With the Colorado Rockies struggling this season, the team could find itself as a seller before the trade deadline. One player contending teams will be interested in potentially acquiring is star outfielder Carlos Gonzalez.
Continue for updates.
Gonzalez Comments on Trade Rumors
Thursday, July 7
“I got a call this morning from Scott Boras, my agent, asking me what happened,”Gonzalez said, per Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. “I was surprised because I didn’t know what was up. I guess there was a story in a newspaper saying that I’d ask the front office, saying I want out. I don’t know when that happened. Maybe I was asleep. Obviously, it didn’t happen.”
Gonzalez Reportedly Open to Being Traded
Thursday, July 7
Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball reported:
Word is that in a recent meeting with team higher-ups, Gonzalez expressed an interest in going elsewhere (Rockies GM Jeff Bridich said he would keep all those conversations “private”), and the Rockies will likely float not one but two outfield stars, Gonzalez and also Charlie Blackmon (Carlos and Charlie seem to go together), just as they did this winter.
Gonzalez, it’s said, badly wants to win, and has become frustrated by the difficulties of doing that in Colorado. It won’t necessarily be easy for the Rockies to deal him, however, as they consider him a plus in the clubhouse as well as the field. Plus, they are showing signs of real improvement (the last week or so notwithstanding).
Gonzalez Putting Up Big Numbers for Rockies Once Again
Gonzalez, 30, is having another excellent season for the Rockies, hitting .319 with 18 home runs, 51 RBI and 54 runs scored. He’s coming off a career year in 2015—his 40 home runs were a career high—and has totaled at least 20 home runs and 70 RBI five times in his career.
He was chosen as an NL All-Star reserve Tuesday.
“You have to prove to yourself sometimes, remind yourself that you’re a great player,” Gonzalez told Nick Groke of the Denver Post after learning he was chosen for the Midsummer Classic. “That was big for me last year, knowing that my abilities were still intact. Right now, I feel healthy, and I feel strong. That’s all I can ask for.”
Prospective buyers will be happy to hear that, though Gonzalez won’t come cheap. The Rockies will likely demand a pricey package of prospects in any trade for the star outfielder, and he’ll be due $20 million next season, per Spotrac. He also has a history of injuries, though he’s been largely healthy over the last two seasons.
Because he’ll be a free agent after the 2017 season, Gonzalez will be more than simply a 2016 rental—a benefit for any buyers. So it isn’t hard to envision a scenario in which the longtime Rockies star is finally dealt.
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