With the MLB trading deadline right around the corner there has been increased talk about the possibility of the Rockies trading Ubaldo Jimenez. It would be a mistake to trade Ubaldo at this point because he is a big piece to the Rockies future. He is the ace of our pitching staff and we are not so far away from winning that the team needs to take 4 steps back to take a small step forward.
If Ubaldo Jimenez was still struggling to control his fastball and hadn't won more than 2 games then it would make more sense to get rid of him. He has pitched well for the last 2 months and even though he gave up 5 runs in his last outing, he didn't pitch poorly. Arizona hit some well placed pitches and took advantage of some bloopers and inexperienced players. Jimenez has been pitching well enough to win games but hasn't always gotten enough run support to back him up. He is the ace of the staff and the one guy that I believe the Rockies will be able to count on in the future to win more than 15 games per year.
The Rockies have some real issues with their lineup and I don't see how dealing Jimenez fixes those problems. There is currently 1 player on the Rockies that is hitting over .300. Future Hall of Famer, Todd Helton is the only starter pulling his weight in the lineup this season. There has been a revolving door of players at 2nd and 3rd base as well as right and center field due to ineffective bats. How does trading Jimenez solve those problems? It won't. Trading Jimenez will result in the Rockies getting one solid position player and a few prospects for either pitching or position players. Either way, we won't get a comparable pitcher so the rotation will suffer and one consistent bat in the lineup isn't enough at this point.
I have a plan that looks to the future and helps the Rockies gain what they desperately need. It is time to cut ties with several players that have been disappointing for an extended period of time. Dexter Fowler and Ian Stewart need a fresh start somewhere else. Fowler, a switch hitter has a glitch in his swing that doesn't allow him to be consistent at the plate. he holds his hands to far away from his body and doesn't have a level swinging plane so he tends to swing under the ball often. He also lacks intelligence on the base path at times and makes decisions that cost the team during critical times. Ian Stewart has the batting average of a pitcher and for a long time this season had an average that was even worse. I'm not talking about a few week slump, he hasn't been able to hit the broad side of a barn this season with a bat. I believe he has 1 RBI for the season. These are guys that have failed to produce on a consistent basis and we have found other that can fill those roles better so let's see if we can find some other potential talents to coach up and see what happens.
With the additions that this team has made in Ellis and Blackmon, why would we want to trade the ace of our pitching staff. 3 position players is all we need to take the next step towards a division title. 3 players that don't have to be special, just consistently good in order to make a real difference. Tulo and Cargo will get their acts together at the end of the season and lead us into next season with greater expectation that can only be met with the proper pitching staff. Jimenez is the anchor of the staff with deLaRosa coming back healthy as well. Loosing Jimenez will this season will take 3 years to recover from and the Rockies don't have that kind of time to figure things out.
The Rockies aren't far away from winning. They need a few pieces to compliment the core players that they already have in place. Trading Ubaldo Jimenez removes one of the core players to the Rockies success in the future and sets the team back. The Rockies need to take a step forward by getting rid of dead weight and bringing in new talent. Ubaldo needs to stay for next years Rockies to have a chance.
If Ubaldo Jimenez was still struggling to control his fastball and hadn't won more than 2 games then it would make more sense to get rid of him. He has pitched well for the last 2 months and even though he gave up 5 runs in his last outing, he didn't pitch poorly. Arizona hit some well placed pitches and took advantage of some bloopers and inexperienced players. Jimenez has been pitching well enough to win games but hasn't always gotten enough run support to back him up. He is the ace of the staff and the one guy that I believe the Rockies will be able to count on in the future to win more than 15 games per year.
The Rockies have some real issues with their lineup and I don't see how dealing Jimenez fixes those problems. There is currently 1 player on the Rockies that is hitting over .300. Future Hall of Famer, Todd Helton is the only starter pulling his weight in the lineup this season. There has been a revolving door of players at 2nd and 3rd base as well as right and center field due to ineffective bats. How does trading Jimenez solve those problems? It won't. Trading Jimenez will result in the Rockies getting one solid position player and a few prospects for either pitching or position players. Either way, we won't get a comparable pitcher so the rotation will suffer and one consistent bat in the lineup isn't enough at this point.
I have a plan that looks to the future and helps the Rockies gain what they desperately need. It is time to cut ties with several players that have been disappointing for an extended period of time. Dexter Fowler and Ian Stewart need a fresh start somewhere else. Fowler, a switch hitter has a glitch in his swing that doesn't allow him to be consistent at the plate. he holds his hands to far away from his body and doesn't have a level swinging plane so he tends to swing under the ball often. He also lacks intelligence on the base path at times and makes decisions that cost the team during critical times. Ian Stewart has the batting average of a pitcher and for a long time this season had an average that was even worse. I'm not talking about a few week slump, he hasn't been able to hit the broad side of a barn this season with a bat. I believe he has 1 RBI for the season. These are guys that have failed to produce on a consistent basis and we have found other that can fill those roles better so let's see if we can find some other potential talents to coach up and see what happens.
With the additions that this team has made in Ellis and Blackmon, why would we want to trade the ace of our pitching staff. 3 position players is all we need to take the next step towards a division title. 3 players that don't have to be special, just consistently good in order to make a real difference. Tulo and Cargo will get their acts together at the end of the season and lead us into next season with greater expectation that can only be met with the proper pitching staff. Jimenez is the anchor of the staff with deLaRosa coming back healthy as well. Loosing Jimenez will this season will take 3 years to recover from and the Rockies don't have that kind of time to figure things out.
The Rockies aren't far away from winning. They need a few pieces to compliment the core players that they already have in place. Trading Ubaldo Jimenez removes one of the core players to the Rockies success in the future and sets the team back. The Rockies need to take a step forward by getting rid of dead weight and bringing in new talent. Ubaldo needs to stay for next years Rockies to have a chance.
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