MLB Trade Deadline: 5 trades Rockies should make

The Colorado Rockies are looking to play deep into the postseason. Here are 5 trades they should make to help them get there.

With new manager Bud Black at the helm, the Colorado Rockies jumped out to an early lead in the NL West in 2017 before finding themselves in a match race for first place with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Now they’re settled in third place behind the Diamondbacks with a 52-39 record and 9.5 games behind the first place Dodgers.

Since they’re defying expectations, the Rockies have no reason not to think about the postseason. The MLB trade deadline is a place where they might be able to fill in the spots that are lacking, but like other teams in potential playoff contention they aren’t necessarily looking to get rid of players unless they find themselves looking at the perfect deal.

That said, here are five moves the Rockies might make.

5. Dealing for Relief

Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post minces no words. He believes that the Rockies are the real deal, but he sees that they are soft on relief and there’s no way they can be contenders in the postseason (or even make it to the postseason) without providing more support to their bullpen. Colorado was off to a great start at the beginning of the season but they have slipped after late game losses; in June the bullpen had a collective 9.23 ERA and 1.93 ERA.

One of the names Kiszla mentions is the San Diego Padres’ All-Star reliever, lefty Brad Hand. Hand has been solid in 2017. He’s 2-4  with a 2.30 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 47 innings of work. Having a lefty with a devastating slider like the one in Hand’s arsenal would be very useful for the Rockies.