Colorado Rockies: Our simulated trade with the Tampa Bay Rays

The FanSided Fake Winter Meetings continue to go at a fast pace and, with Rox Pile acting as the general manager for the Colorado Rockies, we are continuing to make deals that we believe will help the Rockies return to the postseason in 2019.

As a reminder, anything we discuss below about the Colorado Rockies is simulated and not real life. These are trades and signings that Rox Pile and other FanSided properties are doing in a Winter Meeting simulation.

Yesterday, we told you in this article that we landed Jorge Soler from the Kansas City Royals for a Rockies pitcher who had a very down year in 2018. Today, in this simulated trade, we are once again trading a Colorado pitcher who may need a change of scenery in exchange for a player who can solidify a need the Rockies have heading into 2019.

In our latest swap, we sent Jon Gray to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for first baseman C.J. Cron. Let’s explain why we did this bold move.

Yesterday, in this article, Noah Yingling explained some of the reasons why the Rockies might be interested in trading Gray. A 2018 season that started with him on the mound for Opening Day but ended with him left off the postseason roster signifies some of the issues Gray had last year while posting his highest ERA (5.12) since his rookie campaign.

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With this trade, not only are the Rockies and Rays trading former first-round picks, but they are also trading players who are eligible for arbitration through at least 2020 (Cron is 2020 while Gray is 2021). They are also trading players who can strengthen their positions in a new league.

Last season, the 28-year-old Cron logged a 2.0 WAR (compared to Ian Desmond‘s -0.6 WAR) while hitting .253 with 30 home runs and 74 RBI. He has blasted double-digit homers every season since he debuted with the Los Angeles Angels in 2014. Last year was a career year for him and we believe those numbers can translate well at Coors Field.

Gray, meanwhile, has vowed to bounce back from his rough 2018 campaign … but there are some troubling signs last season that, as our own Jake Shapiro pointed out in this article, weren’t just unlucky breaks. Could those problems be solved in 2019? Quite possibly, but when a first baseman with Cron’s abilities became available, it seemed like the surer bet.

Additionally, we believe that the Rockies have a solid four-man rotation with Kyle Freeland, German Marquez, Antonio Senzatela and Tyler Anderson/Chad Bettis. Sam Howard and Peter Lambert are close to ready for the Majors and Jeff Hoffman is still a wild card as well.

So what do you think? Would you have made this trade? Are you ready to move on from Jon Gray or will he make a triumphant comeback for the Rockies in 2019? Let us know in the comments section below!