The Colorado Rockies currently sit eight games under .500 and completely out of the mix when it comes to a playoff spot in the National League.
It stands to reason that the team will look to be sellers between now and the August 1st trade deadline, especially with the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers ahead of them in the standings.
One player that could net a pretty decent haul of youngsters is 28-year-old three-time All-Star Carlos Gonzalez. Just now entering the prime of his career, the outfielder is hitting .319 with 18 homers and 51 RBI to go with a .924 OPS in 81 games this season.
For his part, it appears that Gonzalez may be looking to leave Mile High prior to the trade deadline.
“Word is that in a recent meeting with team higher-ups, Gonzalez expressed an interest in going elsewhere (Rockies GM Jeff Bridich said he would keep all those conversations “private”), and the Rockies will likely float not one but two outfield stars, Gonzalez and also Charlie Blackmon (Carlos and Charlie seem to go together), just as they did this winter,” Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball reported on Thursday.
It appears that Gonzalez’ stance is that he wants to win and the Rockies don’t currently provide him with that opportunity.
Most contending teams would love to have someone of Gonzalez’s ilk in their lineup. He hit a career-high 40 homers a season ago, 16 of which came away from Coors Field.
Those are splits that should enable teams to at least put less stock on the high Denver altitude. Though, Gonzalez is hitting below .250 on the road since the start of the 2015 season.
It will definitely be interesting to see who will show the most interest in Gonzalez’s services should he be put up on the chopping block again.
The San Francisco Giants have an obvious need in the outfield, but would the Rockies move their All-Star to a division rival? That’s the biggest question right there.