Count on the Rockies to buy low, sell nigh.
You could field at least half a starting nine, and a salty one, out of the players Dick Monfort let walk away since 2018. DJ LeMahieu at first or second. Brendan Rodgers at second. Trevor Story at short. A battery of Jon Gray on the mound and Elias Diaz behind the plate.
Which is why we’re on our knees, Mr. Monfort. We’re begging here.
If you truly love Ryan McMahon, let him go.
If you truly love German Marquez, let him go, too.
As in, find them a trade to greener pastures.
Far be it for us to suggest how to run a 17-58 baseball team, let alone one that could clinch a third-straight 100-loss season by August.
Most MLB clubs operate in one of two modes: 1) “We’re trying to win now,” or 2. “We have no chance of winning now, but holy cow, look at our farm system.”
The Rockies, of whom Monfort is CEO, have somehow managed to live outside either realm for the better part of a half-decade now. Just know that wherever Monfort sets the bar in January for what this team should be — 2025’s theme was, “We’ll catch the ball, by golly” — rest assured, the Rox will inevitably land several rungs short.
Haven’t RyMac and Marquez been through enough already? The pair have been good, loyal troupers while the S.S. Monfort caught fire, then sank. They’ve said the right things. They’ve watched friends leave. They’ve watched friends retire.
Shouldn’t they be rewarded? And by that, we mean, set free? Now that they’re finding some mojo again, it’s time to build a boat that gets them off of baseball’s loser island.
You don’t think there’s a market and a decent prospect return for McMahon? The Tigers could use a third baseman right about now. That goes double for the Yankees and Mariners. MLB Pipeline in March ranked Detroit’s farm system as No. 1 in baseball. It ranked Seattle No. 5, Minnesota No. 10, New York No. 24.
Marquez’s numbers are getting better by the week, and he’s staring at a “walk” year. The Cubs, Red Sox and Dodgers could use more starting pitching. MLB Pipeline ranked their farm systems eighth, third and fourth, respectively.
Colorado was 18th.
Charlie Condon is at least two years away. Chase Dollander’s already here.
At 30, McMahon should be hoovering up grounders for a contender. Not trying to beat the Dodgers, Giants, Padres and Diamondbacks all by his lonesome.
After a frigid, turgid April (.147 average), everything’s starting to come to life again for one of the good dudes in the game. Since May 1, McMahon’s hitting .278 with nine homers while posting an OPS of .907.
His glove, meanwhile, never left. Baseball Savant, as of Thursday afternoon, charted him with recording five Outs Above Average (OAA), while the Fielding Bible credited him with six Defensive Runs Saved (DRS). That last number was tied for third across all of MLB with the Giants’ Matt Chapman.
A “plus” defender — and a “plus” guy — on a contract that’s worth $12 million this season and $16 million each in ’26 and ’27?
Let’s put it this way: Chapman’s in line to rake in $25 million each of the next three seasons. Compared to that, RyMac’s a steal. Heck, he even averaged five of those per season from 2021-24.
Marquez is in the final season of a two-year contract extension. Like McMahon, he’s warmed up with the temperatures. The hard-throwing Venezuelan shut out woeful Washington over 5 2/3 innings on Wednesday night. Which was the sixth start out of his last eight, dating back to May 11, in which he’s allowed three earned runs or fewer.
Marquez’s ERA in June is 3.48.
According to Baseball Savant, his four-seam fastball averaged more MPH against the Mets (95.5) and Braves (96.3) this month than he did over his last two starts of 2023 (94.7, 95.8) before Tommy John surgery. His strikeout-to-walk ratio over the last 20 days is 3.6-to-1. He just turned 30.
You know what they call that on Wall Street? An appreciating asset.
The Rockies open a six-game homestand Friday night against Arizona. Don’t let the last road trip lull you into false hopes. Yes, the local nine are kinda-sorta playing their best ball of the season — which, granted, isn’t saying much. They’d won a season-high four straight before the Nationals homered in the 11th inning to snatch a 4-3 win on Thursday.
Let’s keep our eyes on the prize here. Of Colorado’s 17 victories, four have come against Washington. Against teams that aren’t the Marlins or Nats, the Rockies are 7-55.
You don’t need McMahon and Marquez to sell tickets. You need McMahon and Marquez to keep their respective sanities. Is trading away an ace and one of your middle-of-the-order bats admitting defeat? Absolutely. But what kind of argument is that?
On 20th and Bleak, defeat isn’t just assumed. Defeat rents a 2-room condo at The Rally Hotel. Defeat orders room service, on Monfort’s tab, three times a day.
The shame isn’t admitting it. The shame is denying it.
Want more Rockies news? Sign up for the Rockies Insider to get all our MLB analysis.
Originally Published:
