MLB Rumors: Colorado Rockies willing to trade Carlos Gonzalez?
By Hayden Kane
The Colorado Rockies would love to see what their team would look like with a full season of Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki healthy in the lineup. Unfortunately that has yet to happen and it doesn’t look like it will happen yet again in 2014.
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If recent trade rumors are to be believed, the promise of a team centered around those two stars might never come to fruition. It has been suggested by multiple writers that Gonzalez would be a prime trade target at this summer’s deadline. Now it appears that the Rockies are willing to shop him.
According to Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post Dispatch, there are grumblings within baseball that the Rockies will consider trade offers for their star left fielder:
"If the Cardinals are stalking a bat … well, who knows? A lot of baseball insiders (non-media) believe Colorado would, for the right price, be willing to move left fielder Carlos Gonzalez. He’s still reasonably young (turns 30 in the fall), and has a manageable contract that averages $14.3 million from 2015 through 2017."
Miklasz notes Gonzalez as a possible fit for the Cardinals, though it would be challenging given the fact that he plays in the corners of the outfield. Any deal would also be contingent on the status of Gonzalez’s injured finger and knee as he works his way back from the disabled list at some point in the coming months.
Many are quick to get hung up on Gonzalez’s home/road splits, propped up by Coors Field. That is a minor issue, however, compared to the player Gonzalez can be when he’s right, especially for a contending team in need of a bat. That type of talent rarely comes available on the trade market. If Gonzalez is healthy enough and the Rockies make him available, they could get a nice haul in return for him.