5 players the Colorado Rockies can trade next to complete their tear-down

3. OF Charlie Blackmon

If there was a season where someone would make a run at hitting .400, a 60-game sprint in 2020 was it. Blackmon was on a bit of a pace very early, before “fading” to a .303 mark for the season. A drop in power (six home runs) was notable, backed by deeper metrics in a small sample, but he did drive in 42 and a reversal back toward previous barrel rates, hard-hit rates, etc. would set up a rebound in the home run department over a full season.

As the 2019 trade deadline neared, it was reported the Rockies would listen to offers for Blackmon. It might be something other teams think about again now, even if it’s only marginally more palatable.

Blackmon will turn 35 during the coming season (July 1), and he’s due to make $21.3 million. But 2021 is also the final fully guaranteed year of his deal, with player options for 2022 ($21 million) and 2023 ($13 million). He’s guaranteed to exercise the first of those options, so a new team would be committing to at least $42 million over the next two years (assuming a trade before Opening Day this year), and possibly $56 million over three years. For a player who’ll be in his age-35, 36 and 37 seasons. But the Rockies may willingly include some money in a trade if a possible deal is out there.

“The Coors Field Effect” of course applies to Blackmon.

Career-Home: .347/.404/.583 slash-line (.987 OPS)-.374 BABIP, 128 OPS+
Career-Road: .263/.316/.431 slash-line (.747 OPS)-.299 BABIP, 74 OPS+

Blackmon is not likely to ask for a trade, or make his feelings known publicly if he was thinking that way. But he is a possible trade chip, with a resume that says the Rockies can get a decent return.