In the last week or so the Colorado Rockies have launched themselves into the postseason conversation, called up one of their most-prized prospects, and put together the best record out of the All-Star break amongst all 30 teams.
Most of the baseball world considers the Rockies a team that will be good two or three year’s down the line; however, the Rox refuse to believe that, as they continue to work off the assumption that they are in the position to win now, thus reflected both in the moves they have and have not made.
The call-up of David Dahl was somewhat unexpected due to the fact that the Rockies outfield was already crowded with Charlie Blackmon and Carlos Gonzalez manning two of the three starting slots, and Ryan Raburn, Daniel Descalso, and the recently released Brandon Barnes filling the hole left by the recovering Gerardo Parra, who will return to the club in the coming weeks.
Nevertheless, the Rockies made the “win-now” move by calling up the prized Dahl in efforts to build an even more explosive lineup.
If the Rockies didn’t believe they could contend this year or next, they likely would have intensified trade talks surrounding Blackmon and Gonzalez, two guys they could get top value for to help build towards the future. The fact that there has been minimal conversation shows that they want these guys around for the bright, not-so-distant future.
So, if the Rox truly believe they can make a run at the playoffs this season, what do they do next?
Well, they could call-up prized pitching prospects Jeff Hoffman and Kyle Freeland if they believe they are ready, which they should be in the near future. That could help bolster a pitching staff that has been dazzling out of the break, ranking ninth in the league.
They could also attempt to add a veteran arm via trade to help bring some age and experience to a staff that would be young if Freeland and Hoffman were to make the jump.
Pitching will be the deciding factor as to whether or not they have a legitimate shot at making a run, and while they rotation has looked impressive over the last few weeks, they still need to find some more firepower if they really want to make a run.
The offense has been as good as ever, ranking third in the big leagues since the mid-summer classic. Trevor Story, DJ LeMahieu, Nolan Arenado and Co. are all doing their part to continue to solidify Colorado as one of the most dynamic and explosive lineups in the game.
The return of Parra will make them that much deeper and give Walt Weiss more flexibility when crafting his lineups.
Bottom line is if the offense continues to click and the pitching does what it’s been doing, look for the Rockies to be buyers rather than sellers at the August 1st trade deadline.
It’s a stretch, but the call-up of Dahl could lead to a domino effect that could ultimately put the Rockies over the top and in the postseason if management and the front office truly believe they are in a position to contend this year.
