MLB Trade Rumors: Colorado Rockies shooting high in Jorge De La Rosa trade negotiations
By Hayden Kane
As the Colorado Rockies stare down the unfortunate reality of a record that might be 20 games below .500 before the MLB calendar even turns to August, they are certainly a team that should look at shopping their desirable trade targets in a seller’s market.
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Disastrous though the rest of their pitching staff has been this season, number one starting pitcher Jorge De La Rosa is a desirable trade target. The Baltimore Orioles in particular have shown interest, and those negotiations have even progressed to a certain extent.
Any talks fizzled, however, when the Rockies asked for top pitching prospect Kevin Gausman. According to Jon Heyman of CBS:
"The Orioles have made some offers of other young players for De La Rosa, a top lefty who is 11-6 with a 4.27 ERA and would help them, but word is the Orioles have no intention of trading Gausman for a rental, even a good rental.One person familiar with the Orioles situation called that request a “non-starter,” no pun intended."
The step that follows the Rockies’ high asking price is a plan to try and re-sign De La Rosa with his contract up at season’s end. They would have the option to issue him a qualifying offer to receive that protection, though they would more than likely only use that as one step in their hopes to sign him to another multi-year deal.
De La Rosa touts a unique resume because so much of his success has come at Coors Field. All of that scar tissue might make him even more appealing as a mid-level trade option for a team like the Orioles, but if the Rockies don’t get the package they want they will look to keep him.