Colorado Rockies: Things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving

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DENVER, CO – AUGUST 16: A detail of the scoreboard honoring the 100th anniversary of the Negro Leagues on display during a game between the Colorado Rockies and the Texas Rangers at Coors Field on August 16, 2020 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /

We promise this article is not a joke. To deal with being a Colorado Rockies fan, it’s almost a necessity to look at the glass half full even when the glass is clearly empty.

Almost nothing about 2020 has been pleasant and the Colorado Rockies were no exception. Rumors of Nolan Arenado going to the Dodgers bring shivers up our spine and thoughts of “Why the heck not? Just add it to my 2020 tab.”

Trust us, it’d be much easier to write about a few things to gripe about this Thanksgiving article. But in the spirit of the holiday, we’re going to write about a few things we’re grateful for being a Rockies fan this year. At least it’s better than logging in to our umpteenth-thousandth Zoom meeting.

The Tulo trade is (almost) over

Believe it or not, the trade that sent Troy Tulowitzki to the Toronto Blue Jays was more than five years ago. In return, the Rockies received Jose Reyes, Jeff Hoffman, Miguel Castro, and Jesus Tinoco.

Reyes was brought in to bridge the gap at short while the Rockies farm system and, ultimately, Trevor Story emerged to step up at the position. Reyes was immediately disgruntled that he had to play in the Mile High City and was never popular with Rockies fans. It didn’t help that he was charged with domestic violence against his wife in the offseason. He was suspended and never played for the Rockies again. Reyes batted .259 with 3 home runs in 47 games in Denver. He will never be remembered as a Rockie and rightfully so.

Then there was Miguel Castro who is a reliever. You’d be forgiven if you don’t remember him. He played in five games after being called up in September 2015 with a 10.1 ERA. He only appeared in 19 games in 2016 for the Rockies with a 6.14 ERA. He was designated for assignment in early 2017 and traded to the Baltimore Orioles. He is in the New York Mets organization today.

DENVER, CO – SEPTEMBER 12: Jesus Tinoco #32 of the Colorado Rockies pitches during the game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Coors Field on September 12, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. The Cardinals defeated the Rockies 10-3. (Photo by Rob Leiter/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

Jesus Tinoco was apart of the trade but he has had an interesting ride in the last few months with the Rockies.

Jesus Tinoco didn’t make his debut with the club until 2019. The most notable outing he had was in his debut when he pitched a scoreless ninth to beat the Blue Jays ironically enough. He was traded in August to the Miami Marlins for Chad Smith. Two weeks after he showed up in Miami he was designated for assignment. Then he was picked back up by the Rockies in September but then he was designated for assignment last week. He cleared waivers and therefore, he will be in the Rockies minor league system. He will likely be invited to Major League Spring Training as a non-roster invite. However, he is the final piece of the trade in the Rockies system.

The real reason why the Tulo trade is nearly over is that the Rockies traded Jeff Hoffman on Thanksgiving Eve.

Hoffman was really the main piece of this trade and what excited Rockies fans the most in the thought of receiving a legitimate member of the rotation. First, RHP Hoffman was traded with Minor League RHP Case Williams to the Cincinnati Reds for RHP Robert Stephenson and Minor League OF Jameson Hannah.

Were thankful that this trade is finally done because it was a lot of drama when it happened. It was upsetting to see a superstar go. Tulo didn’t like how upper management handled it. Hoffman never really panned out, reaching his ceiling as an okay fifth starter. We’re happy Hoffman is getting another chance and hope he reaches a higher potential.

It didn’t feel like the Rockies won this trade initially. Tulo went on to be in the core of the Blue Jays postseason roster while the Rockies were terrible for the rest of 2015 and 2016. It brought nobody joy to see a Hall of Fame contender be hobbled by injuries. The trade was ultimately a Rockies victory though because it opened payroll enough to sign other players to create a well-rounded club. It can be argued that the wrong players were signed or if the Rockies were truly successful with two early playoff exits. But it gave the Rockies a chance. We’re thankful for that even if it was a fleeting moment.

DENVER – SEPTEMBER 28: The Colorado Rockies unveil a permanent “KSM” memorial for Keli McGregor on the outfield wall prior to the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field on September 28, 2010 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Garrett W. Ellwood/Getty Images) /

McGregor Square is (almost) open

What’s so great about an entertainment and apartment complex that we can’t visit and certainly can’t afford to live in? Well, it adds value to Denver and the ballpark next door no matter how ugly it gets on the diamond.

It’s like the Rooftop. You may hate going up there as a true baseball fan and not a BroDo but it keeps people in the stands so we’re not the next version of the Montreal Expos and don’t have baseball anymore. Who knows what will be there and in the beginning, it will be a fun place to explore.

Sure, you’ll probably pay $75 for a beer but this brings permanency and reason for anyone to come to the ballpark no matter what.

Honestly, it could be an abandoned train depot for all we care. Once we can all go out again, it will be nice to go anywhere. Why not celebrate with a new experience at McGregor Square?

Also, it’s a nice way to honor a great former president of the Colorado Rockies Keli McGregor. The Square opens on December 10. You can check it out more here.

Maybe, just maybe, we can see baseball in person again in 2021

We’re under no illusion that this is a guarantee. At this point, it’d be nice just to hear that we’re going to have more than 60 games this upcoming season even if those cardboard cutouts are still behind home plate. With positive news of three COVID-19 vaccines being more than 90 percent effective, a baseball fan can dream.

Because more than a winning season, we found out that just any baseball season, no matter the length, is more than enough. Don’t know about you but before this season we never thought we took baseball games for granted. We cheered as loud and went to as many games as anyone.

Next. Our gift guide for Rockies fans for this holiday season. dark

But when we couldn’t get together this season, it was easy to realize that baseball was something we just came to expect. That we could set our calendars by it. We’ll never make that mistake again. We’re thankful for any baseball and we hope to see you at 20th & Blake next year

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