Colorado Rockies: At the trade deadline, the club must be sellers

Last year, in the midst of a contending first half, the Colorado Rockies found themselves as buyers. This season, however, the team is fighting to keep its head above water.

The 2017 Major League Baseball season was one of success for the Rockies. Finally finding the postseason for the first time in nearly a decade, the club made baseball fun again in the Mile High City.

During the midpoint of the season, the team found themselves in a unique position to buy, as the trade deadline arrived. In years past the Rockies have been involved in some significant trades. The Matt Holliday-for-Carlos Gonzalez swap worked well, while selling the former golden boy of the club, Troy Tulowitzki, in 2016, did not.

Nevertheless, the team is back in the passengers’ seat this season. Following a relatively fair start, the Rockies are in another nosedive, having lost four of sixand eight of the last ten within the National League West. They currently sit 8 games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks, needing to put it back together.

As we enter July, and the midway point of the regular season, there will foreseeably be many contending teams as buyers. The Rockies, however, should see themselves as sellers.

Surprisingly, Gonzalez is playing well enough to doubt all the naysayers during the offseason. Many fans were against the idea of Gonzalez returning. However, he has done his part concerning his contract. However, Gonzalez is 32 years old and seemingly on the last leg of his contract. The Rockies are not in contention currently, so holding onto “CarGo” seems silly. Even for sentimental value.

Many times before the team has had the opportunity to pull the trigger on a trade. Moving toward a more youthful future now might be the time to get a deal done.

Conversely, despite the respectable average and production from Parra, he has struggled to stay healthy during his Rockies tenure. When Parra is healthy, he is fantastic. Also, last season in 115 games, Parra finished with a line of .309/.341/.452 with 10 HR and 71 RBI. It, however, is the outlier.

Similar to Gonzalez, it is time to find a partner for Parra. For the first time in the last three seasons for the club, Parra has been incredibly consistent and staying healthy (knock on wood). It would be, for this reason, an excellent time to dump him.

Parra is nearly the same age as Gonzalez and finds the young buck Noel Cuevas on his heels. Cuevas is still getting his feet wet at the major league level. However, Cuevas has seen himself as the catalyst for some big hits for the rookie and can carry his own. Its time the Rockies decided to find out.

Other offensive firepower could be on the move

Concerning the rest of the offense, concerning the trade deadline, there is one more player the Rockies could potentially move. Many will not like this take as he is a fan favorite. However, there is no better time than now to find a deal involving D.J. LeMahieu.

LeMahieu has been one of the biggest offensive weapons the Rockies have possessed in the last handful of seasons. Always consistent, the team and fans alike can rely on his bat. Nevertheless, with the likes of Brendan Rodgers waiting like a rabid dog, as well as LeMahieu in his final contract year, finding value in a trade now would be a boon for the future.

The All-Star second baseman signed a one year/$8 million dollar this past offseason to stay in the Mile High City. Now, though, heading into next season will be an entirely different story. LeMahieu is set to become a free-agent and will assumedly receive a mega-deal from someone in need of a player like him.

The future of Brendan Rodgers is closer than many people think. By the start of Spring Training, it would not be a surprise if Rodgers worked his way onto the Opening Day roster next year. Trading LeMahieu to a contending team could bring back a nice return, as well as allow the move for Rodgers.

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Who should be on the move?

There are many moving parts on the team currently hindering the future faces opportunities to see playing time. For a team moving more into the future, selling Gerardo Parra and Carlos Gonzalez make sense in this situation.

D.J. LeMahieu is in the final year of his Rockies contract. The team, however, can find him a new home at the deadline, as he is set to be a free-agent after this season, and the team should maximize his value as best as possible.

Concerning the bullpen, as it has also become a problematic issue for the team, the Rockies need to make names available. Adam Ottavino is someone who may be on his way out, as a possible trade option, however, it would surprise little if the Rockies did hold on to him.

The two who the Rockies should look at moving is Bryan Shaw and Jake McGee. First, Shaw has been downright embarrassing, pitching to an asinine 7.57 ERA. Shaw has posted a porous 11.6% walk percentage rate as well as 2.02 HR/9.

McGee, on the other hand, has been a little better but not much. McGee is struggling as well, posting a 5.90 ERA to this point in the season. His strikeout percentage is entirely a bit less too, down nearly five percent. McGee has worn out his welcome in Colorado.

However, getting rid of the two (especially with their contracts) would be difficult.

Final Thoughts

It does not feel difficult in seeing this franchise as a seller at the deadline. The N.L. West has indeed been a giant dumpster fire throughout the first half of the season, however as the Rockies continue to fall, the Diamondbacks and Dodgers continue to rise.

Holding onto the likes of some of the names on this list would be a disservice to both the club and the fans. The Rockies are not currently a contending team. They are on the rise. However, it will not be the case until next season, and maybe the season after.

Next: The Rockies have one of the best pitchers in the NL

Making moves now will help clear the path for the likes of Noel Cuevas, David Dahl, and Brendan Rodgers. The team can acquire more capital as well. It is soon that we will see the future. May as well as not wait.