Colorado Rockies

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.

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Dodgers Reportedly Interested in CarGo

Thursday, July 21

Jon Heyman of Today's Knuckleball reported that the Los Angeles Dodgers "are looking hard for a bat" and "are expected to at least talk about [Gonzalez]." Heyman added that Los Angeles is "expecting the price to be quite high."

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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."

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Gonzalez Reportedly Open to Being Traded

Thursday, July 7

Heyman 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).

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Gonzalez Putting Up Big Numbers for Rockies Once Again

Gonzalez, 30, is having another excellent season for the Rockies, hitting .318 with 20 home runs, 60 RBI and 65 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.

“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.

   

You can follow Timothy Rapp on Twitter.

The Colorado Rockies and Miami Marlins played an interesting contest Monday night, setting an MLB record for most home runs (eight) in a game in which all the runs were scored on solo homers, per MLB.com.

The Rockies—led by a pair of blasts from first baseman Mark Reynolds and one apiece from outfielder Charlie Blackmon, shortstop Trevor Story and catcher Nick Hundley—pulled out a 5-3 victory.

Story, Reynolds and Hundley all went deep off of Marlins starter Paul Clemens in the second inning, with the latter two going back-to-back.

This was after the Marlins hit a pair of homers in the bottom of the first, meaning there were five solo home runs within the first inning-and-a-half.

Although the pace slowed down from there, neither team managed a run that didn't come from a solo homer.

For Miami, it was the heart of its order doing the damage, with outfielder Marcell Ozuna hitting a pair of homers and outfielder Giancarlo Stanton adding another.

Stanton's long ball in the first inning brought an end to his 15-game streak without any homers, which represented his longest such streak since June-July 2014, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Meanwhile, Story's homer was his 18th of the season, making him just the sixth rookie in the last 25 years to record 18 or more prior to the All-Star break, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Tyler Chatwood landed on the disabled list with a back injury June 19, and it is uncertain when he will return to action.

Continue for updates.

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Latest on Chatwood's Rehab

Thursday, June 30

Nick Groke of the Denver Post reported Chatwood will pitch in Single-A Modesto on Thursday and "can be activated off the disabled list as soon as Sunday. But his next start lines up for Tuesday."

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Weiss Comments on Chatwood's Timeline for Return

Sunday, June 19

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Back Strain Delays Chatwood's Solid Season

Chatwood suffered the injury during Saturday's matchup against the Miami Marlins. After an erratic start that saw him throw 20 of 48 pitches out of the strike zone, he was removed from the game in the second inning.

Chatwood has been Colorado's ace this season with an 8-4 record and 3.15 ERA. He's normally been solid for the Rockies, a team that hasn't received much from its starting pitching, going six or more innings in 12 of his first 13 starts this season.

On four different occasions this season, he hasn't allowed an earned run. On June 6, he yielded only one hit to the Los Angeles Dodgers over eight innings.

But the injury bug has bitten him again, though a mid-back strain isn't nearly as serious as the Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for the entire 2015 season. Still, this has to be a frustrating delay in the 26-year-old's development toward becoming a legitimate ace in Colorado.

This Rockies pitching staff is already without Chris Rusin, as he is dealing with a strained shoulder. Now, the Rockies will have to rely on the likes of Chad Bettis and Jon Gray to assume No. 1 responsibilities.

For a team that's already 11 games behind the division-leading San Francisco Giants, the Rockies can't afford to lose opportunities to get Chatwood on the mound, as he's been their best chance at winning this season.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

The Colorado Rockies announced Wednesday they have designated shortstop Jose Reyes for assignment.

Reyes has yet to play a game in 2016. Major League Baseball suspended the 33-year-old through the end of May for a violation of the league's domestic violence policy. Before Wednesday's move, Reyes had been on a minor league rehab assignment with Colorado's Triple-A affiliate, the Albuquerque Isotopes. 

According to Spotrac, Reyes is signed through 2018 and is due $22 million in each season. He has a club option for 2018 that includes a $4 million buyout.

The Rockies now have 10 days to decide Reyes' future. They can trade him to another team—albeit while likely paying a large chunk of his deal. Colorado can also release him outright or place him on waivers. Should nobody pick take him off waivers, the Rockies could reinstate him to the 40-man roster.

In all likelihood, though, this represents the end of Reyes' brief time in the Mile High City. He is declining on the field, as he had a .274/.310/.378 slash line last year between his time with the Rockies and Toronto Blue Jays. According to FanGraphs, Reyes was also one of the worst defensive shortstops in MLB. He tied for the least defensive runs saved with minus-eight and was fourth-worst in ultimate zone rating per 150 games (-7.5).

Adding Reyes to Colorado's starting lineup would mean displacing Trevor Story, who has been one of the bigger surprises in baseball. The rookie shortstop is batting .265 with 17 home runs and 45 runs batted in. His 1.5 WAR is third among qualified Rockies position players, per FanGraphs.

Another team could give Reyes a shot once he clears waivers. FanGraphs' Eric Longenhagen offered a lukewarm endorsement of the four-time All-Star:

Based on the very little bit of Jose Reyes I saw while he was in Extended, I'd say he's still capable of playing a passably lousy shortstop.

— Eric Longenhagen (@longenhagen) June 15, 2016

MLB Network's Jon Heyman reported the New York Yankees won't be among those interested. Heyman, writing for Today's Knuckleball, reported on June 2 the Yankees showed interest in Reyes last year after his trade to the Rockies.

If he becomes a free agent, Reyes could be a good low-cost signing for a playoff contender during the back half of the regular season.

The Colorado Rockies placed closer Jake McGee on the disabled list Saturday with left knee inflammation, according to Tracy Ringolsby of MLB.com. It is uncertain when he'll return to the mound. 

Continue for updates.

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McGee MRI Results Revealed 

Saturday, June 11

McGee was "diagnosed with a sprained MCL" after undergoing an MRI, according to Ben Weinrib of MLB.com.

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McGee Has Been Steady Anchor to Rockies Bullpen 

According to Nick Groke of the Denver Post, McGee underwent an MRI after tweaking his knee on the final pitch of his outing Friday night.

The team called up pitcher Tyler Anderson to take his roster spot, per Ringolsby. 

McGee, 29, has gone 0-2 in 24 appearances with a 4.98 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, 15 saves and 15 strikeouts in 21.2 innings pitched. He has also blown three save opportunities, including Friday night's outing, when he gave up a three-run homer to Wil Myers in the team's 7-5 loss to the San Diego Padres.

While McGee hasn't been elite as the team's closer, he's been a fairly steady option, and his injury will shake up the bullpen. The top two candidates to replace him in the role are Jason Motte and Carlos Estevez.

Motte has compiled a 3.00 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in six appearances, striking out five batters. He has experience as a closer, albeit limited, as he registered 42 saves for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2012.

Estevez has settled into the eighth-inning role nicely, meanwhile, with a 1-3 record, 4.66 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 22 strikeouts and nine holds in 21 appearances. 

He has blown two save opportunities, however, and the Rockies may utilize both Motte and Estevez in the closing role unless one establishes himself as a consistent option while McGee remains unavailable. 

You can follow Timothy Rapp on Twitter.

Player: Riley Pint

Position: RHP

DOB: Nov. 6, 1997 (18 years old)

Height/Weight: 6'4", 210 lbs

Bats/Throws: R/R

School: St. Thomas Aquinas High School (Kan.)

College Commitment: LSU

Background

High school pitchers always come with a certain level of risk, and no high school right-hander has ever gone No. 1 overall.

That being said, it's not everyday an 18-year-old is clocked at 102 miles per hour.

No one among this year's crop of high school arms, and perhaps no one in general in the 2016 class—save for Louisville right-hander Zack Burdi—throws harder than Riley Pint.

The fact that he comes from a Kansas high school only makes him that much more rare, as there has not been a Kansas high school player selected in the first round since Brian Holman was taken No. 16 overall by the Montreal Expos in 1983.

It's not just velocity with Pint, though.

He also possesses one of the best changeups in the draft among a four-pitch repertoire that also includes a potentially plus curveball and a slider.

Pint led St. Thomas Aquinas High School to a Kansas Class 5A state title this year. He didn't pitch in the championship game but delivered the go-ahead, two-run double in the fifth inning for a 10-9 lead that would hold up as the final.

"I’m ready to go now," Pint told Ashley Scoby of the Kansas City Star. "One chapter ends, another one begins. And I’m really, really happy about this one."

Pint is committed to LSU, but it's hard to see him passing on the paycheck that comes with being taken so high in the draft.

Pick Analysis

Velocity is what has put Pint on the national map, but it's his impressive overall repertoire and projectable frame that should immediately make him one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball.

Here's the scouting report that Baseball America provided while ranking him as the No. 2 prospect in this year's class:

Pint sits at 97-98 mph, regularly bumps 100 and has touched 102 with a fastball that has sink and tailing action. He also throws an 89-91 mph potentially plus changeup with deception and fade. He even has two separate breaking balls—a curve and a slider that both flash above average.

Pint is athletic—he was an excellent basketball player before focusing on baseball and he's thrown less than many top high school arms. His delivery causes some concerns as he lands into a stiff front side, has a head whack at release and has some recoil which has at times caused his control to waver.

There may be issues to iron out, but you can't teach velocity, and the fact that he backs his fastball with three potentially plus off-speed pitches makes Pint one of the highest-ceiling prep pitchers to come along in years.

Pro Comparison: Justin Verlander

Reading further on in the scouting report referenced above, a comparison is drawn to Detroit Tigers right-hander Justin Verlander.

"In a best-case scenario, he becomes a Justin Verlander-esque front-line ace," Baseball America wrote. "Like Pint, Verlander had problems with a stiff front side and control issues as an amateur, but the Tigers were able to clean it up."

Verlander also has a similar build at 6'5" and 225 pounds, and in his prime, he could routinely dial it up into the high 90s and even touch triple digits late into games.

The 2011 AL Cy Young and MVP winner utilizes the same four-pitch repertoire, and while velocity has always been his calling card, there was a time when his changeup was among the best in baseball.

Verlander came to the Tigers as the No. 2 pick in the 2004 draft after a standout career at Old Dominion, and his ascent to the majors was a rapid one, as he was a full-time member of the Detroit rotation by 2006.

Pint will no doubt take a bit longer to arrive on the scene given his age and need for further polish, but the upside is there for him to be every bit as good as Verlander was in his prime.

Projection: No. 1 starter, perennial All-Star

Major League ETA: 2021

Chances of Signing: 95 percent

Pint has a strong commitment to LSU, but his stock will never be higher, and it's hard to pass on the bonus money at his draft slot.

Conventional wisdom has for many years suggested dressing for the job that you want.

If that's truly the case, then Brady O'Neill has an intense desire to be all 30 of MLB's franchises.

The Colorado Rockies' mascot program coordinator donned an eye-catching, logo-filled suit during a Thursday night contest:

This suit. Wow. 😳 pic.twitter.com/jLoWWXkeUf

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) June 3, 2016

Unfortunately for O'Neill, however, public reception of the threads was, much like the pattern of his duds, a mixed bag:

So what do you think, @MLB fans?

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) June 3, 2016

Still, one can't help but give him credit. It takes a special brand of confidence to be proudly plastered head-to-toe in major league iconography.

[Instagram, Twitter]

The MLB announcement Friday said Jose Reyes can come back to the major leagues on June 1.

Too bad it's not June 1, 2011.

Reyes had real value then, as a .335 hitter and a speedy shortstop who was one of the game's most exciting players. Five years on, he's no longer speedy or exciting, a decline that started before the domestic-violence incident that led to the 52-game suspension that will run out at the end of May.

Oh, and he has a contract that will pay him another $22 million in 2017 and includes a $4 million buyout option for 2018. 

He's property of the Colorado Rockies for now, but in rookie Trevor Story, they have a shortstop they actually like. Word is they have no use for Reyes, and that they didn't even before he was arrested last October for allegedly assaulting his wife in a Hawaii hotel room.

As ESPN.com's Jayson Stark tweeted after the suspension was announced:

One thing I feel more certain about every day: Jose Reyes won't play another game for the Rockies. One exec says they "want no part of him"

— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) May 13, 2016

The Rockies took on Reyes last July, only because it enabled them to save about $50 million of what they owed Troy Tulowitzki and add much-needed pitching prospects in the process. The Toronto Blue Jays were happy to move Reyes, whose offense had become nearly nonexistent and whose defense was worse.

Reyes had little value then, at age 32. He has even less value now, as he approaches his 33rd birthday on June 11.

ESPN.com's Buster Olney tweeted Friday morning that there were teams "interested" in dealing for Reyes, although he later clarified that by saying the Rockies would need to eat much of the money left on the contract.

Fair enough. Anyone can be traded, if you structure the deal right. If the Rockies eat much of the money and include a prospect or a draft pick, perhaps a rebuilding team like the Atlanta Braves would bite.

The Braves have big-time shortstop prospects, but their stopgap solution of using Erick Aybar at the position this year has been a disaster. The Braves' combined OPS from the shortstop position (.429) is nearly 100 points lower than the next-worst team, per FanGraphs.

As for the other teams struggling for offense at shortstop, the Los Angeles Angels expect Andrelton Simmons to come back (and just added Brendan Ryan as a stopgap), and the Miami Marlins and Detroit Tigers both have defense-first shortstops they like (Adeiny Hechavarria and Jose Iglesias).

Reyes wouldn't be an improvement, just as he wouldn't be an improvement over Story, who has 11 home runs and three triples and is one of the early leaders in the National League Rookie of the Year race.

If he's cheap enough, Reyes might have some value as a utility guy, but do you want him in your clubhouse if he's not playing regularly?

The Rockies haven't had to deal with Reyes so far this year, because baseball put him on paid leave while investigating the domestic-violence incident. In a statement released Friday announcing the 52-game suspension, Commissioner Rob Manfred said the investigation took this long because of criminal charges in Hawaii, which were later dismissed when Reyes' wife declined to cooperate.

In Friday's announcement, MLB made Reyes' unpaid suspension retroactive to Feb. 23, meaning he'll have to repay the salary he has already received this season. In all, he'll lose just over $7 million of the $22 million he was due in 2016.

Manfred's statement said Reyes has committed to treatment and also to contribute $100,000 to one or more charitable organizations focused on preventing and treating survivors of domestic violence.

Reyes also released a statement Friday that said he wanted to "apologize for everything that has happened." He showed more contrition than Aroldis Chapman, who has continued to maintain he did nothing wrong in the domestic-violence incident that led to his own 30-game suspension, per Billy Witz of the New York Times.

Chapman, despite the incident, has been welcomed with open arms by the New York Yankees and by Yankee fans. A few 100 mph fastballs were all it took.

Reyes can't throw 100 mph, nor can he hit or run like he used to when he was a star with the New York Mets. If he could, the Rockies would have no problem finding a taker.

Reyes isn't that player anymore. I'm not the biggest fan of WAR as a way to evaluate players, but it's hard to argue with the Baseball-Reference.com WAR numbers for Reyes.

He peaked at 5.8 in 2006 (second to Carlos Guillen among full-time shortstops). He put up a 4.7 in 2011 (third behind Tulowitzki and Asdrubal Cabrera).

And last year? He was at 0.3. After the midseason trade to the Rockies, he was minus-0.2.

Under the terms of his suspension, Reyes can now start working out in extended spring training, and beginning June 1, he can join a minor league team for a rehabilitation assignment. Perhaps he can prove that he still has value.

The Rockies can only hope he does.

Danny Knobler covers Major League Baseball as a national columnist for Bleacher Report.

Follow Danny on Twitter and talk baseball.

Have you been hearing things go bump in the night? Are there shifting shadows or misplaced items in your home?

Who you gonna call?!

Ghostbusters may exist only in fantasy, but Jon Gray can still be your phantom-prowling man.

In an interview with MLB Network Radio, the Colorado Rockies pitcher revealed his interest in investigating the presence of specters.

His experience includes a trip to The Stanley Hotel (famous for inspiring Stephen King's The Shining) in Estes Park—with hopes for a solo outing—and he offered a detailed description of the ghost-hunting process:

There are different ways and different cameras … technology out there that can give you some different readings on things. A lot of people think that when they detect a ghost, it’s temperature; a lot of people think it’s electromagnetic fields. But there’s these cameras that can see full spectrum and colors that human eyes can’t pick up. They see anomalies, use EVPs [Electronic Voice Phenomenon] to catch disembodied voices. It’s just kind of interesting.

Just don't ask him to scope out his own place. Hobby aside, he's happier being ignorant to any possible unseen roommates.

And even if Gray did suspect any haunted goings-on, his baseball capabilities may be better-than-adequate self-defense.

Can ghosts withstand the power of an oncoming fastball?

[MLB, h/t Deadspin via For the Win]

Major League Baseball has suspended Colorado Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes without pay through May 31 after he was ordered to stand trial on domestic abuse charges, according to ESPN's Buster Olney.

Yahoo Sports' Big League Stew provided the league's official statement Friday, which confirmed the unpaid suspension is retroactive to Feb. 23:

Breaking: Jose Reyes suspended until May 31 under MLB's domestic violence policy. Retroactive to Feb. 23 pic.twitter.com/eakbdwGRQk

— Yahoo Sports MLB (@MLByahoosports) May 13, 2016

Reyes also released a statement shortly after MLB's announcement, according to Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal:

Reyes statement pic.twitter.com/xB9fs3CJNK

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) May 13, 2016

Commissioner Rob Manfred previously placed Reyes on paid leave after the 32-year-old allegedly assaulted his wife in a Hawaii hotel room, according to Hawaii News Now's Chelsea Davis, but he'll officially lose $7.06 million in game checks now that terms of the cumulative 52-game suspension are official, per Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan.

"His wife told responding officers that Reyes grabbed her off the bed and shoved her," Davis reported. "Sources say she also told police that he grabbed her throat and shoved her into the sliding glass balcony door."

According to ESPN.com, Reyes posted $1,000 bail and was ordered to stay away from his wife for three days following the incident.

However, charges against the shortstop were dropped after his wife failed to cooperate with prosecutors, according to the Associated Press. Should she change her mind and decide to cooperate within the next two years, charges can be refiled.

In baseball terms, Reyes is becoming an afterthought for the Rockies.

Rookie Trevor Story has been a revelation, batting .266 with 11 home runs and 27 RBI. He's also clubbed three triples and seven doubles during his rapid rise in the Rockies' order, earning National League Rookie of the Month honors in April.

Beyond Story's development into an offensive linchpin for the Rockies, Reyes is staring at a long road back from a polish perspective.

"He has been working out on his own in New York, away from the Rockies' facilities in Colorado and Arizona, but even if he returned tomorrow, Reyes would still likely need weeks to ready himself for major league games," the Denver Post's Nick Groke wrote. "He missed all of spring training and any live competition since last fall."

And then there's the matter of the Rockies' monetary commitment to Reyes. The veteran shortstop is earning $22 million this season—part of which the team will recoup following the suspension, per Groke—and another $22 million next season before the team can decline his $22 million club option for 2018.

With Story established as the franchise's future shortstop and Reyes a past-his-prime piece who figures to have a hard time garnering regular playing time, the Rockies could be in a bind when it comes to relieving themselves of a hefty financial burden.