Colorado Rockies trade talk: A strange potential landing spot for C.J. Cron

Will the Colorado Rockies trade first baseman C.J. Cron before the upcoming trade deadline? It’s possible, but could the slugger actually stay within the division after being traded?

That’s a thought from MLB.com’s Mike Petriello in this article, where he predicts that the Rockies will send Cron to the San Diego Padres. Not only would trading Cron to another National League West team be strange, but the timing of it would be as well since the Rockies and Padres are scheduled to meet each other for a four-game series beginning on Thursday, the day before the July 30 trade deadline.

Does a Colorado Rockies-San Diego Padres trade involving C.J. Cron make sense?

On the surface, as Petriello notes, acquiring Cron would boost the Padres at first base where Eric Hosmer has slashed .267/.331/.384 with eight homers and a 102 OPS+. Compare that to what Cron has done in his first season with the Rockies (and first season in the National League) where the slash line reads .249/.360/.470 with 14 homers and a 116 OPS+.

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The Rockies signed the 31-year-old Cron before the season to a one-year, $1 million deal. With Cron coming off knee surgery that prematurely ended his 2020 campaign with the Detroit Tigers, Cron was looking to prove he was healthy and contribute to a team again while the Rockies were willing to take a chance on Cron in order to add power at first base. So far, the deal has worked well for both teams.

Would the Rockies actually trade Cron within the division? Knowing his contract ends at the end of the season and Hosmer is signed to a healthy contract that lasts through the 2025 campaign, it’s potentially possible with the Rockies knowing the Padres already have someone locked up to play first long-term and Cron would be a temporary solution in a season where Colorado is already virtually eliminated from the postseason.

However, that’s also what makes the prediction for Cron to the Padres seem very strange on the surface as well. Would San Diego really bring in another player to platoon with Hosmer, a player who hasn’t played anywhere other than first all season, just like Cron?

There are way more reasons why this trade between the Rockies and Padres won’t happen than it will so, while Cron may be traded before the deadline, San Diego just doesn’t seem like a potential destination.