Colorado Rockies trade talk: Could New York Mets be looking for pitching?

The New York Mets are reportedly looking for help with starting pitching, so could the Colorado Rockies be a trade partner?

New York Mets general manager Zack Scott recently tipped his hand that his club could be looking to boost its starting pitching as the 2021 Major League Baseball trade deadline approaches. With starting pitchers Noah Syndergaard and Carlos Carrasco encountering setbacks as they try to work their way back into the Mets rotation, Scott said that starting pitching could be “the most obvious area of need” as July 30 (this year’s trade deadline date) draws nearer.

With this in mind, could the Colorado Rockies and New York Mets work on a trade involving starting pitching?

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The most obvious name that could be discussed in a swap between the Mets and Rockies would be Colorado starting pitcher Jon Gray, who FanSided MLB insider Robert Murray predicted in a recent podcast with Rox Pile would be part of the first major trade of the 2021 season.

Gray’s contract is set to expire at the end of the season and, although Gray told me in an exclusive interview that he hoped to stay in Colorado, he was recently tabbed by MLBTradeRumors.com as the top potential candidate in all of MLB to be on the move.

While Gray is among the top candidates to be traded by the Rockies, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required) has reported that Colorado will at least offer the 29-year-old right-hander a contract extension before any kind of trade is implemented.

As the Rockies look to bounce back from a 1-5 road trip through Miami and Cincinnati, Gray has a 4.29 overall ERA in 12 starts covering 63 innings. The third overall pick in the 2013 draft is currently on the 10-day injured list with a right flexor strain.

Along with Gray, there has also been speculation that the Rockies could consider moving Germán Márquez at the trade deadline. However, with Márquez under team control through the 2024 season and signed to a five-year, $43 million extension early in the 2019 campaign, it seems unlikely that the Rockies would be willing to move the 26-year-old right-hander without an incredible return.

Along with Gray and Márquez, who else might draw interest from the Rockies at the trade deadline? We take a look in this article.