2:56pm: Colorado may be more inclined to deal CarGo after the season, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reports (Twitter links). With his recent turnaround, the Rockies’ asking price will likely be too high for contenders to meet. The club could, then, hope that continued production and health will lead an interested trade partner to line up over the winter.
12:58pm: Gonzalez hasn’t been a “point of emphasis” for the Angels, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times tweets, though he notes that the market continues to shift. Los Angeles is looking more for “incremental” improvements in left field.
The club’s addition of Shane Victorino yesterday seemingly put one half of a platoon in place. While the left-handed-hitting Matt Joyce theoretically could make up the other side of that equation, he’s struggled badly this year and it seems that the Halos are still interested in another option.
8:36am: After agreeing to deal franchise icon Troy Tulowitzki, the Rockies plan to shop fellow star Carlos Gonzalez, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. “They expect to move him,” a rival GM tells Heyman.
[RELATED: Trade Market For Corner Outfielders]
That isn’t exactly surprising to hear after last night’s Tulo agreement, but it’s nevertheless notable to see CarGo set to hit the block. While he had not looked himself since the start of last season, Gonzalez has steadily improved all year and has been on fire of late.
It remains somewhat unclear what kind of market he’ll have, particularly given his recent injury and performance concerns. Gonzalez is earning a $16MM salary this year and $37MM in total over the next two. That’s a bargain if he’s a legitimate middle-of-the-order bat, and hardly an unworkable sum for most teams, but there’s still plenty of risk. Heyman notes that clubs such as the Mets, Angels, and Orioles all line up as theoretical fits for Gonzalez.
This could get interesting…
The way he has been playing lately could fool some teams…. I still think the rockies would be lucky to just move his contract
I think some teams will see it the way you say, others will see it as him returning to form after injuries.
There’s no fooling anyone here. Cargo is a premium talent. Hell, his most similar batter on BaseballReference is McCutcheon. The problem with him has never been ability; it has been durability. I wonder if an AL team could preserve him by plopping him at DH.
McCutchen*
His exit velocity on batted balls has been reallh high all year. Think he was just unlucky early in the year. Maybe thats what fooled you in thinking he sucks
Are they gonna give him away like they did with Tulo?? If I’m a rockies fan, I’d be mad today. They got one semi good prospect back for Tulo and a aging shortstop in Reyes.
Reyes will probably be traded
I thought that was a really good trade for the Rockies. They got a legit top of the rotation potential pitcher, a couple lower tier guys, another SS who they could possibly flip, and a lot of future salary relief. I thought it made a lot more sense for the Rockies than Blue Jays.
It was a good deal for Colorado… and taken in light of the other deals I see coming.. They’ll do well in shifting franchise focus. They’re good system is getting better….and with arms
They got two future relievers, a top pitching prospect, and a salary dump. Let’s be serious here.
Jeff Hoffman is quite a bit more than a “semi good prospect”. They also might be able to flip Reyes to further build their farm.
Reunion in Queens for nostalgia-sake? NYM has the arms, need the offense, and maybe they can (again) get the best out of Jose. Could also be nice to see him paired with Wright again.
I could see the Cubs get involved, and maybe even the Nationals, since Desmond is a FA at season’s end and is having a horrible year.
For Reyes, that is.
I think the Nationals feel pretty confident with Trea Turner going forward. Worse case scenario for them, they offer Desmond a QO and he accepts.
You’re probably right about Turner, fair point.
And I think they still have Escobar under contract for another year. I could be wrong, though.
Not a chance. Tejada is putting up nearly the same numbers as Reyes and costs about 1/20th what Reyes costs. Add prospects required in any transaction and it really makes no sense for the Mets to “sidegrade” from Tejada to an ageing, past-peak Reyes.
AA and the Jays like the big splash, but they haven’t made the playoffs for 41 years. If this trade bombs AA will be fired.
They gave up a salary dump, two future relievers, and a single top prospect for a guy considered the best SS in his league and the best SS in baseball over the past several years.
Actually think both prospects were decent. Still expected them to get Norris and was surprised when they didn’t.
Castro gets up into the 98-99 range with tail on both sides of the plate. Hoffman went no.9 overall last year and only dropped that low due to an injury apparently. That’s pretty good seeing as you got Reyes back as well. Coors should beef up his production a bit closing some the gap between him and tulo
If Hoffman doesn’t get injured in the months leading to the draft last summer, he would’ve been a top-4 pick. The Cubs were all over him prior to that. All he’s done since returning from the injury is show teams why he was a top-4 talent. It was a smart risk by the Blue Jays to take him 9th, and it was a good return for the Rox here. The caveat, as some have mentioned, is that this overall return will have to be viewed through the prism of a future Reyes deal…
Hoffman is a “semi” good prospect? I’m a Rockies fan and I’m ecstatic! I suggest you grab yourself a prospect handbook and educate yourself beyond the ESPN bottom line.
I was under the impression that he was viewed as untouchable. I believe he added over Norris on the teams views.
Hoffman will be a top 30 prospect in the MLB next year at least
So were former Rockies pitching prospects Drew Pomeranz, Alex White, Christian Friedrich, and Franklin Morales. At best, they all became average middle relievers.
So were a bunch of elite MLB players. What’s your point? Everyone already knows that not every prospect pans out; that’s the definition of the term prospect. Even including their risk, top prospects are still very valuable.
I’m not talking about all prospects, I am talking about elite Rockies pitching prospects. Which elite MLB player was a former elite Rockies pitching prospect? I guess Ubaldo Jimenez has worked out, but Jeff Francis is probably the second best one in 23 years of trying. To me, that says something about pitching development in the system.
The Rockies can’t develop pitching. They haven’t developed an elite starter ever. In comparison, the Mets, Braves, Marlins, and Cards, to name a few, have developed more elite pitching in the past 3 seasons than the Rockies have in the history of their organization.
The last thing the Rockies should have done was try to acquire raw pitching talent. They need to develop hitters and trade for already-developed pitching.
I’m a Rockies fan and I’m happy. I thought given Tulos contract and injury history that teams might be spooked away from dealing an elite arm. At one point I envisioned Tulo for Paxton….Tulo in a deal for Gausman…but this deal is good in that it brought back a high end arm and they didn’t have to include cash..even though they took on Reyes. They might deal Reyes with some cash…but they end up getting prospects and cash flow.
Cubs need a bat….
Would be something trade him a night after he hits two homers to go to the opposing team and hit two against them.
CarGo would look very nice in that Cubs line up. Another big Left handed bat. I can’t see the Cubs trading Soler, so CarGo would have to play LF. Vogelbach could be a Monster in Coors Field. Pierce Johnson? Who do you think would make this deal work?
It all depends how muc mpney the rocks chip in. No money would mean a mckinney straight up for cargo would work.
I still think the Rockies try and pry Gausman from Baltimore
McKinney for CarGo would be light from the Rockies’ perspective.
Don’t really know what would make the deal hard to tell. Cubs most likely won’t get him he’s just someone I’ve always wanted the kid can play
They also need time to get some experience. Someone really needs to work with Baez. If he would be more patient he’d get the pitches he wants. They need a closer. Would have been 14 blown saves if it wasn’t for Bryant. That’s 14 wins that puts them quite high and still making a run at first in the central. Pap, Chapman or Kimbrel would be nice.
Rockies have pushed O’s in the past few seasons to try and get them to send Gausman their way in exchange for a CarGo deal of sorts. Perhaps the O’s send Gausman+Wright+Wilson+Walker for CarGo+Reyes and the O’s take on about half or majority of the money? CarGo can man LF/RF while Reyes can find a spot
In the lineup as DH or squeak in at 2nd? Rockies shed payroll and get controllable arms and a 1st basemen in return.
The CarGo-Gausman deal is one I’ve been pitching for the Rockies. Gausman-Hoffman-Butler-Gray might give the Rockies exactly what theyve always needed…young talented arms in mass. They’re best teams were with Jimenez and Francis. The offense always plays up..and they have that on the way as well…we’ll see…
Gausman threw 7 shutout last night. Think that might have changed their mind about moving him.
I’m not going to buy one game changing a franchises mind on anyone. We truly don’t know if Baltimore has really made him available. But if you’re Colorado… You buy low now on him. I had…things breaking right…Gausman potentially being a dark horse Cy Young candidate this season…didn’t pan out…but I’ve scouted and he sets off plenty of alarms..as he should. He’s not the latest thing…but for Colorado he’s the arm you want
Or perhaps the O’s try for Blackmon in a deal of sorts? Inexpensive player with a good OBP and speed in Oriole standards.
Reyes doesn’t have the bat for DH or the glove for 2nd. Schoop is the superior player to Reyes this year, and he only costs 500K. And why would the Orioles take on that much money if they are sending that many prospects?
If the Mets want him they could certainly out bid the Angels and Orioles as far as prospects but are they able to take on his salary? Seems like the Rockies would have to send money to do the deal. They would want a haul in terms of talent coming back if thats the case.
Edit: Just realized this was about CarGo. Still don’t like the fit for the O’s as he is oft injured and quite expensive. I don’t really think there is much value there.
You probably know your team better than I do. He seems like a good fit in your ballpark. If you lose Davis and Weiters in free agency you’re going to need to replace that production somehow but maybe the O’s are going to take a step back and let their farm system catch up.
If BAL isn’t re-signing Wieters, Davis, CarGo being under control over the next 2 seasons would be a nice answer. You could also maximize your value by sending either Bundy or Harvey to COL – after they’ve had extensive surgery.
O’s have to pay Machado soon, hopefully by extension and 20mil a year would clog the books on getting that done. After losing so many players to free agency Baltimore will need more than 1 expensive player to make up what they will lose.. especially with the farm system being as bad as it is.
Does the existence of the DH alleviate any injury concerns? ‘Cause honestly, the guy is one of the premier hitters in baseball when healthy. So he has value.
The O’s usually don’t take on contracts that big especially for someone who has been injured the majority of their career. The Rockies would have to eat about half of the contract to make it worthwhile. To put it into perspective the O’s current highest paid player is Adam Jones at 16mil a year. 20 mil a year for a guy who would be the 3rd best player on your team doesn’t make much sense.
Is Coors Field coming with him in the deal? ‘Cause honestly, the guy is a career average at best hitter away from Colorado.
Mets have the prospects to get it done. Too bad the Wilpons are allergic to spending money.
Mets send Montero, Wheeler, Herrera for Cargo and Reyes? What does everyone think? Rockies will have to send some money to the Mets too.
Hey Baltimore. Go get Cargo
In my opinion, the sweetest swing in baseball (still playing, Jr doesn’t count).
I agree. I did everything I could to model my softball swing after CarGo. Doesn’t make a lot of “Top-10” lists for prettiest swing, but for me he’s a clear #1.
Don’t usually do this kind of thing but anyone think a deal centred around Cargo for Gausman makes sense?
I personally wouldn’t do that if I were the Orioles.
The O’s have control of Gausman through 2020 and the majority of that time the contract will be very cheap. With Norris and Chen leaving in free agency after this season Gausman will be needed to stabilize the rotation. I’d rather bring up Alverez or Urrittia than overpay for CarGo
Fair argument
Yeah as a Rockies fan I’d love it, so that probably means the O’s shouldn’t. Gausman’s a Colorado kid.
His play since the All-Star break has significantly improved his trade value. That front office is probably rejoicing!
i don’t care if he injures himself walking up to the plate…when he’s on he’s really on…bring him to CITI now! this guy will transform us.worth the risk.
In theory, sending Reyes and CarGo to the Mets for Amed Rosario and Rafael Montero makes sense – but the Mets would need the Rockies to take on salary in that deal…
The Rockies don’t need a SS prospect. They have Trevor Story in AAA ready to take over now and they just drafted Brendan Rodgers #3 overall. I don’t see that working at all.
It’s about collecting assets and sometimes about guys changing positions – but I do see where Rox would prefer pitching and OF help. I don’t think Nimmo and Montero cut it though.
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Would love to see the Cardinals kick the tires on this!
They need a 1st basemen. I see them getting Lind.
Peter Bourjos + Patrick Wisdom/Jacob Wilson + Nick Petree
Glad to see the Rockies starting to realize they need to start over and load up on pitching
As a Mets fan I could talk myself into liking it but ideally if we’re adding an outfielder it should be a centerfielder. If we add CarGo what happens defensively? Granderson to center? That’s a terrifying thought. Gomez or more realistically, Parra are the guys to go after. Also fills our need for a leadoff hitter.
CarGo can KINDA play center… though with the surgically repaired knee, I wouldn’t be too keen on it if I were the Mets. I guess it’s been 4 years since he’s played CF in the big leagues, but just last year before the season the Rox were talking about trotting him out there in CF before Blackmon burst onto the scene.
Could option conforto back to AAA Cargo in left, lagares in centre, granderson in right with cuddyer platooning with the lefties and seeing time at first
Cargo has always killed the Braves. The Braves have already said they are willing to trade from prospect depth to get a controlled OF bat. With his health history, cost, and recent struggles, should make him a high upside trade candidate. That is unless his last week or so have made his stock skyrocket.
Something like Manny Banuelos and Jason Hursh
Cardinals should trade for him. Move Heyward to CF and Gonzalez in RF. And then we can still trade for Adam Lind.
After the Pads trade JUp, Cargo would be a good replacement. He gives us a comparable outfielder and a left hand batter. Cargos annual salary is probably less than what JUp will get in free agency.
Also Cargo is a better player. And comes with 2.5 years of control.
Gerardo Parra still seems like a better fit for the Angels. Maybe Mets or Orioles are in on Cargo?
Although extremely unlikely, would be something to see Yankees send top prospects and Beltran’s contract to land CarGo and Reyes. That would be a great, deep lineup. Reyes, Gardner, and Ellsbury in the same lineup would create nightmares on the basepaths and CarGo could really take advantage of the short porch in RF as well as he has taken advantage of Coors Field. I’m not a Yankee homer making this suggestion, but it would be wild to see
Doubt it’ll happen but I wouldn’t mind those 2 players coming this way
Wow, Cargo to the Angels would be a great move for LAA
I know theyre on the verge of being sellers, but I feel like the White sox might be a sleeper for CarGo. the contract is reasonable and if the sox could package one of their young pitchers or 2 and either Avisail or LaRoche(balance some money out) it might be fit. Just speculating and I would love to see him on the south side!
Forgive me if someone has already mentioned this, but I’d love to see Houston get CarGo and place him in left field. He would be an upgrade over Tucker and could take some sting out of the loss of performance they are getting at the infield corner spots.
Houston could potentially send Tucker and some of their pitching prospects (Appel) to give the Rockies multiple young SPs.
Mets need him. Take on his contract and worry reducing payroll in the off season
Conforto for Cargo
This is nothing more than Crasnick doing the Rockies a favor and trying to drum his price up. They would be idiots, flat out, if they don’t move him now. He’s scalding hot. A team would get this pennant race to have him plus two more seasons. You move him now, while his stock is relatively high. If you wait, you risk that he gets hurt again, and then his stock goes back into the tank. The risk of waiting far outweighs the possible reward of him staying healthy for the rest of the season and mashing. They should consider themselves lucky that he is torrid hot and healthy right now and take the best offer that they can. It’s a similar position as to what the Dodgers faced with Kemp, who had a resurgent season last year. They correctly decided that they would be best suited to take the best offer and sell him high. And it’s worked out quite well.
Why risk the considerable downside of waiting to deal him, when the upside of holding him isn’t that great compared to what it is now?
I wonder if he can play 1st. If he can, go get him Pirate’s!
I usually don’t like to put too much stock in the thought that Coors Field inflates your numbers, but his difference has been ridiculous. The last 3 years he’s hit .329 at home and only .248 on the road. That would give me some cause for concern.
May Wait Til Offseason, doesn’t he have less protection now?
Reyes is a lead-off hitter, Tulo was not.
The Rockies would be really, really, really stupid to wait until the offseason to Cargo. Why would you not trade him while he’s on fire and healthy? Just having him healthy for a change should be enough motivation to move him. They risk getting a much smaller return should they decide to wait, and may only slightly benefit if things go accordingly.