A man named Dan O' Dowd, again a respected figure in these parts, after a long bout of skepticism nearly sideswiped his credibility, has more or less always been accepted in his own club. That would be he and the 31 other people who sign, trade, and draft baseball players. The Rockies did some signing, they may do some trading, and they did draft on Thursday.
The main part of our blog today is to discuss the trade situation facing the team. They have won two in a row and got back to back solid outings from Aaron Cook and Jeff Francis. Though, it still remains a legitimate question to ask how much of their early struggles have put them in a position where trading away a player or players becomes the best option for the future. The team is looking for some immediate production following their run from a year ago. That said, this is a team that has to look long term as well. They have said they feel like handing out deals for more than five years is not something they are not comfortable wth. A mistake with a lengthy contract (see Mike Hampton) can hinder the team's financial plan and flexibility for many years to come. That is a valid point but it all comes down to who you offer that money to. Hampton was not worth the contract he got. The Rockies have spent wisely on Troy Tulowitzki, Jeff Francis, as well as Aaron Cook, who I will admit, I didn't think was going to be a major factor. However, the success of those players goes to show what team ownership means. Tulowitzki, Francis, and Cook combined make less than what the Rockies had to pay Hampton.
I still think it is far too soon to be talking trade, although, any good front office type, such as O' Dowd, most likely has put forth some ideas out in the public domain to see what kind of trade value might be out there. He hopes he does not have to do so, though, if he does, it's .
always better to be ready, just in case. Though, give it a little bit, I mean, last year, they didn't hit their stride until the final two months of the season. We all remember how magical that turned out to be for all of us. See you on Monday, I hope.
-"z"
