On Wednesday afternoon at Coors Field, Rockies pitcher Brian Fuentes made history. Soon enough, he may be history as well.
It seems as though there are more rumors flying about Fuentes than A-Rod (if that is even possible). Yesterday, he recorded his 102nd save in a Colorado uniform, putting him in a tie with Jose Jimenez for the most in franchise history.
However, even with Fuentes riding one of the hottest streaks in recent Rockies memory, the question seems hard to fathom, but easy to ask: Will he even be around next month?
The Major League Baseball non waiver trade deadline is July 31 and many teams are interested in acquiring Fuentes. Why not? A left-hander who can close games for you or be your set up man? Sounds like a good pickup for any team in the race.........you know, like the Rockies.....Sure, Fuentes is a free agent after this season and the team has already given a large contract to Manny Corpas, but with the NL West heading south in a hurry, why not hold onto Fuentes?
Well, this is where I get hit with the e-mailers calling me nuts. I very well may be, but hear me out. Yeah, if they keep Fuentes, they risk losing him for potentially nothing if he becomes a free agent. It also precludes the growth of Corpas. Those are two valid points. However, as strange as it seems, without Todd Helton, without Troy Tulowitzki for much of the year, and with mostly inconsistent pitching (except for you Aaron Cook), this team is still in it. They are looking up at teams that people laugh at, not fear, in the National League West divison.
If this team gets hot (they have gotten hot before, see Rocktober 2007 for proof), they have as much of a chance as anybody in the National League. Their overall record, even with a strong second half, will be underwhelming, but it doesn't matter. Get into the postseason and funny things tend to happen. You know, like a team that had never won a playoff series going to the World Series.
To me, it would make the most practical sense to trade Fuentes, but if the Rockies make a run, who knows, maybe Fuentes stays. Maybe they trade Corpas if they can convince another team to see in him what the Rockies did when they offered him his new deal in the offseason. My gut says they will trade him for top level prospects. The three teams interested the most in Fuentes----- the Red Sox, the Rays, and the Yankees------have great farm systems. If he goes, I would like to see the Rockies acquire a fifth starter. They need one. Then again, to me, they need Fuentes too. Either way, this time next week, we should know the answer.
-"z"
