The Rockies may add another slugger

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The Rockies aren’t going to be atop the NL West in many prediction columns this spring, but don’t be surprised if they’re right there by the end of the 2017 season. Colorado is set up to be sneaky good this year, with a strong lineup buoyed by the hitters’ haven that is Coors Field. Their bullpen could be a real asset with Adam Ottavino ready for a full season and backed up by Jake McGee and Carlos Estevez. Their rotation finally has some exciting pieces, as well, with Jon Gray showing off the potential that made him a top-five pick in the draft and Jeff Hoffman looking to do the same in the coming season. They’re also still open to adding one of the sluggers all baseball fans desperately want them to add, according to reports.

On Tuesday night, it came out that Colorado was still keeping an eye on the markets for Edwin Encarnacion and Mark Trumbo. This is exciting news for all baseball fans, as the combination of Coors Field and the raw power these players possess is a dream come true. Encarnacion seems less likely to happen, since he’s still likely to get a relatively large contract despite his market not quite developing as most of us expected. It’d be surprising to see the Rockies give out that kind of contract right now. Trumbo, on the other hand, is looking at a much cheaper deal that better fits this market size. He also ranks among the top of the league in terms of raw power, and could be the dream in Colorado.

Obviously, the snag in all of this is that the Rockies have already signed Ian Desmond to play first base. That’s a decision that never quite made sense, though, and signing one of these sluggers would give them reason to move Desmond back to the outfield. After making such a signing, Colorado could deal one of their outfielders — likely Carlos Gonzalez or Charlie Blackmon — to help improve their pitching even more. It would certainly be a step in the right direction towards surprising people in 2017. Even if they don’t finish close to the top of the NL West, watching Encarnacion or Trumbo at Coors is worth the price of admission on their own.