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Colorado Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez is one of the best hitters in baseball, but he could be on the move in the offseason as his team looks to rebuild with an eye on the future.

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Rockies Open to Trading Gonzalez

Sunday, Dec. 6

While Gonzalez drilled 40 home runs and tallied 97 RBI last season, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported Colorado is “open-minded” about trading the outfielder. According to Spotrac, Gonzalez is under contract through the 2017 season, but the Rockies were a dismal 68-94 last season and are likely multiple years away from contention.

The team owes him a combined $37 million in base salary in 2016 and 2017, which is a lot for a potential bottom-feeder in the National League West to dole out to one player.

Trading Gonzalez in the offseason would fit under the sell-high category for the Rockies after he bounced back from an injury-plagued 2014 campaign. Gonzalez played only 70 games in 2014 and hit a career-worst .238 with 11 homers. It was his only season in the last six years in which he hasn’t hit 22 long balls, which is why it was important for him to put up impressive numbers in 2015.

Gonzalez is only 30 years old and theoretically has a couple of years of prime production remaining in the tank. Whichever team trades for him would immediately land a multidimensional talent who could slide right into the middle of its order.

Gonzalez is a solid fielder with experience at all three outfield spots (although he was solely a right fielder last year). According to FanGraphs, Gonzalez has recorded 19 total defensive runs saved above average over the course of his career.

The Rockies traded Troy Tulowitzki last season in a rebuilding effort, and nobody on their roster has as much value as Gonzalez after his formidable 2015. Losing the 2010 National League batting title winner would hurt in the immediate future, but he would net plenty of prospects and potentially open the door for a younger outfielder to take his place.

Baseball America ranked the top 10 prospects in the Colorado system in November, and outfielder David Dahl was second, while outfielder Raimel Tapia was 10th. There are some possible stars waiting in the wings, but don’t expect the Rockies to contend in 2016 without Gonzalez in the middle of their order.

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Colorado Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez regained his elite status this past season, but the 30-year-old slugger’s time at Coors Field could be nearing an end.

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Report: Rockies Place Gonzalez Back on Trade Block

Thursday, Nov. 12

Gonzalez is the Rockies’ unquestioned marquee player after they traded shortstop Troy Tulowitzki to the Toronto Blue Jays; however, the organization is reportedly open to dealing him as well.

According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, the Rockies are willing to shop CarGo, which is news one of the two-time All-Star’s friends believes he will be “thrilled” with.

While Heyman didn’t offer any concrete rumors regarding potential suitors, he did suggest that the Baltimore Orioles might consider taking a run at him since Chris Davis is a free agent.

Despite the comment made by Gonzalez’s friend, the Venezuelan superstar recently expressed his faith in the Rockies organization, per MLB.com’s Thomas Harding:

That’s why Tulo never forced any trades or I didn’t force any trades. We’ve been around some good people here, some good players. I promise you, if it was a different atmosphere or a different situation, we’d have been like, ‘I don’t want to be here. It’s not going to get any better.’ I believe in this team.

After an injury-plagued 2014 campaign that saw Gonzalez hit just .238 with 11 home runs and 38 RBI, he bounced back in a big way in 2015 to the tune of a .271 batting average, a career-best 40 homers and 97 RBI.

Gonzalez is a great hitter, but he is set to make $17 million in 2016 and $20 million in 2017 before becoming a free agent, according to Spotrac.com.

That is a hefty price for a team that is coming off a 94-loss season to pay, especially when it’s in dire need of pitching.

Since Gonzalez could potentially bring back franchise-changing value in a trade, it wouldn’t be particularly shocking to see the Rockies pull the trigger on a prospect-rich package.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

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The speculation just never ends for the likes of Carlos Gonzalez and James Shields.

Both standouts survived the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline and have so far survived the August waiver period, but the next big question is if those guys could be headed out of town when the offseason arrives. In the process of ranking the 10 MLB stars who are most likely to be traded this winter, an assortment of factors were taken into consideration:

• How extensively a given player has been linked to recent rumors
• His contract status
• How each player fits into the plans of his respective club

Nearly all the big leaguers who cracked this list are owed big-time money in 2016 and beyond. As it turns out, Gonzalez isn’t the only high-priced Colorado Rockies star who ends up landing right at the top of the rankings.

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Colorado Rockies star Carlos Gonzalez left Tuesday night’s game against the Washington Nationals with a knee injury that seems to be minor at this time.

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Gonzalez Considered Day-to-Day

Tuesday, Aug. 18

The Rockies announced Gonzalez is dealing with right knee inflammation that forced him to exit the game on Tuesday.

Gonzalez has bounced back nicely (batting .270 with 27 home runs and 67 RBI) after an injury-plagued 2014 campaign that was cut short in August because of knee surgery. His issues this year have been of the more minor variety, such as tired legs and a hand sprain.

The Rockies are not in playoff contention, but losing Gonzalez is a blow to the team’s offense nonetheless.

The 29-year-old outfielder has enjoyed a very productive second half of the season as he deals with the possibility of being traded this offseason, as noted by the Denver Post‘s Patrick Saunders.

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It’s been a lost season for the Colorado Rockies. In the midst of it, though, Carlos Gonzalez has found himself.

After launching a two-run blast in Monday’s 4-2 loss to the New York Mets, CarGo now has 26 home runs on the season to go along with a .281/.337/.548 slash line.

And Gonzalez has been even hotter since the All-Star break, pacing the Senior Circuit with 13 home runs and an eye-popping 1.322 OPS.

That’s quite the turnaround for a guy who hit .238 and played in just 70 games in an injury-plagued 2014 campaign and was hitting under .200 as recently as May 17.

Then again, Gonzalez is just 29 years old, in the prime of his career. And suddenly he’s swinging it like the guy who made the All-Star team in 2012 and 2013 and finished third in National League MVP voting in 2010.

He’s also flashing the slick leather and howitzer arm that won him three Gold Gloves. In a victory over the Washington Nationals on Sunday, Gonzalez did it all, blasting a pair of dingers off of Nats ace Max Scherzer and making a strong throw from right field to nail a runner at the plate.

“I take pride in both, but I like throwing guys out,” Gonzalez said of his stout two-way performance, per Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. “I like making plays defensively.”

Lately, Gonzalez has been making all the plays. Too bad it’s for a Rockies squad that now sits at 47-63, dead last in the NL West.

Gonzalez recently watched teammate Troy Tulowitzki fly off to the Toronto Blue Jays in a deadline deal. If he wishes he’d gone to a contender as well, he’s not tipping his hand.

“Offensively and defensively, I still think this is a good club,” he told Saunders. “I want the guys to know that. If we get some good pitching, we can win. So I like our future.”

Getting pitching is always the trick for Colorado. Speaking of which, the Mile High effect must be taken into account when parsing the stats of a player who dons the purple and black.

Gonzalez, however, has hit as many home runs on the road this year and owns a more-than-respectable .838 OPS away from the hitter-happy confines of Coors Field.

Here’s the bottom line: A guy who until recently was regarded as one of MLB‘s premier up-and-coming talents is healthy and performing up to his capabilities.

Which begs the question: Will Gonzalez remain with the Rockies for the long haul?

He’s currently signed through 2017 and is owed $37 million after this season. That’s a reasonable price tag for a Gold Glove corner outfielder with 40-home run pop entering his age-30 season.

Certainly if CarGo stays off of the disabled list and hits like this the rest of the way, he could fetch a nice haul in a trade over the winter or at the deadline next year.

That’s not idle speculation. The Rockies put Gonzalez on the block in July, with an unnamed rival general manager telling CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman that “they expect to move him.”

They didn’t, but Gonzalez has only upped his value since then, and the Rockies haven’t gotten any better. They’re staring down the barrel of a rebuild, and shipping out stars for bushels of prospects is how that painful process works.

Over at Purple Row, Matt Gross summed up the melange of emotions:

This is what Rockies baseball has become in many aspects. Cheer for your old favorites not because you might get to watch them play meaningful baseball for Colorado at the top of their game at some point in the future again. Cheer for your old favorites because their time in this uniform is running out and a good performance means a higher trade value.

That’s talk for another day, though. CarGo is staying put at least for the remainder of 2015, and we get to watch him do vintage CarGo things. That’s good news for everybody—except the unfortunate pitchers he faces.

All statistics current as of Aug. 10 and courtesy of MLB.com unless otherwise noted.

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From Davis Ortiz to Robinson Cano, a constellation of MLB‘s brightest stars have been among the game’s biggest duds in 2015.

While the five underachievers who crack this unfortunate list have all been major disappointments so far, it’s not time to write them off just yet. The most compelling reason for why they’re all poised for loud turnarounds is that they all boast impressive big league resumes.

Plus, after digging through the numbers, there’s no way to avoid the reality that a few of these stars have been downright unlucky in the opening months of 2015.

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Despite swirling rumors this offseason that he might be traded, per ESPN.com’s David Schoenfield, it appears that Carlos Gonzalez will be remaining with the Colorado Rockies. At least for the time being, that is.

Jon Morosi of Fox Sports has more:

Gonzalez struggled throughout a tough 2014 season, hitting just .238 with 11 home runs and 38 RBI in 70 games. He was hampered by injuries throughout the year, missing time due to a giant-cell tumor in his finger and also a knee injury that required surgery in August. 

Between that and a tough offseason that saw his wife Indonesia go through a difficult pregnancy that led to his twin daughters, Carlota and Genova, spending a week in the hospital, Gonzalez is keen to get the season started and turn things around.

“I play baseball the same way I used to as a little kid,” he told Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post. “I just go out there and enjoy. I love the game. But of course life will always give you a challenge, and that’s what I was going through last year. A lot of adversity and a lot of challenge. I’m really happy that it is finally over and in the past.”

Still, with the Rockies stumbling to a 66-96 record this past year and Gonzalez set to make $16 million in 2015, $17 million in 2016 and $20 million in 2017, it was hardly surprising that the Rockies would consider trading their star outfielder to add young prospects and build for the future. That led to both Gonzalez and shortstop Troy Tulowitzki becoming the subject of trade rumors, via ESPN.com.

On the other hand, the Rockies might just be able to compete in the NL West if both players can stay healthy, as they have a dynamic offense with them in the lineup, per Chase Hughes of CSN Washington:

Both are exceptional talents, but neither can stay on the field. Having both players healthy won’t solve all of the Rockies’ problems from last season, but their offense is among the best in the game with them in the lineup. Few teams can keep up with the Rockies in terms of scoring runs, especially when they have the two MVP candidates as their anchors.

Having a healthy CarGo and Tulo gives the Rockies the opportunity to make some noise in the National League this season. But if the Rockies start slowly, well, don’t be surprised if the trade rumors start anew and one of the talents is traded. 

For now, they’ll stick with the Rockies, it would seem. But given their big contracts and ability to bring a lot back in a trade, Colorado likely won’t hesitate to move either player if a playoff berth seems out of the question.

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Colorado Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez provided an early Christmas gift for fans of the franchise. Gonzalez suffered a season-ending knee injury in September, but he was healthy enough to take swings Tuesday.

The announcement was made over Twitter and Instagram from Gonzalez:

Gonzalez, 29, is a two-time All-Star for the franchise who finished .238/.292/.431 with 11 home runs and 38 RBI in 70 games last season. If he can return to full health next season, Gonzalez’s contributions would make the Rockies offense much more dynamic.

For now, Colorado fans have to be happy to see him healthy enough to take hacks before the holidays.

Follow @RCorySmith on Twitter.

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New York Mets first baseman Ike Davis has been the topic of various MLB trade rumors this offseason. The Mets must decide whether they want either him, Lucas Duda or someone else to be their starter at first base in 2014.

Coming off a season in which he hit 30 home runs, Davis has been drawing more trade interest than Duda.

Neither has shown enough to think that either should stick around in New York for 2014. I’d rather have a fresh face from outside the organization be the team’s first baseman next season. The probability of that happening, however, will likely depend on how the trade market develops later this winter.

After enduring a slow start in 2012, Davis rebounded in the second half, slugging 32 home runs with 90 RBI despite a .227 batting average. Manager Terry Collins expected on Davis to be the main source of power and protection in the Mets lineup behind David Wright in 2013.

Unfortunately for the Mets, that didn’t happen.

Davis finished the season with a .205/.326/.334 stat line to go with nine home runs and 33 RBI, as he spent nearly a month in Triple-A. New York may allow the market to decide whether it will hold onto Davis for another year, or hand over most of the playing time at first base to Duda.

At this point of the offseason, teams in need of a cheap power option at first base prefer Davis. Unlike Duda, he has shown the ability to be a productive source of power with his home run total from 2012. The Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers have most notably been linked to Davis and the Mets following the GM meetings last week.

Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times touched upon why the Rays would be interested in Davis:

But the Rays, who drafted but didn’t sign Davis in 2005, would have to be intrigued by the potential lefty power, plus getting three years of control and a somewhat reasonable cost — an arbitration projected $3.5 million salary. That’s about the same as Matt Joyce is to make, and the Mets seek a corner outfielder, though the Rays need lefty power.

Matt Joyce would be an interesting acquisition for the Mets. In 140 games during 2013, the corner outfielder hit .235/.328/.419 with 18 home runs and 47 RBI. He would provide some extra power in the Mets outfield, but would likely not be used more than as a fourth outfielder or utility man if this trade were to come about.

The Brewers are a more intriguing trade partner, especially if they make Norichika Aoki available. According to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, Milwaukee GM Doug Melvin recently acknowledged that his team would be a good fit for a potential swap with the Mets.

Aoki is due to become a free agent following the 2014 season, but would provide the Mets with a true leadoff hitter. The 31-year-old hit .286/.356/.370 last season, including eight home runs, 37 RBI, 80 runs scored and 20 stolen bases. He’s due to earn $1.95 million next season.

Adam Rubin of ESPN New York noted that the Houston Astros, Baltimore Orioles and Colorado Rockies have all expressed interest in Davis. It’s all but certain that he won’t be suiting up for the Mets next season. Alderson will likely hold onto his first baseman until later in the winter, when the market isn’t full of players with power potential.

Unless Alderson can pull off a miracle and pry Troy Tulowitzki or Carlos Gonzalez from Colorado, the Brewers seem to be the best fit for either side in a trade. Milwaukee would receive a relatively cheap option to fill its void at first base while Davis would bring a solid glove and great power potential that would become even more notable due to playing half his home games at Miller Park.

On the flip side, the Mets would get a true leadoff hitter with a knack for getting on base. In 1,117 career at-bats, Aoki has struck out 95 times while drawing 98 walks and boasts a .355 on-base percentage. Striking this kind of deal would save New York some money and allow the Mets spending more on a power hitting outfielder or shortstop elsewhere.

If the Mets front office is tired of giving Davis a chance to blossom into a consistent major league hitter, it needs to acquire a player who Collins can write into his lineup every day. If the Mets wait long enough, there will be a team desperate enough to give up something that it would prefer to hold on to in a potential exchange.

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As the 2013 MLB regular approaches the All-Star break, the Colorado Rockies are gearing up to make a playoff push in the second half.

Similar to last season, injury has defined this very talented ball club through the majority of the first half. However, all the pieces are beginning to fall back into place for the Rox, who have a legitimate shot to compete in a mediocre NL West.

On Thursday, the Rockies activated Dexter Fowler and Troy Tulowitzki from the disabled list, demoting Tyler Colvin and their promising young talent, Corey Dickerson.

Dickerson had flashes of brilliance during his three weeks in the bigs, but batted just .188 in 39 at-bats.

The addition of Tulowitzki and Fowler should keep the Rockies in contention, but the rest of the team needs to maintain some sort of consistency down the stretch.

Here are the hottest and the coldest Rockies heading into the All-Star break.

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