The top 5 best trades in Colorado Rockies history

Carlos González and Huston Street to the Colorado Rockies for Matt Holliday

Matt Holliday was a fan favorite for the Colorado Rockies but the team thought that they wouldn’t be able to extend him before free agency so they traded him with one year remaining before free agency to the Oakland A’s.

In return, the Rockies got MLB-ready outfielder Carlos González, closer Huston Street, and pitcher Greg Smith. Smith was a decent starter for the A’s (99 ERA+ in 32 starts in 2008 for Oakland) but he didn’t pan out for the Rockies. However, CarGo and Street were excellent.

Street had the most MLB experience before coming to the Rockies (four seasons) but he spent three more with the Rockies as their closer. He was a key figure for their 2009 playoff team as he had a 3.06 ERA in 64 appearances with 35 saves, an ERA+ of 154, a 2.93 FIP, and a 0.908 WHIP.

Overall with the Rockies, he had a 3.50 ERA, 84 saves, a 133 ERA+, a 3.39 FIP, and a 1.058 WHIP.

González spent parts of 10 seasons with the Rockies from 2009 through 2018. He made his MLB debut with Oakland in 2008 and played in 85 games. He only played in 89 games for the 2009 Rockies but he was excellent throughout most of the rest of his career with the Rockies.

In his 10 seasons with the Rockies, CarGo hit .290/.349/.516 with an OPS+ of 116. He was an All-Star three times, won three Gold Glove Awards, two Silver Slugger Awards, and he won the 2010 NL batting title when he hit .336.

2010 was his best season for the team as he led the NL in both average and hits (197). He wasn’t an All-Star but he won a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Award that year. His 5.9 rWAR was 6th among NL players and he came in 3rd in NL MVP voting.

As for Holliday, the A’s traded him to St. Louis before the trade deadline in 2009. They got three prospects from the Cardinals and all three were duds.