Colorado Rockies: Change in trade deadline amidst short season

With the 2020 Major League Baseball season delayed and shortened, the trade deadline for the Colorado Rockies and the other 29 teams has reportedly been adjusted as well.

According to a tweet from MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo and others, the MLB trade deadline for the 2020 season will be set for Monday, August 31. With the season expected to begin near the end of July, the new trade deadline would be roughly halfway through what has been announced as a 60-game season that is expected to come to a conclusion before the end of September.

In previous seasons where there was a 162-game schedule that began in late March or early April, the trade deadline was set for July 31. This season, however, promises to be unlike any other season before.

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With a shorter season and condensed race for the playoffs, the key question becomes what could the Colorado Rockies potentially do at a trade deadline. Would the franchise be more aggressive than in years past if the team starts out hot and not only has a chance at the postseason, but also at that elusive inaugural National League West title for the franchise? Will the Rockies be more willing to listen to offers if the team starts off slowly? Will the Nolan Arenado trade rumors flare up again if the Rockies start off with a whimper rather than a bang, even with a short season?

These are some of the questions that will be asked when the new trade deadline is discussed. As has been pointed out, Colorado has had success in the early parts of the season over the past three years. Each of those seasons, the Rockies were above .500 after 60 games. In 2018 and 2019, the Rockies made the postseason while also making a minimal amount of moves on the trade front. Last season, Colorado was 31-29 after 60 games but went 40-62 the rest of the season. The team was also quiet at the trade deadline in 2020.

There are plenty of other questions regarding what could happen in terms of health and safety at this year’s trade deadline that my Rox Pile colleague Noah Yingling discussed in this article.

While we may not know yet an exact start date or Colorado’s complete schedule, it’s good to at least have one date circled on the calendar as a midpoint for the season and a date that could be very interesting to see how teams (including the Rockies) react in a campaign where it truly is a sprint to the postseason.