With the MLB season finally reaching the All-Star break, the Boston Red Sox find themselves in an unexpected position atop a very competitive AL East. With a 1.5 game lead over the second place Tampa Bay Rays, the Sox are in a good position to potentially win their first AL East title since their 2018 World Series season.
Across the country, the NL West has followed a similar storyline for most of the season. The San Francisco Giants have emerged as arguably the best team in baseball, turning the division into a three-horse race between them and the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres.
One of the teams not in that conversation is the Colorado Rockies, who could be set to blow things up later this month when the trade deadline approaches. The Rockies have been moving towards this ever since trading their star third baseman Nolan Arenado this offseason, and could be set to begin a full-scale rebuild as they head towards yet another losing season.
Despite being 11 games under .500, the Rockies have an abundance of talent that could help out a playoff contender such as the Boston Red Sox. While the Sox have been brilliant this far, every playoff contender could use some extra help at this time of the year. Here are three players on the Rockies who could be potential trade targets for the Red Sox later this month.
Boston Red Sox Trade Target No. 3: C.J. Cron
C.J. Cron stands as sort of a late bloomer in the sports world. After four seasons where he failed to really make a role for himself with the Los Angeles Angles, Cron finally broke out during the 2018 season with the Tampa Bay Rays with a 30 home run season. Despite that, he’s failed to find a consistent home, spending seasons with the Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers, and now the Rockies.
It seems like Cron’s home is set to change again, as the Rockies would be wise to unload the slugging first baseman. Cron’s numbers this season won’t jump off the stat sheet (.254 AVG, 12 HR, 35 RBI, .833 OPS), but his consistent hitting tendencies make him a desirable candidate in what could be a buyer heavy market.
The Sox have had a renaissance year at many positions, but first base has been an outlier. After a hot spring training, Bobby Dalbec has struggled to get going for most of the first half of the season, and would probably be better fit for a platoon role at first for the rest of the season.
Acquiring Cron would allow the Sox to try and fix their first base struggles, while also not charging them a huge price. The Rockies don’t have a ton of leverage with anyone on their team, and will be looking to get whatever they can in return for some of their players.
Cron won’t be a permanent replacement, but he could be just what the Sox need for an extended playoff run. Remember how effective the platoon of Steve Pearce and Mitch Moreland was during the 2018 run? Bringing in Cron would help provide a temporary solution to one of Boston’s biggest areas of weakness at first base, and won’t cost much either, making it a win-win move for the Sox.
Boston Red Sox Trade Target No. 2: German Marquez
It’s been an interesting season for German Marquez so far in Colorado. The 26 year old earned his first All-Star appearance this season, and if you take away a couple ugly outings from earlier on, he’s probably in the discussion for the NL Cy Young award.
Even with a couple of rough starts, Marquez is having the best season of his career at just the right time. He is sporting an 8-6 record despite playing on a subpar team, and his 3.36 ERA would be the lowest of his career if the season ended today. He has already tossed three complete games this season, which is basically unheard of in today’s day and age of baseball, and is well on his way to surpassing the 200 strikeout threshold by the season’s end.
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As a result, Marquez has turned himself into one of the top pitchers that’s set to be available on the trade market by the end of this month. He’s having a breakout season of sorts, and is under team control for the next three seasons.
Marquez’s value has only increased as the season has gone along, and rightfully so. He will be worth more than Cron would be in a potential trade, and ultimately Boston’s front office will have to decide whether he is worth one of their top prospects or not.
With Chris Sale set to return later this summer, trading for Marquez may not be the right move, especially at the price he is going to charge. But unlike other trade targets, Marquez wouldn’t be a one season rental. At just 26, he could become a staple of the Red Sox rotation for the next few seasons if the Sox decide to go this route.
The rotation has come back down to earth after a hot start to the season, and with the uncertainty surrounding Sale’s return, adding another starter wouldn’t hurt. There are probably cheaper options available, but if the Boston Red Sox want to add a guy who could be a contributor for this season and future seasons as well, Marquez would be their guy.
Boston Red Sox Trade Target No. 1: Trevor Story
Why not? If the Red Sox are going to go big at the trade deadline, may as well be involved in one of the biggest names that’s sure to be available. As unrealistic as it may be, if the Sox wanted to trade for Trevor Story, they could probably make it happen.
Yes, Story plays shortstop, which is a position already filled by Xander Bogaerts, who isn’t going anywhere (remember how his ill-fated move to third base went?) And yes, he has played only shortstop throughout his entire career. So what would be the point of acquiring Story if he has nowhere to play?
While he hasn’t played them in the majors, Story has experience playing at both second and third base during his time in the minors when Troy Tulowitzki was firmly entrenched at shortstop during his prime years in Colorado. Story is probably the better fielder between himself and Bogaerts, so it wouldn’t be out the question to play him at second or third if he was picked up by Boston.
Second base seems like a more realistic option here, as picking up third base is a much tougher task. The Sox have had a rotating cast at second this season, so it’s not as if Story would really be displacing anyone. Plus, adding his bat to the lineup would make up for the potential cluster that Boston would find themselves with in the infield.
After his torrid start to his rookie season, Story has fully developed into one of the best power hitters in the game. With that being said, it’s worth noting Story is in the middle of a down season of sorts for himself. He’s hitting just .249, and only has 11 home runs on the season despite playing half his game at the hitters friendly Coors Field in Colorado.
Even with his struggles, any team would benefit greatly from adding Story’s bat. It’s all but certain Story will be available, as he is set to be a free agent this offseason with Colorado failing to resign him to a long-term deal. So why not take a chance on one of the best hitters in the game and beef up an already strong lineup?
Realistically speaking, this is a move that is unlikely to occur given the Sox already having Bogaerts at short, and the price Story is likely going to charge. But Boston could make a major splash by adding Story, and improve their World Series odds in the process. If they want to add another star to their lineup, Story is right there for the taking.