The 2019 campaign did not go according to plan for the Rockies, who entered it with playoff aspirations after earning postseason bids in each of the previous two years. The team ended up as one of the most disappointing clubs of the season, though, as it stumbled to a dismal 71-91 record and a fourth-place finish in the National League West.
Perhaps the Rockies will return to the game’s upper echelon next year, but they remain stuck in a division that the mighty Dodgers are likely to own yet again in 2020. Furthermore, it seems the Rox will have to climb out of the basement without any major outside improvements this offseason. Owner Dick Monfort has indicated the Rockies, who are saddled by a few bad contracts (Ian Desmond, Wade Davis, Daniel Murphy and Bryan Shaw), don’t have the payroll flexibility to spend their way out of the hole they’ve dug for themselves.
In light of Monfort’s comments, MLBTR’s TC Zencka noted while previewing the Rockies’ offseason that their outlook for 2020 doesn’t look particularly hopeful. With that in mind, one wouldn’t be out of line to suggest Colorado should consider trading a couple of its top contributors whose team control is running out. Specifically, there’s shortstop Trevor Story and right-hander Jon Gray – two players who are only arbitration-eligible through the 2021 season. Story is projected to earn $11.5MM next season, while Gray should rake in around $5.6MM. Both salaries are bargains relative to what Story and Gray bring to the table, which is arguably all the more reason for the Rockies to listen to offers for the pair.
The 27-year-old Story is fresh off a two-season run in which he was unquestionably an elite shortstop, as he racked up 10.9 fWAR, slashed .293/.355/.561 with 72 home runs and 50 stolen bases across 1,312 plate appearances, and totaled 18 Defensive Runs Saved. Just about any team would sign up for that all-around production, and if you’re a club in need of a shortstop, there’s not much out there in free agency other than Didi Gregorius (who’s coming off a poor season). That’s yet another reason Story and his affordable two years of control would bring back a haul in a trade, one that could help the Rockies turn around a subpar farm system.
Although Story would generate widespread interest on the trade market, general manager Jeff Bridich and the Rockies don’t seem inclined to part with him, instead clinging to the hope that they’ll be able to extend him. Maybe a long-term pact for Story looks unlikely, though the Rox did manage to lock up third baseman Nolan Arenado last February – less than a year before he was slated to reach free agency – with a seven-year, $234MM extension. Keeping Story under wraps won’t cost that much, but the Arenado deal showed they’re willing to go all-out to keep premier talent on board.
As with Story, the Rockies appear as if they’ll retain Gray, even though the hard-throwing 28-year-old has garnered trade interest early this offseason. Gray wouldn’t fetch the return that Story would in a trade, but his aforementioned affordable salary and history of solid production are clearly appealing. Teams that may not necessarily want to splurge on the best free-agent starters (Gerrit Cole, Stephen Strasburg, Zack Wheeler, Madison Bumgarner and Hyun-Jin Ryu, among others) could turn their focus to Gray if the Rockies are open to giving him up. But it doesn’t look as if that’s the case for Colorado, which, going forward, will apparently.hope for bounce-back seasons from its players who were letdowns in 2019 and attempt to return to relevance next year.
The question is: Should the Rockies essentially wave the white flag already on 2020 and trade Story, Gray or both standouts? With team control waning for each player, there’s a legitimate case that Colorado should go in another direction and opt for a rebuild.
(Poll link for app users)
no. end of discussion.
Sorry bub, Monfort said in an interview that they’re going to go by whatever this poll’s results are, and it looks like trading both is the lead choice so far. My condolences to your opinion being in the minority.
I think most of us just wanna see trades. We need more Jerry Dipotos.
tie relief pitchers with these players. maybe those dead weight couldn’t adjust to the elevation of denver and turn out better in other teams.
Then what? You have a garbage team and need to rebuild. With story and gray you have two solid players. Try and dump any dead weight you can by attaching a prospect and fill in some holes. They have an excellent 3b, shortstop and some very good outfielders. Roger’s at second and a couple decent pitchers. Their window is now. Roll the dice and see what happens.
McGee, shaw, davis and one other player come off the books at the end of this year. Then Desmond and Blackmon next year. It’s not like they are tied up long term. Maybe gamble on a couple walver wire guys and see what happens.
can the rockies beat the dodgers?any realistic hope for wild card spots? if not rebuild.
71-91…..if their window is now,its not open by much
Many felt the Red Sox would run away with the division… Cubs… Indians… and at the all star break many gave up hope on the Nationals. If you have a decent team, don’t make that decision until the trade deadline. The season is way too long to give up in November.
Trade Both and move some contracts
Yeah absolutely! Their fam system is average, they are looking up at basically the rest of the division with some undesirable contracts. But can Birdich see through a rebuild/re tool?
Who’s coming calling for their tradeable assets and what have they got to offer?
their farm system is worse than average. i think FG has it at 28th in the league.
I say trade neither. This team is only one year removed from a tie with the Dodgers. I don’t care about the farm. I want the Colorado Rockies to be a good team, not the Hartford Yard Goats, I don’t care about 2023 right now either. You can cross that bridge when you come to it. Anything can happen between now and then. Improving the farm system will take at least two years, if not three. Then you have 2-3 years of the team learning to win. Then you maybe have a chance, BUT the Dodgers are still going to have a lot more money, the Giants will probably have rebounded by then AND have a lot more money, and the blind squirrel D-Backs might choose that year to find their nut.
Go for it now while the Giants are down and before the Padres really put something together. There is plenty of time for rebuilding later.
A year is a long time. Kyle Freeland forgot how to pitch. Wade Davis completely sucks. Most of the bullpen does for that matter. Daniel Murphy stinks. You don’t have a real catcher. You don’t have a center fielder. AND your owner says your out of money to spend.
This feels an awful lot like the Rox heading down the same path as the Orioles were on. Where they play around w the playoffs too long and don’t move their best assets at peak value.
They’re not better than the Dodgers. I’d probably take the Padres or the Dbacks over them at this point. Though an argument could be made for each of those teams. I’m not sure that really matter because you’re fighting for a WC with the likes of the Brewers,Nats, Phillies, Mets, Cards, Cubs , Reds etc. Most of which will be spending money to make the team better. Or had a better team to begin with.
It’s tough to make the call to tear a team apart. But when the team that many holes I’m not sure what else you can do. They can’t exactly go out and buy what they need. (Not that that strategy has worked for them recently either)
It’s baseball, a few things just have to break right for a playoff season. See last years’ A’s, Nationals. For things breaking wrong and he effect it can have on a lock playoff team see last years’ Red Sox.
If you end up trading the guys do it in summer when you know you’re going nowhere for head and when teams know they’re in it and will pay a lot.
Meant for haul not for head but either works.
The Nats also added had the money to add Patrick Corbin, Brian Dozier, Yan Gomes,Kurt Suzuki and Anibal Sanchez. Their owner has already said they’re maxed out. They’re going to have to get better via internal improvements. I don’t see that being a 20 game shift. That’s about what they need to do to make that happen.
As an O’s fans I’ve seen a team go from 90 wins to nothing real quick. It’s not a place you want to be in. It’s sucks to tear it down but it sucks even worse to have to watch a rebuilding team longer because you didn’t.
If the Padres get better as some people suspect, you are really looking at a serious possibility that this team as is will be a last place team for years to come. Both Charlie Blackmon and Jon Gray are probably at the highest point they will be for the rest of their careers. Story could get better but that’s not going to help a last place team enough to make them a championship contender. Jon Gray is due for serious regression. He gets hit hard more frequently than any pitcher in all of baseball. I mean that literally. I know some if that is a result of Coors field but he actually gets hit hard more frequently than any other pitcher on the Rockies as well. StatCast has him dead last in the league with over 43% of all the pitches he makes getting hit hard. That is terrible. He can’t sustain his current ERA at all with so many people hitting him that hard. Not to mention he has one of the worst fastball spin rates in the league. Gray has regression written all over him in a serious way. Not like in a 4 ERA kind of way. In a Mike Hampton, Kyle Freeland well over 5 ERA kind of way. They need to trade him as fast as they can. Blackmon is still productive for now but is aging quickly and on a terrible contract. He needs to be flipped as soon as possible. Honestly, the Rox should try to flip Gray, Blackmon and their overpaid closer in the same trade to a contending team. Even if they don’t get anything back that would be worth it to clear the payroll. Then they need to bight the dust and trade Story. Trade Story along with those other 2 way overpaid relievers and that former shortstop/second basemen/3rd baseman/1st baseman/CF/ current left fielder named Ian Desmond that shouldn’t be playing baseball at all anymore anyway. If thevRox allow the acquiring team to negotiate an extension before the trade is completed they could get rid of all those guys and get good prospects in return. The farm would be better And they would have way more money to spend as soon as next offseason. Fans can watch Blackmon, Gray and all the other throw ins fall apart and suck next year while the Rox laugh all the way to the bank. The hardest part is going to be watching Story be a long term productive player elsewhere. That’s okay though because the Rox can finish in last place next year WITHOUT Story. It’s not going to matter if he is on the team when they finish in last place anyway. Like it or not the Rox aren’t winning anything anytime soon. If they jump on it now they can go through a quick mini rebuild and possibly be World Series contenders in 2 or 3 years. The only other option is to watch this team fall apart at the seams and go through a super unnecessarily long rebuild like the Giants and Royals did. In that case they will be lucky if they contend at all in the next 7 years. It’s much better and smarter to take advantage of the fact that the writing is on the wall and the team knows they aren’t contending and aim for the soonest reasonable championship than it is to lie to yourself for years on end just to watch the team finish in 4th or 5th place over and over again. Take advantage of those terrible finishes and make sure you can get the actual World Championship that every fan only cares about as soon as possible.
Paragraphs are your friend
Says the guy who used “your” instead of “you’re” in a previous comment. And uses multiple comments when the first one lacked punch. Congrats.
Very good Louis. Short, but pointless.
Sad.
Sad you haven’t been banned for using homophobic slurs? You are correct. For once.
Very sad.
Didnt read one word. Next!
[DOWNVOTE]
I DO have a 4-day weekend, so I’m going to break this down and read it in a few sessions. Thank you for the material, old bean!
You’re welcome, Wilford. I knew a man if your stature and wisdom could appreciate the dissertations I frequently post on this site. People are more than welcome to scroll past it and not read. It doesn’t bother me at all. I get plenty of people that read my posts and comment about it. It’s really more for people that want to read them more than anything.
It really depends entirely on whether or not they think/are going to be able to contend for a playoff spot next season. If they think they can – and can make a few additions via FA or trades to bolster their roster then they should unquestionably keep them both – as they are affordable (and in Story’s case — pretty much irreplaceable). However if they don’t think they can contend next year/cant improve their current roster then yeah, they should deal them both now while they’re at their peak values and get a couple of massive hauls back for them. Or at least one massive haul for Story and another decent one for Gray. Beyond that it’s really a matter of their ability to retain them — but I think that should come second to how far away they think they are to contending. If its not going to be next year — or guaranteed the one after that — then there’s really no question — they should move them now while they can demand a hefty package in return.
They have Brendan Rodgers as a SS replacement. While it’s going to be very hard to replace Story. He was an elite prospect.
The owner said there’s really no more money to spend. . I understand he doesn’t want to go very far beyond the ~170 MM payroll they’re sitting at now. Which is fine but they have a ton of holesThe money they’ve spent in free agency has essentially all been wasted money so I suppose maybe avoiding that market won’t really hurt them. But you have to get better some way.
If they can’t really make any additions that add payroll I don’t see how you can make this team better. They really need to try to thread the needle like the Dbacks did. They shed a bunch of salary, got back a lot of prospects and put a competitive team out there. I think it’s realistic for Colorado to do that. But I don’t see the playoffs for them this year either way.
I think all three of us know for over a 90℅ fact that the Rockies are not going to win it all in the next 2 years. I know rebuilds suck because no one wants to watch their team lose but they should definitely try to unload payroll and acquire as many good prospects as possible right now while they will get the most in return. Otherwise they will be stuck in a longterm overpaid veteran/farm system vacant inforced half decade+ period of mediocrity or worse. These big money bums are going to drag them down as long as they are under contract. Especially when they don’t have the prospects to replace them. Losing Story will suck, but he is so good they might be able to chuck Desmond and some of those overpaid relievers with him. I think Graybis at his peak and they might be able to flip Blàckmon with him and still get good prospects in return for both trades. Can you imagine how much it would help this team to have a better farm system and not owe Desmond, Blackmon, or any of those 3 relievers a dime? They could finish poorly enough next season to maybe get a #1 overall pick and then hop right back on the money train and go right after top tier superstar free agents whenever they felt the offseason was ready for them.
I would trade both if I were the Rox.
Story will turn 29 in Novembet 2021 — which is right around the same time he becomes a FA in advance of the 2022 season. Is that really a guy you wanna throw a superfat long-term deal to?
As for Gray, his value may have peaked and you never know what can happen to his performance (especially in Coors) if you hang onto him too long. Sell high.
Lastly, the Dodgers factor can’t be ignored. While contending into August is great for the fans and all, should the Rox really be pushing in all their chips when their absolute best-case scenario will likely be a 50/50 WC play-in game? I’m not sold.
That said, this is the Rockies and nobody ever knows what to expect from them. They could very well extend both.
I’m not really sure why the GM isn’t on the hot seat. Of course they let Dan O’Dowd run the ship for 15 years also. I would think that Jeff Bridich has signed enough bad contracts over the last few seasons to put anyone on the hot seat.
No question Bridich needs to go..
Tear it down, trade Blackmon too. Try pair Davis contract with Story. Trade Gray.
Only problem is if you want to stick davis in a story trade, you will still be paying for part of davis’ contract, or risk losing potential prospect capital, which defeats the purpose.
But i agree with moving all the names you mentioned.
Yanks would be interested I would think.
Story, Gray, and Daniel Murphy and his contract to platoon at first with Voit for prospects Mike King, Thairo Estrada, another good pitching prospect and first basemen Mike Ford to replace Murphy.
So all three Rockies for some Yankees scrap prospects? Um, pass.
Scrap prospects? Estrada and King at far from scrap and I mentioned another pitching prospect. Plus taking back a bad contract. But I get it, Story is very valuable. Gray not so much right now.
Gray isn’t valuable? Smh, these Yankees fans are unbelievable. “Give us all your best players for our fringe prospects who are “elite:” because they’re Yankees”.
Hahaha right??
“We have 27 rings! Do you think we would waste our time with prospects who weren’t elite?!”
Can we turn on Commissioner Mode and trade TROUT to the Rockies?
Either start cheating or trade all of your players to a big market team that does.
Bang up job, Manfred.
Threw a lot of money at Blackmon and Arenado. The plan was to win. They took a step back in 2019. It is difficult to pitch in Colorado. The Rockies usually rank near the top in hitting and the bottom in pitching every single year. Every. Single. Year.
Deal Gray and Story. Draft hitters. Mash your way to a title. Very few guys on the current squad can hit on the road. Arenado finally looked legit outside of Coors this season. You need more hitters hitting on the road. Stockpile talent through trade and reload for 2021.
They tried that, it didn’t work out for them either. I think the pitching is always going to put this team at a disadvantage. Rockies should petition MLB to start every home game with a 2 run advantage! – that last part is sarcasm. I know it’s going to fly right over some posters heads if not mentioned.
They haven’t drafted hitters. Please stop that rhetoric. A good hitting team is measured on what they can do on the road. Here’s how they did:
2019 – 2nd last in OPS, Dead Last in hitting
2018 – 27th OPS, 2nd last in AVG (made postseason)
2017 – 23rd OPS (made postseason)
2016 – 25th OPS
When they can crack the Top 10 in road hitting, Colorado will have done their job in going all in on position players. Until then, they aren’t.
Maybe the Rockies should consider trading Arenado.
Trade both and they could probably get a good return for both of them.
This is ridiculous post.. GM & owner have said repeatedly that they like their team.. get ready for thanksgiving and stop making up crap like this that isn’t news worthy! Geez
Ya man, the audacity of speculating on a site called “trade rumors”.
The green jeans are too tight.
Imagine taking those quotes as anything but generic canned boilerplate
Calm down, Francis.
Story and Gray and Wade Davis for Simmons, Marsh, Suarez, Will Wilson. Let’s get ‘er done Angels!!!
why would they swap shortstops?
nope!
If he’s available, Story should be the Reds’ top target at SS.
Frazier and Ellsbury for arenado.
Manny Ramirez and Denny Neagle for Trevor Story.
I get these things are a staple of sports talk, but I can’t stand the hypothetical “Should we trade Player A?”
How can anyone possibly answer that without knowing an incredibly vital component- what are they getting back in the trade?
This post is a perfect example of that. Both players there is definitely some ambiguity as to what they can return. Story has a history of success, but (1) it’s in Colorado, and (2) how many teams are even looking for a shortstop? (Has there ever been this many good hitting shortstops in baseball)
As the article noted, Gray has had some struggles. But (1) it’s in Colorado, and (2) everybody needs to add pitching.
So, should the Rockies trade Story if they are getting back an elite, consnesus top 20 in baseball prospect along with a couple of other solid prospects? Should they trade him for a couple of decent prospects? Very different questions, with very different answers.
Teams who are so far removed from contention are way too hesitant to trade their stars for better opportunities to build a fieldable team.
they should listen to offers, but i wouldnt trade either simply for the best package.
I’m not following the “trade Jon Gray while his value is at its peak” narrative. Aside from him being a large human being in his prime who throws hard, I just don’t see the value here for another team. His ceiling is still very high, but no team is going to give up a future-altering prospect haul, which is what the Rockies would need to make it worth trading him away.
Why are you asking Jon Gray?
Trade Gray. Keep Story.
Alright guys, I gave this A LOT of thought and think that I came up with a trade scenario that helps both the Mets & Rockies:
Mets get: Trevor Story & Sam Hilliard
Rockies get: Amed Rosario, J.D. Davis, Andres Gimenez, David Peterson, Shervyen Newton & Kevin Smith
Story is going to make $11.5 million in 2020 while Rosario & Davis combined will make just over $1 million. Story has only 2 years of control left while Rosario has 4 & Davis has 5. Rosario can takeover SS for the Rockies while Davis can be put in the OF to replace Hilliard. I added Hilliard for the Mets simply because they desperately need a CF. And eventhough Rosario & Davis makeup a pretty hefty package, they are not on the level of Story & with the inclusion of Hilliard, I believe the Mets would have to send the Rockies some decent prospects in return, one of which should be Gimenez, who’s an MLB Top 100 Prospect that Rockies could plug into their lineup on opening day.
The only issue with this trade would be the money being added to the Mets already tight payroll. And with the Cheapons, I mean Wilpons controlling the finances, Brodie Van Wagenen would have to find a creative way to reduce payroll.
This is just my opinion but I see this trade scenario as a win, win. The Mets instantly become more competitive and the Rockies not only get good major league returns for their allstar but they also get a lot more financial flexibility to do over things.
I’m sure trading 2 starters from the Rockies for 2 lesser quality players from the Mets would really interest them!
You’re clearly another clueless fan. Putting a “Starter” stamp on Hilliard who had a total of 77 ABs in 2019. Sounds like a HOF player there. Don’t worry, you’ll eventually understand how the business of MLB works. Persevere & you shall succeed.
Rosario and Davis combine for less value than Story. Hilliard will start next year.
I believe that the Rockies are the team that needs to tear it down to the scraps the most. They’re old, expensive, and not good. They have assets that nearly every team in the league would want, and they can get a great jump start on their rebuild. Build around a guy like David Dahl.
What about Story,Gray,Shaw and McGee to the Mets for D,Smith,Rosario,Nimmo and Familia.
Smith in Colorado prob hits 30 hrs,Rosario and Nimmo will hit more as well plus this deal saves Colorado over $10 mil. Helps the Mets in the BP and gives the Mets another power bat to add to Alonso. I would than trade one of Stroman,Matz or Gray to Milwaukee for Corey Ray (a real CF since Mooooookie lol) and a BP guy maybe Jeffress. Mets inf. Alonso,Cano,Story,McNeil and Wilson. OF. Cespedes(JD Davis), Ray and Conforto. 3 new bullpen guys and rid themselves of Familia. Sp: deGrom,Syn,Stroman(Gray,Matz) and either Lugo or a FA like Porcello.
LULZ, Maybe if Wilpons realize they are in NYC and can spend money….
Do not trade Story, If you do, Nolan will opt out in two year.
This story is written by someone who want to get these players cheap.
I’m not sure a 32-year old Arenado can get $165M on the open market in 2022. He is a bit older than Story will be, but teams aren’t running to give Josh Donaldson $100M+.
Shop them and see if you are blown away with an offer that allows the team to remain relatively competitive in 2020 while improving long-term outlook(nothing is likely to do that other than complete regime change).
I’d rather deal Story for two reasons. First, the Rockies kinda have a logjam going on. Rodgers should be playing SS, but is at 2B. Which forces McMahon and Hampson to 1B and CF. Might as well just release Murphy and especially Desmond…but they wouldn’t. They would are left cycling Dahl,Tapia,Hilliard, and probably Desmond in one OF spot. With Gray gone, the Rockies rotation goes from passable to being Marquez followed by explosive diarrhea(and I still have hope for Jeff Hoffman….just not on the Rockies)
The second reason is Story will command a massive haul in return. I’m not convinced Gray returns that much more than the underwhelming Marcus Stroman return. Story likely command at least one solid major league piece or elite prospect close to the majors in return in addition to several other pieces. It wouldn’t be crazy to ask for an India, Stephenson, and another piece from the Reds. Or Garcia,Florial, and Loaisiga from the Yankees. Alternatively, I think Gary Sanchez would be a fun big piece for the Rockies given their history of laughably bad production behind the plate. Maybe Story + NY’s choice of bad reliever contract for Sanchez?
One issue is that the market isn’t massive unless teams get creative. Teams like the Brewers or Cubs could use Story, but don’t have the pieces to get him. Maybe the Brewers figures out a 3-team deal involving Hader and Story. Maybe the Braves acquire Story/deal Swanson? Maybe the A’s could use Story/Seimen at 2B? Maybe the Angels try him at 3B? Those are all kinda crazy
Didn’t the front office already say they were not trading Grey ?
Why am I not surprised by the poll results on this site? It’s always trade everyone and get prospects, you can’t win right now. People must watch a lot of MiLB because if all these teams just traded away anyone that’s any good then MLB would be unwatchable.
I only trade a player like Story for someone like Betts. No prospects, I want top MLB talent in return. Even then I still keep Story. He’s an unbelievable player at a premium position.
To everyone saying trade Gray and story:
why would you trade likely the best pitcher you’ve ever developed in franchise history?
Are the Rockies not 1 year removed **with the same core as 2018** from 91 wins? Are we forgetting that the entire rotation got hurt last year? David Dahl got hurt, Rodgers got hurt.
An average healthy year out of this core wins 85 games at this point. Dealings prospects and pushing for the playoffs is WAY more reasonable.
Dahl is always hurt but I’m on board with what you’re saying
I’d like to see a healthy season, he’s very talented.
And do what in the postseason?
The playoffs are whoever is hot at the right time. A WC1 just won it all over the Astros. It’s about getting there, and then worrying about what happens.
GOD forbid they should put some of their own money into the team for a year or two. They could write the losses off their other holdings. Or they could look at it as contributing to a “civic improvement.” In the long run they’re going to make a killing when they sell the team. They will get their money back…..
Trade them both in the same trade only make it a 3 team trade. Story is a great athlete I’m sure he can move to 3rd.
I don’t see how they could justify signing the face of their franchise to a mega deal and then trade two of their best young players. They seem more like a team that needs a few more pieces rather than a rebuild
I don’t see a lot of downside to waiting until the trade deadline. I don’t think the return will decline much, and this gives you the chance to see if you are the 2018 or 2019 version of the Rockies.
If they are 20 games out, I think a trade and rebuild should be automatic.
I think they need to set down asap and see what it would take to extend them now. If you can get one or both to sign reasonable extensions, then do it! You can also listen on trade offers to gauge the market. That doesn’t mean you HAVE to trade either. You have to listen though unless Story and Gray are willing to sign extremely team friendly extensions.
Really feel Jon Gray would be a fit for Twins. Story I would keep until you know the health of Brendan Rodgers.
Keep Gray and Story. Trade bait candidates are Blackmon, Rodgers, Murphy and virtually everybody in the bullpen. Then release Jeff Bridich.