Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported yesterday that Carlos Gonzalez has become increasingly upset and frustrated with not winning and is willing to part ways with the club if things do not change quickly:
“Gonzalez has expressed an interest in going elsewhere and people around the team are aware of it (Rockies GM Jeff Bridich said he would keep all those conversations “private”), and the Rockies will likely float not one but two outfield stars.”
However, Gonzalez has denied all allegations of him requesting a trade, saying:
“Nothing is true, because obviously I haven’t talked to anybody. I haven’t said that to anybody. Not even my wife, or my kids, or my mom. I never complain about wanting to go somewhere else.”
Nevertheless, that got me, and I’m sure the rest of the baseball world, thinking about what the future holds in store for the 30 year old.
Here are three options the Rox have when it comes to CarGo’s future with the club.
Keep Him
Lets face it, it’s going to be extremely difficult for the Colorado Rockies to deal another cornerstone player for the second year in a row.
Gonzalez has been here since the 2009 season and has cemented himself in the hearts of Rockies fans everywhere.
Guys like Gonzalez don’t grow on trees. His jaw-dropping home runs, mixed with his impressive clubhouse leadership, makes Gonzalez one of the most-liked and respected players in all of baseball.
In his time as a member of the Rockies organization, Gonzalez is a .297 hitter with 190 bombs. Not only is he one of the best hitters in Rockies history, but he’s been one of the best hitters in all of baseball throughout his career.
The Rockies have essentially a year and a half of CarGo before his contract expires, and they should take advantage of that. They have been trending in the right direction all season long and should only get better as the Rockies young pitching corps continues to develop.
Winning may not be as far off as some think.
Trade Him This Year
This option makes the most sense from a long-term standpoint.
The Rockies are having a good year, but they are still a ways away from contending. The pitching has been better, but it’s nowhere near where it needs to be. The hitting is there, as always, but that’s never been enough. Realistically, this team is a couple years away from contending for a playoff spot, let alone a title.
The Rox best bet would be to trade CarGo for some serious minor league talent, but not just any minor league talent; they should go after guys who are in Double-A and Triple-A, guys that are ready to make the jump to the big league.
Right now, the Rockies have Jeff Hofman and David Dahl in the works at Triple-A Albuquerque. If the Rockies could get two or three more highly regarded, rapidly progressing prospects, they would put themselves in a position where they have Trevor Story, Nolan Areando, and their young pitching staff all ready to play at the same time, making the team young, explosive and inexpensive.
CarGo is a GREAT player, don’t get me wrong, but his talents are better suited for a win-now baseball club, and quite frankly, the Rockies are not that team.
Putting CarGo on the block this year is for the best, because he becomes more attractive to team’s due to the fact that he’s still under team control for the following season.
He’s 30 year’s old. Get the most for him while you can.
Trade Him At Next Year’s Deadline
The Rockies will likely ride out the rest of the season without trading Gonzalez. In that scenario, if they want to get anything in return for him, they’ll need to move him at next year’s deadline.
At this point in time, holding on to CarGo would be useless unless they could somehow sign him to an extension, but with all the recent chatter that he wants to win now, that may not be the case.
If the two sides are unable to strike a deal, the Rox have to get something in return, as there is no point in letting a player leave without getting some compensation in return.
Gonzalez will still hold a lot of value to a contending team, so the Rox should get a nice return for the three time All-Star.