Colorado Rockies: Is Dylan Bundy a viable trade possibility?

It is being reported that the Baltimore Orioles are looking to trade right-handed starter Dylan Bundy. Could the Colorado Rockies be a potential fit as they look to boost their rotation?

The Colorado Rockies have been linked to Dylan Bundy in the past, with reports coming around the 2018 trade deadline that the Rockies had interest. It has been reported that the Orioles are now shopping the 27-year-old Bundy as he enters the second year of arbitration.

MLBTradeRumors.com is projecting Bundy to make $5.7 in arbitration this offseason, so he is certainly in Colorado’s budget. But is he worth the cost?

Perhaps the biggest knock against Bundy is his inability to keep the ball in the park. Over the last three seasons, Bundy has surrendered 96 home runs in 501.6 innings. That’s 1.72 homers per nine innings and that’s a scary number when thinking about someone pitching at Coors Field.

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Because of that, our colleagues at BirdsWatcher.com covering the Orioles believe Bundy could land in the National League West, but in a more pitcher-friendly park such as San Francisco.

So should Colorado write him off as a trade possibility? An overall FIP of 4.75 in five seasons plus an average of three walks and nine hits per nine innings isn’t awe-inspiring. Additionally, the Rockies will need to make a trade with the Orioles, meaning this isn’t a one-year rental (with Bundy being under team control past the 2020 season) and Colorado would have to part with some mid- to higher-range prospects.

There is also the issue of a fastball that has lost velocity (averaging 91.1 mph last season and a pitch thrown 42.4 percent of the time). Bundy has tried to balance that by using his slider more and it was effective last season (thrown 22.8 percent of the time with opponents hitting .152 against it).

It’s certainly not all bad when it comes to Bundy, however, as our colleagues covering the Orioles talked about in this article during last season.

Is Bundy the right pitcher for Colorado to burn prospects and acquire? Likely, the answer here is no. The cost is right but the Rockies are in need of a veteran pitcher with fewer questions than Bundy brings.