One Rockies trade piece is viewing the team's tendency to make few deadline deals as an indication he may still be in Denver past July 1.
DENVER — On paper, the Colorado Rockies should be active sellers at the upcoming MLB trade deadline. However, despite all of the MLB rumors that may be swirling, the franchise has been hard to figure out in years past when it comes to trade strategies and decision-making.
Last year, for example, Colorado appeared to have two prime candidates to flip in trades in shortstop Trevor Story and starting pitcher Jon Gray, both players who were nearing the end of their Rockies contracts.
The trade deadline came and went with both Story and Gray still in a Rockies uniform. However, when the season ended, both chose to start new chapters in their careers, leaving the Rockies with only a qualifying offer after Story, who had little good to say about the decision by the Rockies to not trade him, bolted for the Boston Red Sox.
This year, there are several players who could make sense for the Rockies to move, including outfielder Randal Grichuk, who will become a free agent at the end of the season. With a youth movement underway in Denver, the 31-year-old Grichuk is not expected to be a part of Colorado's plans moving forward, so trading him (at least on paper) makes sense.
However, Grichuk is shrugging off any trade rumors out there simply because of Colorado's past trading history or lack thereof (except for Nolan Arenado, of course, and that's a whole other story).
MLB rumors: This Colorado Rockies potential trade chip is shrugging off trade deadline talk
Speaking recently inside the Colorado clubhouse about the upcoming trade deadline, Grichuk pointed out that the Rockies, "really haven't done much" when it comes to trade in the past, so he's staying focused on the present.
"It's one of those things as a player, it's cool to think about just knowing that if you were to get traded, it's going to be a contender," Grichuk said. "But on the flip side, you know in the past Rockies really haven't done much moves in that aspect. It's one of those things it's fun to see, it's good to hear that teams might be interested, but until (Schmidt) or (Assistant GM Zack) Rosenthal calls me in, it's just talk."
Those words say a lot for the mindset of Grichuk, who entered Friday's series opener at Coors Field against the Detroit Tigers with a .294/.357/.428 slash line in 199 plate appearances this season. After starting the season on the injured list following sports hernia surgery, he has been heating up as the temperatures have been rising, including a recent tear of .308/.333/.500 over his last seven games (26 at-bats).
Grichuk turning up the heat as June ends could be a good sign for the Rockies if they choose to deal him. His defensive versatility, playing all three outfield positions this season, could be a plus for a team looking to add him as well. However, it's going to take the Rockies choosing to deal him before any of that matters, and Grichuk, basing his reactions on the franchise's past history, isn't apparently paying attention to many of the whispers out there about him just yet.
