[Quack Attack]

Rockies will have clearer outlook after road trip



by Ken Rosenthal

Ken Rosenthal has been the senior baseball writer for FOXSports.com since Aug. 2005. He appears weekly on the FSN Baseball Report and MLB on FOX.


Updated: July 25, 2008, 12:03 AM EST


Here the Rockies go again. Back on the road, where they're a major-league worst 14-36. Back to determining whether their latest Coors Field revival — a 6-1 homestand against the Pirates and Dodgers — means they're actually ready to compete in the sorry NL West.

Three games in Cincinnati, three in Pittsburgh, four in Florida — nothing that should be too daunting. The unrestricted trade deadline occurs just after the start of the series against the Marlins. If the Rockies play respectably, they will look to add a starting pitcher, not subtract Matt Holliday and Co.

Only in the NL West could a team be 13 games under .500, yet only six games out of first place. False hope? Perhaps. But shortstop Troy Tulowitzki is back, and left-hander Jeff Francis is on a rehabilitation assignment. And the Rockies' offense is still the one that everyone in the division fears.

Earlier this week, the Rockies took a run at Orioles right-hander Jeremy Guthrie, offering infielder Clint Barmes, but the O's had no interest in trading their best pitcher. Reds righty Bronson Arroyo and Nationals righty Tim Redding also are on the Rockies' radar. Heck, the Rockies might even keep closer Brian Fuentes if they get back into this thing — or, at the very least, trade him for immediate help, not prospects.

Fuentes, who has allowed only one hit while pitching eight scoreless innings in July, is the hottest reliever on the market. But the Rockies are holding firm on their price, saying the offers they've received are not better than the two compensatory picks they would receive if Fuentes left as a free agent.

Rival executives are skeptical that the Rockies would hold on to Fuentes, who will be owed approximately $1.6 million after the deadline. The two draft picks would cost between $2 million and $2.5 million in signing bonuses. Thus, by trading Fuentes, the Rockies can save approximately $4 million while acquiring players who are closer to the majors than the draft picks would be.

This shouldn't be so difficult. The Rockies are 31-22 at home, so obviously they're capable. First baseman Todd Helton is out with a sore back, but Garrett Atkins has slid over to first, enabling the red-hot Ian Stewart to emerge at third. If Francis returns as the old Francis and GM Dan O'Dowd can add a strike-thrower such as Redding, who knows what the Rockies might do?

The first-place Diamondbacks probably have made their biggest moves, acquiring reliever Jon Rauch and first baseman Tony Clark. The second-place Dodgers passed on acquiring CC Sabathia, Casey Blake and Jamey Carroll, a deal that could have won them the division. They expect righty Brad Penny back in about 10 days, but are still looking for a shortstop and late-inning relief help.
As poorly as the Rockies have played — they reached their low point of 19 games under .500 on June 30 — they still are not out of the division race. Trading Holliday is probably a longshot now, even if the team stumbles this week. The Rockies are better than they've shown, but now they must prove it. Here they go again. Back on the road.

[Full Cougar]

That should be a very tough road trip for them.