MLB Trade Rumors 2013: Colorado Rockies Should be Buyers at Trade Deadline

By Michael Moraitis--Featured Columnist

The Colorado Rockies are very much in contention for the National League West division title and that's a perfect reason for this squad to be a buyer rather than a seller at the MLB trade deadline.

As it stands heading into Saturday, the Rockies are 4.5 games behind the division-leading Arizona Diamondbacks and just three games back of the second place Los Angeles Dodgers. In case you live under a rock, you know that a 4.5-game deficit isn't very much to make up with another half to play.

And judging from Rockies owner Dan Monfort's "no way" response to an inquiry about trading veteran Michael Cuddyer during a career year, this team isn't raising the white flag just yet, per Mike Axisa of CBSSports.com.

So, where can the Rockies improve in order to bolster their chances at making the playoffs?

Offensively speaking, the Rockies are pretty solid in the batter's box. With a lineup sporting guys like Dexter Fowler, Troy Tulowitzki, Carlos Gonzalez and Cuddyer, this team can swing the sticks with anyone in its division when healthy, which has been a problem during the 2013 campaign.

Sure, there have been issues lately for Colorado with driving in runs courtesy of their big bats, but this team certainly has the juice to more than get by without having to bring in another bat and waste young talent. Further proving that fact is the Rockies No. 10 ranking in runs scored in the league.

Pitching is a different issue entirely.

While their rotation has been a bit more solid recently, the Rockies are ranked No. 21 in the MLB in starter's ERA and No. 20 in bullpen ERA. With Rafael Betancourt hitting the disabled list on Saturday thanks to appendicitis, the Rockies now must look to a different option to close out games in the mean time.

Betancourt had successful appendectomy surgery last night Has been discharged from hospital
— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) July 20, 2013

That will only complicate things further in Colorado's bullpen--especially if Betancourt is out an extended period of time.

One move the Rockies have been linked to is the possible acquisition of New York Yankees starter, Phil Hughes. While Hughes would be a nice move to help shore up the bullpen, it isn't entirely clear if Hughes actually wants to be a reliever.

If they can convince him to become one, the Rockies would be wise to pull the trigger after his past success in the 'pen, but Hughes must give an assurance that he'll be okay with that role. Otherwise, the Rockies should avoid it altogether and look elsewhere to avoid locker room drama.

Not to mention, Hughes will be a free agent after this season is up.

Hughes would be a dreadful starter in Coors Field as he is no doubt a fly ball pitcher and gives up a ton of homers. In the thin air of the Rocky Mountains, that's about as far from ideal as one could get. At this point, it's reliever or bust in any deal involving Hughes going to Colorado.

Per Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post, reliever Jesse Crain of the Chicago White Sox has been named as a possibility and he would be a great fit. Not only is Crain having a sensational season with a 0.74 ERA and zero homers allowed, his parents also live in Boulder and he even owns a home there.

Crain has been on the shelf with a sore shoulder and hasn't pitched since June 29, but he is expected to be ready to take the mound this upcoming week. The Rockies will have to pay a hefty price for Crain's services, however, as impact relievers with great numbers like his don't come cheap.

A bigger risk is that Crain will be a free agent at season's end, so the Rockies must be careful not to sell the farm for him without some sort of a guarantee of returning for next season. Other than that, the move makes all the sense in the world.

As is always the case, no pitcher on the market whether reliever or starter will be cheap for the Rockies, so any move made will be heavily reliant on the price each team is asking for. Colorado can't sell off its future for a half-year rental unless it truly believes there is a great chance to compete this season and beyond with that new player.

No matter what they do, the Rockies will be taking a huge risk on any player they trade for in order to make themselves better. Realistically speaking though, trading for some form of bullpen help will likely be easier than a starter, so Colorado should keep their focus on that aspect of the team for the moment.

If that isn't a reality, the Rockies will have to get creative and make more moves like the acquisition of Armando Galarraga in the hopes that throwing multiple things against the wall will eventually result in it sticking.

MLB Trade Rumors: Colorado Rockies Should Avoid Deal With Yankees for Phil Hughes

By Michael Moraitis--Featured Columnist

The Colorado Rockies find themselves right in the hunt for the National League West crown and as a result, the team may be looking to add New York Yankees starter Phil Hughes to help bolster their pitching staff.

According to Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com, the Rockies are looking to add the Yanks' starter, but would prefer to use him as a reliever instead. Hughes has already made 18 starts for New York this season and has yet to come out of the bullpen during the regular season the last two years.

On the surface, the deal makes perfect sense for the Rockies.

Not only would Hughes greatly help the back end of the Rockies bullpen--which as a whole ranks No. 18 in the MLB in ERA--but he would also be a key pitcher as Colorado makes a run at the division just 4.5 games back going into Monday.

There's no question all of those factors make a move for Hughes a no-brainer and he's already proven himself to have elite stuff as a 7th or 8th inning pitcher, and even as a reliever when necessary, but Hughes may not want to be in any of those roles at all.

It's quite evident that despite all of his success in the bullpen during his career, Hughes wants to be in the starting rotation no matter how poorly he's pitched the past few seasons.

If the Rockies were to make a deal for Hughes and try to force him to become something he doesn't want to be, that could create plenty of turmoil in Colorado's locker room and that's something a team chasing a division simply can't deal with.

Furthermore, Hughes will be a free agent at the end of the season and giving up any key young players or even current impact players for his services is risky at best for the Rockies. They could end up losing him for nothing, which would become more certain if he's unhappy with his role on the team.

Another negative for Hughes whether he's a starter or in the bullpen is that he is a fly ball pitcher and gives up homers on a regular basis. That's especially dangerous late in games when the score is close and a runner is on, no matter if he's a reliever or a starter.

In his last start, Hughes allowed four earned runs and three homers in total.

In 2012, Hughes allowed 35 homers in 191.1 innings as a starter and in 2013 he's on pace to do pretty much the same having allowed 18 homers in 102.1 innings pitched. Things aren't likely to get any better even if he does become a starter for the Rockies because as we all know, Coors Field is one of the most friendly hitter parks in the history of the game.

Hughes is the kind of pitcher that becomes more of a liability as he goes through an opposing lineup multiple times because he simply doesn't throw that many pitches, thus hitters can pick up on his stuff later on in games and do some serious damage.

As a Yankees fan, I have been screaming for years that Hughes has better stuff as a reliever and he shouldn't be a starter, but obviously my opinion doesn't matter and Hughes' opinion likely hasn't changed in regards to starting games as opposed to helping finish them.

With such an uncertain future whether it be his impending free agency and/or his potential displeasure with a role change upon coming to Colorado, the Rockies are better served to look elsewhere for help because a move like this has the potential to blow up right in their face.