Colorado Rockies: Is Jon Gray a trade candidate this offseason?

On Friday, MLB Trade Rumors published an article saying that Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Jon Gray may be a trade candidate this offseason.

Heading into the 2020 season, the Colorado Rockies starting rotation and, frankly, their entire pitching staff is a bit of a question mark.

Whether that is because some players are recovering from injuries, they just were inconsistent throughout the 2019 season, or just regressed in 2019, it’s something that could change how the outlook on the team significantly.

One of those pitchers who fits in more than one of those categories is right-hander Jon Gray. He missed the final six weeks of the season due to a fractured foot. Before the injury, he pitched well after having a bad 2018 season, a season in which he was even sent down to Triple-A Albuquerque for a little bit.

With the pitching staff in a bit of limbo, the team is too. So that makes it even harder to determine whether or not Jon Gray is a candidate to be traded this offseason.

Dick Monfort has already said that they are just about maxed out on funds so, conceivably, the Rockies will not be able to make a ton of additions this offseason. If that does end up reigning true, will they be contenders for the postseason?

Simply put, no.

The Dodgers have the means and the current roster to stay at the top of the NL West. The D’Backs won 85 games and were in the playoff hunt until the final week of the season. The Padres, who finished in last in the West in 2019, also only have about $96 million currently dedicated to their 2020 roster (before their arbitration eligible players are factored in). With an owner who wants to win now, they could spend a lot this offseason.

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That doesn’t bode well for the Rockies, who finished 20 games below .500 in 2019.

With only two years left before free agency, the Rockies right-hander would be entering the final year before free agency in 2021. Do they think that they’d have a legitimate shot at signing him long term or not? That is another question that has to be posed.

If they do trade Gray, it would likely be for prospects. It would help out a weak Rockies farm system but with trading Gray for prospects, you’re showing that you’re punting on the 2020 season. You then waste another year of Trevor Story and more importantly, drive Nolan Arenado closer to opting out of his contract after 2021. In other words, would the Rockies be fine with saying “let’s tear it down and rebuild (yet again) for a half decade”? I don’t think that they want that either.

In other words, there are a lot of questions about Gray and about the Rockies and considering that he still has two years until free agency, I do not think he will be traded unless the Rockies are blown away by some team that is over paying for him.

If the Rockies are not in contention in July, then I think that the Rockies were be more inclined to seek a trade partner for Gray but right now, I don’t think he will be on the move.