The Colorado Rockies may be looking to trade a former All-Star, though not the one most are expecting. Outfielder Charlie Blackmon is reportedly the subject of discussions involving other teams.
According to Jon Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com, the Rockies are motivated to move Blackmon soon to take advantage of the value he built up last year:
As a result, sources say the Rockies have discussed outfielder Charlie Blackmon — an All-Star last year — in trade talks with multiple teams. Rockies officials believe they can trade Blackmon for a starting pitcher and replace Blackmon with a free-agent outfielder — in this case, using the Coors effect to their advantage.
The report mentions teams that could have an interest, citing the Cubs, Braves, Rangers and Orioles as teams that have been looking for help in the outfield.
Morosi and Rosenthal also mention discussions the Rockies had with the Mets about Dillon Gee before noting that “Blackmon almost certainly would be too high of a price to pay for Gee alone.”
The 28-year-old Blackmon got a chance to play every day in 2014 and took advantage of it, as well as the hitter-friendly environment in Colorado. He was an All-Star last season after hitting .305/.349/.479 in the first half, but a second-half slump dropped his overall numbers to .288/.335/.440.
Coors Field also played an integral role in Blackmon’s breakout season, as he hit .331/.391/.524 at home, per Baseball-Reference.com. Teams are going to be aware of that in trade discussions, which will likely lower the ceiling of what Colorado can reasonably ask for him.
However, the appeal of Blackmon comes from the fact that he is just about to enter his prime years and is under team control through 2018. He’s a low-cost, in terms of money, outfield option in a market that doesn’t have much to get excited about.
If you want to talk sports, hit me up on Twitter.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com