In June, the main trade buzz around the Rockies was that they had interest in Octavio Dotel. Today, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune added some intriguing names also on Colorado’s wish list: Mark Buehrle, Jose Contreras, and Jon Garland. Obviously Buehrle is off limits now.
It wasn’t too long ago that Dan O’Dowd expressed his interest in adding a White Sox hurler. Apparently talks stalled when Kenny Williams wanted southpaw starter Franklin Morales or third baseman Ian Stewart from the Rox. Morales has frontline stuff and is trying to hone his control at Double A Tulsa. He missed some time in May with a strained hamstring, but recovered and made the Futures Game. Stewart, playing at Triple A, made the team as well. He started off slow in the power department but smacked seven home runs in June. The Rockies may have a longjam soon with both Stewart and Garrett Atkins at the hot corner.
Garland would be a useful addition for Colorado. I imagine Williams would only trade Garland if O’Dowd gave in on Morales or Stewart. Maybe the teams could agree on Contreras for Ubaldo Jimenez instead. Jimenez has a lot of talent but has shown poor control for most of his minor league career, especially in ’07. Such a swap still seems advantageous to Chicago but I could imagine Williams asking for Jimenez. Pitching coach Don Cooper has a knack for fixing control problems.
