After Rockies trade pair of veterans, Charlie Blackmon talks franchise’s ‘investment in the future’

DENVER — Charlie Blackmon is one of the cornerstones of the Colorado Rockies franchise. On Monday, he reflected on a pair of teammates traded to the Los Angeles Angels.

When you walked into the Colorado Rockies clubhouse on Sunday morning, Blackmon’s locker was in one corner, with C.J. Cron as his next-door neighbor and Randal Grichuk as the locker next to that.

Monday, however, brought a new layout to the Rockies clubhouse, with Cron and Grichuk both traded to the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday evening in exchange for a pair of minor league pitchers.

Standing in front of an empty area that once belonged to Cron on Monday afternoon, Blackmon reflected on being a part of a franchise that was yet again a seller at the MLB trade deadline.

Charlie Blackmon talks Colorado Rockies trade, need of aggressiveness as two teammates are sent to Los Angeles Angels as MLB trade deadline nears

The 37-year-old Blackmon is in his 13th season with the Rockies, the only franchise for which he has ever suited up. With that, Blackmon has been a part of a pair of recent postseason runs (2017 and 2018) but has also witnessed Colorado finish the last four campaigns with a losing record, with a fifth seemingly coming as the Rockies entered Monday’s play at 40-64.

“It’s tough to see Randal Grichuk and C.J. Cron leave. Those are two really good players,” Blackmon said. “They’re my friends and I don’t like to see them go. I think it’s easy to focus on that, but the other side of the coin is we did receive something in return, and that’s an investment in the future. This is how teams can improve themselves beyond this year.”

That return included right-handed pitcher Jake Madden and left-handed pitcher Mason Albright, the Angels’ No. 8 and No. 28 prospects, respectively, according to MLB.com. Both pitchers will reportedly start at Low-A Fresno, so it will be some time before the Rockies reap any kind of reward.

“It’s an aggressive move and I think the Rockies need to be aggressive to try to get better,” Blackmon said. “That’s kind of where I think we are right now.”

After being placed on the injured list on June 11 with a right hand fracture, Blackmon is heading to Triple-A Albuquerque on Monday evening to play in two rehab games (Tuesday and Wednesday). If all goes well, Blackmon said there is a possibility he could return when the Rockies open a 10-game road trip on Friday in St. Louis against the Cardinals.