Post by rockiesgm on Aug 17, 2011 23:35:11 GMT -5
When Rockies ownership introduced new manager Jeremy M. he promised to shake up the Rockies roster. Ownership found out very quickly just how serious Jeremy was. Rockies lockers have been cleaned up and new jerseys have been brought in.
In a matter of days Jeremy brought in 11 new faces to the Rockies organization. All but one of these new faces was placed on the 25 man roster. That's 40% of the Major League roster switching out just days before the season started. Rockies fans have been on a virtual roller coaster ride over the past 72 hours.
The first trade brought SP Kyle McClellan over from STL. Aaron cook packed his bags in this deal, but the Rockies get a younger, cheaper SP with fewer injury concerns.
Next up the Rockies addressed their need for a 2B by going after Brandon Phillips from the Reds. The Rockies also received a solid bullpen arm in Bill Bray, and a great 1B prospect Yonder Alonso (as we all know, Helton isn't getting any younger). In this trade the Rockies parted with their best 2 pitching prospects and others, so time will tell who wins this deal.
Next up, the Rockies dropped a bombshell by trading away Troy Tulowitzki. Rockies nation was spotted rioting outside Mile High Stadium after the deal was announced. To add further insult, the Rockies also sent closer Huston Street and 2 ML pitchers to the Cubs. Thankfully the Cubs returned a hefty sum (as was deserved). The Rockies brought over young star Starlin Castro to fill in at SS, promising arm Andrew Cashner, proven starter Matt Garza, shut down reliever Sean Marshall, and top closer Carlos Marmol.
When asked about this trade GM Jeremy said "Trading Tulo will probably make or break my tenure as GM here. Thinking ahead, there were going to be some real issues with his contract that would potentially hamstring us in the future. I mean, I freed up like $130 million dollars for this organization, I should be in congress working on the budget or something" he joked.
But the dust didn't settle there. The next day a major announcement was made that the Rockies had traded for MVP candidate 3B Ryan Zimmerman. The Nats took top catching prospect Wilin Rosario, ever-promising 3B Ian Stewart, and 2 other minor leaguers.
No worries though, Colorado made sure to come back with another trade. This time trading half-season Cy Young pitcher Ubaldo Jiminez to the Braves for Jair Jurjens. These two players are very similar, with Jurjens having a slightly higher upside, but less polish. Fan reaction was positive when Jair was announced.
No doubt the ML team has improved with the additions of Zimmerman, Phillips, Marmol, Marshall, McClellan, Castro, Bray, Jurrjens, Garza, and Cashner. The Rockies now have 5 true Major League starters, 2 potential MVP candidates in CarGo and Zimmerman, a deep bullpen, and solid defensive players. However, the Rockies went from a middle-of-the-pack farm system to bottom of the barrel.
Seems management has made the decision to win-now, and at all costs. If the Rockies can take home a World Series win in the next few years these trades will look brilliant. However, if the team can't pull through there is potential for the franchise to struggle to recover.
Time will tell which scenario plays out for the Rockies. Stay tuned...
In a matter of days Jeremy brought in 11 new faces to the Rockies organization. All but one of these new faces was placed on the 25 man roster. That's 40% of the Major League roster switching out just days before the season started. Rockies fans have been on a virtual roller coaster ride over the past 72 hours.
The first trade brought SP Kyle McClellan over from STL. Aaron cook packed his bags in this deal, but the Rockies get a younger, cheaper SP with fewer injury concerns.
Next up the Rockies addressed their need for a 2B by going after Brandon Phillips from the Reds. The Rockies also received a solid bullpen arm in Bill Bray, and a great 1B prospect Yonder Alonso (as we all know, Helton isn't getting any younger). In this trade the Rockies parted with their best 2 pitching prospects and others, so time will tell who wins this deal.
Next up, the Rockies dropped a bombshell by trading away Troy Tulowitzki. Rockies nation was spotted rioting outside Mile High Stadium after the deal was announced. To add further insult, the Rockies also sent closer Huston Street and 2 ML pitchers to the Cubs. Thankfully the Cubs returned a hefty sum (as was deserved). The Rockies brought over young star Starlin Castro to fill in at SS, promising arm Andrew Cashner, proven starter Matt Garza, shut down reliever Sean Marshall, and top closer Carlos Marmol.
When asked about this trade GM Jeremy said "Trading Tulo will probably make or break my tenure as GM here. Thinking ahead, there were going to be some real issues with his contract that would potentially hamstring us in the future. I mean, I freed up like $130 million dollars for this organization, I should be in congress working on the budget or something" he joked.
But the dust didn't settle there. The next day a major announcement was made that the Rockies had traded for MVP candidate 3B Ryan Zimmerman. The Nats took top catching prospect Wilin Rosario, ever-promising 3B Ian Stewart, and 2 other minor leaguers.
No worries though, Colorado made sure to come back with another trade. This time trading half-season Cy Young pitcher Ubaldo Jiminez to the Braves for Jair Jurjens. These two players are very similar, with Jurjens having a slightly higher upside, but less polish. Fan reaction was positive when Jair was announced.
No doubt the ML team has improved with the additions of Zimmerman, Phillips, Marmol, Marshall, McClellan, Castro, Bray, Jurrjens, Garza, and Cashner. The Rockies now have 5 true Major League starters, 2 potential MVP candidates in CarGo and Zimmerman, a deep bullpen, and solid defensive players. However, the Rockies went from a middle-of-the-pack farm system to bottom of the barrel.
Seems management has made the decision to win-now, and at all costs. If the Rockies can take home a World Series win in the next few years these trades will look brilliant. However, if the team can't pull through there is potential for the franchise to struggle to recover.
Time will tell which scenario plays out for the Rockies. Stay tuned...