Colorado Rockies: Remembering Todd Helton trade talks to Boston Red Sox

Let’s take a look back at a time when the Colorado Rockies and Boston Red Sox were reportedly discussing a trade for Todd Helton.

Right now, it’s difficult to focus on what we do have. In a time where basic necessities aren’t a guarantee in a pandemic, it feels like sports should be the last thing on our minds. Maybe they are not, but that’s okay. The best thing about sports though is that it brings us together. Even when we can’t be together. So when we’re having Opening Day at Home and can’t have those sweet sounds and smells of the ballpark, here we are going to focus on what we do have. No matter what, we will always have baseball and the surrounding community to get us through this.

In that spirit, we are reminiscing on what a pleasure it is to know that Todd Helton was always in a Rockies uniform. Right now, this seems like it was always a given. Many might remember though, Helton was nearly traded to the Red Sox in the offseason after the 2006 season. But that wasn’t the first time the Rockies’ All-Star would almost sign in Boston. Here we reminisce on how the Rockies nearly changed the course of their franchise history. Twice.

In 2000, Helton had his best season hitting .372, 147 RBI, and 42 home runs. He hit .391 at home and .351 on the road. Say #Coors all you want, but that is unbelievable. It was his first of five consecutive All-Star appearances. He was the best first baseman in baseball, certainly in the National League until Albert Pujols got a few years under his belt after his debut in 2001. For Helton’s performance, the Rockies rewarded him in April 2001 with the fourth-richest contract in the history of baseball at the time with a nine-year, $141.5 million extension that took effect in 2003. Only Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, and Manny Ramirez were paid more.

2002: Helton for Manny Ramirez trade rumors

Speaking of the Red Sox slugger, Ramirez was the bargaining chip in 2002 for Red Sox GM Theo Epstein to sway the Rockies to bring Helton to Beantown. But the Sox also wanted Larry Walker for the Ramirez along with some minor-league prospects. While Manny is one of the greatest players of all time, PEDs or not, Epstein tried to get rid of him on multiple occasions.

There are a multitude of reasons Epstein might have done this, but let’s chalk it up to “Manny being Manny.” Needless to say, this Rockies trade didn’t happen probably because two future Hall of Famers for one and a couple of prospects didn’t line up. Plus that eight-year, $160 million contract Ramirez signed in 2001 probably didn’t help matters. But this wouldn’t be the last of the trade talks sending Helton to the Red Sox.

2007: Helton for Mike Lowell and Julian Tavarez

Then Helton nearly got traded to the Red Sox in 2007. After the 2006 season, it would be unfair to say Helton had fallen off. He hit .320 in 2005 and .302 in 2006. But in both of those years combined, he hit 35 homers. Before that, he had never hit lower than 25. That was in 1998 which was his full rookie season.

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In May of 2006, he had an intestinal infection that he never fully recovered from that year. He was still a great defender but not on the level of the Gold Gloves he was winning earlier in the decade. Derrek Lee and Pujols had a lot to do with that. Helton was still a great asset who could be a huge upgrade for the Red Sox at first base to get their first championship since 2004.

Kevin Youkilis was Boston’s primary starter at first. Youk’s best attribute was his OBP close to .400 every year. Certainly by that point though, he had pedestrian home run numbers, subpar defense, and he didn’t hit for any extraordinary average. By 2007, he had never made an All-Star appearance. Youk is a no-brainer Boston Red Sox Hall of Famer, but Helton would have been an even bigger no-brainer upgrade at first for the BoSox. Helton had a career .430 OBP at the time.

Why the trade had legs

It’s important to mention how bad the Rockies were the first half of the 2000s. After Larry Walker left for St. Louis, it was still “Todd and The Toddlers.” Helton had no support around him. From his first full season in 1998 through 2006, the Rockies were above .500 once (at 82-80 in 2000). Every other year they finished fourth or last in the division with very little hope of improvement. No one would have blamed him for wanting to move on similarly to how Nolan Arenado feels about the current state of the Rockies and team management. But at least Arenado sniffed the playoffs. Helton never got close at this point.

In 2007, Helton had a complete no-trade clause. It was reported though that he told management he’d waive the clause and accept a trade to Boston. This deal had been some time in the making as the talks started after the 2005 season. The talks then resumed a year later after the winter meetings and the sides agreed on the money. The Rockies would pay less than half of his remaining six-year contract of $90 million. If it weren’t for two prospects, Helton may have finished his career in Boston.

Owner Charlie Monfort at the time said the team didn’t want to tie up too much money in one player. This wasn’t the first time the club tried to trade their superstar that offseason as a deal with the Los Angeles Angels never materialized. The Rockies were determined and this Boston trade was all but a done deal. The Rockies were to receive third baseman Mike Lowell who hit .284 in 2006 and Julian Tavarez who was a mostly a middle-reliever who had a 4.47 ERA the same year. Those two players alone would indicate the Rockies would have been in full rebuild mode.