Trade rumors: 7 teams that could target Colorado Rockies 1B C.J. Cron

Entering July 4, the Colorado Rockies are in a precarious spot. They are nine games under .500 and eight games back of the St. Louis Cardinals for the third and final National League Wild Card spot.

With the trade deadline being exactly four weeks away from today, the Rockies have to do some serious introspective planning on what is next.

They need to replenish their farm system (particularly at the upper levels) and they need to give some playing time to their players that are blocked, like Elehuris Montero, to see if they can produce at the big league level on an everyday basis.

One player that the Rockies should seriously consider trading is first baseman C.J. Cron.

In 79 games, Cron has 19 home runs, 64 RBI, and a slash line of .298/.349/.550. Here are where some of his stats rank in the National League.

• .550 slugging percentage (3rd)
• .899 OPS (8th)
• 92 hits (4th)
• 170 total bases (2nd)
• 19 home runs (5th)
• 64 RBI (3rd)
• 38 extra-base hits (4th)

His 136 OPS+ would also be the best on the Rockies since Charlie Blackmon’s 141 OPS+ in 2017.

The 32-year-old is only making about $3.625 million for the rest of the 2022 season and making $7.25 million next season before he becomes a free agent.

With a team-friendly contract for the rest of this season and next season, the Rockies could get a haul for Cron if they play their cards right.

Here are seven MLB teams that could or should trade for C.J. Cron.

The Boston Red Sox could trade for C.J. Cron

The Boston Red Sox are in the thick of the playoff hunt since they are 30-13 since May 13. At the beginning of May, they were in last place in the AL East but now, they are in second place and have the first AL Wild Card spot.

Despite how well the team has played, first base has been a big weakness for the team.

Overall on the season, their first basemen have an 81 wRC+, which is 27th in the sport.

Their primary first baseman is Bobby Dalbec (a Denver native) but he has only hit .205/.285/.326 with a wRC+ of 73.

The Red Sox are waiting on their #2 prospect Triston Casas (#14 overall prospect, according to MLB.com) to take the reigns at first and he could here soon since he is in Triple-A but he’s been on the IL with an ankle injury for over a month.

With Cron, they’d be able to address their first base right away and if they think that Casas is ready to be the everyday first baseman next season, they could trade Cron and get some prospects themselves.

The Houston Astros could look to trade for C.J. Cron

Entering the season, the Houston Astros did not need a first baseman and for good reason. Yuli Gurriel won the American League batting title as he hit .319 and he also had 15 homers, 81 RBI, and he won a Gold Glove Award.

But he has regressed a lot in 2022. He is hitting just .225/.279/.393 with a wRC+ of 93. Defensively, he has regressed too as he has -2 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) after he had 5 DRS in 2022.

Overall, Houston’s first basemen have an 80 wRC+, which is second-worst in baseball.

Cron has obviously been better offensively but defensively, he has 4 DRS, which is the third-highest among first basemen in baseball.

The Cleveland Guardians could use C.J. Cron

The Cleveland Guardians are also in the thick of the playoff hunt as they are just 1.5 games back of the final AL Wild Card spot.

Offensively, they have struggled a bit as a team. Defensively, much like the Rockies, they are a very versatile team, which would allow them to fit Cron in at first base.

Josh Naylor and Owen Miller have split duties at first base (38 games for Naylor and 37 for Miller). Naylor has been of their best hitters but he can also play the corner outfield spots.

Miller has really regressed after a scorching start to the season (.400 average and a 1.166 OPS in April, .198 average and a .532 OPS since May 1) so he could be benched or sent back to the minors. He can play the other infield spots so it might be more beneficial if he was on the bench.

If Naylor moved to a corner outfield spot, their corner outfielders and DH (Franmil Reyes, who’s also a corner outfielder) have not hit well after hot starts and their center fielder hasn’t hit well either.

Since May 1, Steven Kwan is hitting .259/.339/.318. Óscar González is on the injured list. Center fielder Myles Straw has a 60 wRC+. Overall, since May 1, Cleveland’s outfielders have a 71 wRC+, which is the worst in baseball.

Overall on the season, Cleveland’s DH spot has a 74 wRC+, which is third-worst in baseball.

The Chicago White Sox

The Chicago White Sox were the favorites in the AL Central to start the season but not even halfway into the season, they are on the periphery of the playoffs since they are third in the AL Central and 4.5 games back of the third AL Wild Card spot. But with the right additions, they could find themselves back in the thick of things.

If the White Sox acquired Cron, like the Guardians, they’d have to do some defensive changes but they still could make things work.

José Abreu is their primary first baseman. Their bats are about even but Cron is the superior defender so Abreu could DH. Andrew Vaughn has been their primary DH and he is hitting well. He’s not a great defender but he could play either of the corner outfield spots (he has played 17 games in left and 20 games in right field this year).

Outside of Vaughn in left field, none of the players who have played at least three games out there have a wRC+ above 83. Outside of Vaughn in right field, none of their players who have played a single game in right field have a wRC+ above 91.

In other words, they need to address a few areas offensively but Cron would definitely be a good start.

The San Francisco Giants

The chances that the Rockies would trade C.J. Cron to the San Francisco Giants because they are in the NL West are a bit less than some other teams but it’s definitely not out of the realm of possibility. They even trade Blake Street Bomber Ellis Burks to the Giants at the trade deadline in 1998 so never say never.

For the Giants, their first basemen have a 103 wRC+, which is 22nd in sport. Brandon Belt has been injured for about half of the season thus far and has only hit .213/.337/.355.

At the DH spot, they only have a 98 wRC+, which is 18th in baseball. Tommy La Stella has been their primary DH and he’s hitting .257/.286/.400.

If they traded for Cron, he would likely be the first baseman and then Belt would become the DH but both are areas could see a bit of an upgrade, especially if the Giants want to get back in the thick of the playoff hunt since they enter Monday two games back of the final NL Wild Card spot after a four-game losing streak.

The New York Mets

The New York Mets definitely don’t have an issue at first base. They have Pete Alonso, who has been one of a few first basemen that has actually been better than C.J. Cron this year offensively. But the Mets still could be interested in Cron for two reasons: Alonso is not good defensively and the Mets have awful at DH.

Defensively, Pete Alonso has -4 DRS. Cron has 4 DRS so Alonso would be the east choice to be the DH.

At the DH spot, the Mets have a 83 wRC+, which is 26th in baseball. It’s also their worst offensive position other than catcher on the season. Their primary DH has been J.D. Davis and he has hit .245/.333/.344. That’s not even close to Cron’s production.