Gerardo Parra’s signing might signal a Carlos Gonzalez trade

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The Rockies have teased trading an outfielder for a while now -- it’s not exactly new news this offseason. However, signing Gerardo Parra to a three-year deal for $27.5 million makes it even more clear that it’s their intention to deal one of their three starters: Charlie Blackmon, Corey Dickerson, or the real prize of the trio, Carlos Gonzalez. Gonzalez is the best of the bunch, but this is a team that just dealt Troy Tulowitzki last summer: they’re in a position to rebuild, and if you’re going to rebuild, you should go all-in on it.

Gonzalez would further crowd the outfield market, as Justin Upton and Yoenis Cespedes are still free agents even though we’re in mid-January, as are secondary options like Dexter Fowler. He’s not quite the superstar he’s been painted as by some, of course. While Coors Field does mess with the road stats of many hitters thanks to its unique conditions, Gonzalez looks more like a quality stick than an impact one even after giving that a bit of a mental adjustment. He’s a career .255/.310/.441 hitter on the road, one with persistent injury concerns, and he’s owed $37 million over the next two years.

With that being said, we don’t need a mental adjustment for his splits, as we have actual ones. He posted a 116 OPS+ in 2015, and is at 121 for his career. He probably won’t be hitting 40 homers ever again if he leaves Colorado, but for comparison’s sake, Yoenis Cespedes’ career OPS+ is 122 -- and he’s looking for a six-year, $150 million deal. Two years of Gonzalez, potential warts and all, is going to be far more attractive to at least one team than a commitment of that size to Cespedes. Now, whether the Rockies like what is offered for Gonzalez is another story entirely, and that is what will inevitably decide which of the three is shipped out to make room for Parra.