2012 Fire Sale: Rockies Edition

The Colorado Rockies fell from contention ... oh, sometime shortly after Opening Day.

It's time to give up. The Rockies' starting pitchers have been so terrible this season that manager Jim Tracy has invented a whole new paradigm this week. Also this week, Troy Tulowitzki's having a surgery that will knock him out of the lineup until August. The Rockies probably get as much help from Above as any team, but to reach the postseason this year they'll need a Second Coming. Which probably isn't, um, coming.

So just as they did last season, the Rockies need to spend this summer thinking beyond 2012. Last season, they traded Ubaldo Jimenez to the Indians for four minor leaguers, including hot prospects Alex White and Drew Pomeranz.

That didn't happen until the 30th of July; in fact, just one month earlier the Rockies had traded for veteran second baseman Mark Ellis.

When looking at a roster to see which players might serve as good trade bait, I first scan the age column. Hmm, let's see here ... 49? That guy should be expendable, right? Except that guy is already gone, simply released to meet his Fate.

Another in the Graybeard Club: 41-year-old Jason Giambi. He hasn't done much this season -- just one home run in 72 plate appearances -- but might be interesting to a contender looking for a lefty-swinging pinch hitter. Or might have been, before teams started with the eight-reliefer bullpens. There just isn't as much room for a guy like Giambi any more, especially when the guy like Giambi's not hitting home runs.

There's a 38: Todd Helton. But he's a first baseman with second-base hitting statistics, plus he's owed $5 million next year, and another $13.1 million from 2014-2023, plus the whole point of his last couple of contracts has been to ensure that Helton never plays for another team.

Marco Scutaro's 36, and a classic trade candidate. He's making just $6 million this season, he's a league-average hitter, and he can play both of the middle-infield positions. Oh, and he's a free agent after the World Series. If there's any market at all for Scutaro, the Rockies will be professionally negligent if they don't deal him.

Michael Cuddyer's 33, and is actually playing pretty well. But Cuddyer's owed $21 million over the next two seasons, and nobody's taking that contract unless the Rockies kick in some cash. Which they might do. Maybe should do. But if they thought he was worth that money before this season when they signed him, they probably still do. And if they don't think he's still worth that money, it's unlikely that another team will.

Closer Rafael Betancourt has actually been sort of phenomenal since joining the Rockies in 2009, with an 8-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Put him in another ballpark these last few years, and he might today be considered a star. And at $4 million this season and $4.25 million next season, Betancourt just might be a steal. Of course, that also means he's valuable to the Rockies beyond this season, especially if they plan to contend in 2013.

Matt Belisle's another right-handed reliever who's thrived since joining the club in 2009, with a 5-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and solid ERAs in each of the last three seasons. And the asking price for Belisle would be a lot lower than for Betancourt: perhaps one Grade B prospect would be enough.

The guy the Rockies would really like to trade is Jeremy Guthrie. Unfortunately, he a) is making $8.2 million this season, and b) has pitched so poorly that he's been yanked from the rotation, and is now serving as a long relief man. Unless he 1) goes back into the rotation soon, and ii) looks good in three or four starts, nobody's going to want him.