Potential trade destinations Rockies can send CJ Cron

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For the Colorado Rockies a CJ Cron trade has been past due as the team had the perfect opportunity to trade him at last year's deadline after being selected as a 2022 MLB All-Star. The Rockies however, withheld from dealing Cron and any other players last year and missed a perfect opportunity to build up their farm system.

Coming into this year, the Rockies minor league system was ranked 24 by MLB.com. This year, the team has found some success from young players such as Ezequiel Tovar, Nolan Jones, and tremendous defense out of center fielder Brenton Doyle.

Since 2018, the Rockies have failed to reach the postseason and aside from trading away star players like Nolan Arenado for almost nothing, the Rockies have failed to trade players away at the right moment and have opted to let them walk in free agency such as D.J. LeMahieu and Trevor Story. This has led to the Rockies dimize to build a quality farm system over the years and the team is currently paying for it.

If the Rockies decide to trade Cron before the deadline, it's unlikely that they will receive a large number of promising young players for their farm system, as was the case when the Nationals traded Juan Soto to the Padres last year. However, since recovering from a back injury, Cron has been one of the most successful hitters in the entire league. Therefore, the Rockies have a valuable chance to acquire some promising young players who can help them contend in the near future.

over the last 30 days, Cron has been on fire for the Rockies slashing .314/.352/.529 with three home runs, eight RBI's, two doubles, and 16 hits. Cron had a rough start to the year has he had a .189 batting average in May and was quickly devaluing. After coming back from his injury, Cron's value has increased significantly and is a player Bill Schmidt needs to trade before the deadline.

With the deadline just two weeks away, I decided to look into what teams could potentially target Cron and where he could help make another team a contender in 2023.

1. Philadelphia Phillies

Milwaukee Brewers v Philadelphia Phillies / Mitchell Leff/GettyImages

The Philadelphia Phillies are competing in a very competitive NL East that features an Atlanta Braves team who has a 10 game lead for first place. The Braves are likely to win the division and the Phillies will likely look to contend for a wild card spot. Right now, the Phillies are just scraping into the final wild card spot.

First base has been a need that Philadelphia has been searching for since opening day as Rhys Hoskins tore his ACL to begin the season. The team has relied heavily on Darick Hall to start at the position for them but unfortunately, he has severly under performed and has even raised speculation that Bryce Harper could potentially start at the position as Matt Gelb of The Athletic reported Harper has been practicing at the position and almost started last weekend but due to some bumps in the road, the goal is to at least start at first base this coming weekend.

The Phillies could be a perfect trade partner for the Rockies, as general manager Dave Dombrowski has noted they are actively searching in the market for a right handed batter. It just so happens to be that Cron is a right handed hitter and like Hoskins, is a power hitter that could contribute significantly in the Philadelphia lineup and would be the perfect rental first baseman.

2. New York Yankees

New York Yankees v Los Angeles Angels / Ronald Martinez/GettyImages

Aside from already passing through the Yankees clean cut, clean shaving dress code, Cron could make an excellent addition to the New York Roster.

Since suffering a neck injury on a pickoff play against Fernando Tatis Jr. and the San Diego Padres, starting first baseman Anthony Rizzo has not been himself. In the month of June, Rizzo finished with a .173/.311/.227 slash line. So far, his struggles have continued into July and it is likely Rizzo might be playing hurt right now.

Like Colorado, New York is a hitters paradise and would be a great situation for the Yankees and Cron. Cron would potentially join a lineup that features reigning 2022 AL MVP Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. Also if Rizzo started to find his groove again, the Yankees could very well DH Cron and give Stanton the go ahead nod to start in the outfield during the post season.

New York was recently swept in a three-game series by the Los Angeles Angels and are starting to realize if they wish to make the playoffs, they're most likely going to have to contend in the wild card due to the surprising success of the Baltimore Orioles and the continued success of the Tampa Bay Rays. Currently, New York sits 3.5 games back out of the wild card and will likely be buyers at the deadline. A bat like Cron just might be enough to push them over the edge.

3. Minnesota Twins

Washington Nationals v Minnesota Twins / Brace Hemmelgarn/GettyImages

Their is nothing like a happy reunion for a former player and team and why not a trip back to the land of 10,000 lakes.

With Alex Kirilloff having a solid year in Minnesota, it is unlikely that Cron would be a starting first baseman for the Twins. However, the second option would be to serve as the team's designated hitter. Currently, the Twins have Byron Buxton in that role. Unfortunately, Buxton's .196 batting average is more of a liability for Minnesota at this point.

It would be wise for Cron to return to the Twins, considering their familiarity with him and vice versa. During the 2019 season, he played a full year with the Twins and posted a .253 average, 25 home runs, 24 doubles, and 78 RBI. Although these stats weren't outstanding, they were an improvement for the team. Furthermore, since 2019, Cron has shown significant improvement as a hitter, with a .281 average in 2021 and selection as an All-Star in 2022 after reviving his career in Colorado. A reunion with the Twins could provide them with an advantage in the AL Central divisional race, allowing them to distance themselves from the Guardians.

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