.

Bundy is 3-7 with a 4.46 ERA and a 4.74 FIP in 2018 thus far. He is striking out more than 11 per nine innings and walking less than three. His main problem is that he is allowing 2.1 home runs per nine innings, which is obviously way to high. For comparison, for the Rockies, Chris Rusin is allowing 2.1 home runs per nine innings and Jake McGee is allowing 1.9 home runs per nine innings.

For the same reasons as Gausman, he’s not a great for the Rockies, at least at this point.

J.A. Happ

For the same reason that the Baltimore Orioles will be selling, the Toronto Blue Jays will, or at least should be, selling before the trade deadline. They enter the month with a record of 25-31 and more than a dozen games out of the race for the division and more than eight games out of the AL Wild Card race.

J.A. Happ enters the month with 7-3 with a 3.84 ERA and a FIP of 3.45 in 11 starts. His WHIP is 1.112 and he has nearly 11 strikeouts per nine innings. In the past three seasons, he is 41-23 with an ERA of 3.43 (ERA+ of 123). That includes his 2016 season in which he came in 6th in the AL Cy Young Award voting when he went 20-4 with a 3.18 ERA.

Since he is a free agent at the end of the season, he will almost certainly be traded and to a contender. He also has postseason experience as he had made 10 appearances (3 starts) in the postseason and he has an ERA of 3.72. In the postseason with the Blue Jays, Happ has made two starts with a 2.70 ERA.

Michael Fulmer

Michael Fulmer is one of the more intriguing options on this list. This season, he has struggled a bit as he is 2-4 with a 4.60 ERA. His main problem has been his command, as he is walking 1.4 more batters per nine innings, and he is allowing nearly the double the home runs than he did last season.

However, in the only two seasons of his MLB career prior to this year, he had an ERA of 3.45 (129 ERA+). In 2016, he came in 10th in the AL Cy Young Award voting and won the American League Rookie of the Year Award. Last season, he was an All Star.

He is only arbitration eligible for the first time after this season and is under team control through the 2022 season so the Tigers would seek more in return for Fulmer.

Cole Hamels

Even though Cole Hamels is 34 years of age, the left-hander could really help the Rockies (or another) team looking to make a postseason run. From 2014-2017, he was 48-28 with a 3.35 ERA (126 ERA+) and a FIP of 3.72.

This season, he is 3-5 but has an ERA of 3.74 in 11 starts. The main number that is a little bit concerning is his high home run rate, as he is allowing 1.8 home runs per nine innings, but he is walking about 3 1/2 and striking out more than 9 per nine innings.

He also has extensive postseason experience as he has an ERA of 3.48 in 16 postseason starts. In 2008, when with the Phillies, he won both the NLCS MVP and the World Series MVP because he was so dominant (overall, in five postseason starts in 2008, he had an ERA of 1.80).

Since he is a free agent at the end of the season (he does have a team option for $20 million next year) and the Rangers are in dead last, more than a dozen games out of the division lead already, he should be a guy that will be moved before the deadline…and fits well for the Rockies.

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Chris Archer

Chris Archer is, perhaps, the biggest name on this list. He is with the Tampa Bay Rays, who have played surprisingly well at 28-27. However, in the AL East with the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, the Rays are 10.5 back for the division and 5 games back of the 2nd AL Wild Card spot so they could potentially sell.

He has averaged 33 games and 202 innings in the past four seasons with a 3.66 ERA (108 ERA+), 3.37 FIP. In that span, he was an All Star in 2015 and 2017, as well as coming in fifth in the AL Cy Young Award voting.

His contract is very team friendly as he only making a little over $6.4 million this season. Next season, he is making $7.66 million and there are two team options for 2020 and 2021 for $9 million and $11 million.

Because of this, he would take a haul to get but, as my colleague Kevin Henry talked about last week in this article, there is a chance for the Rockies to get him.

Final Thoughts

There are some other starting pitchers that will be on the market but they fit the bill of what the Rockies will want/need. Some of them include Aaron Sanchez (past injury history, including being injured this season), Andrew Cashner (there’s too many stats that aren’t good), Alex Cobb (6.80 ERA, among other bad stats), and Marco Estrada (5.68 ERA).

There’s not a lot of top flight options out there so if the Rockies do decide to go for an ace on the market (because they simply do not have one now), they will probably have to overpay for one.