Friday Rockpile: Quick Links at the Trade Deadline

2011 Rockies follow other big disappointments in Colorado pro sports history - The Denver Post
Adrian Dater - yeah, I was confused too, but knowing his exaggerations and embellishments, I'm surprised he hasn't said that the Rockies are the worst team to ever set foot on a baseball diamond - ranks the 2011 Rockies up with the 2001 Rockies, the 03-04 Avalanche, and the 1988 Denver Broncos as most disappointing teams in Colorado Sports history.

Players attract trade attention - The Denver Post
Here are some names that might be traded, in the even you haven't heard them yet: Ty Wigginton, Mark Ellis, Chris Iannetta, Matt Lindstrom, Rafael Betancourt. Jason Giambi might be on that list later, as well, but he might also not be traded. He wouldn't be a hard trade to make in August, either.

Renck says that the Rockies aren't just giving their guys away, which is good to hear. This team doesn't give up THAT quickly on guys who have any sort of history with the club (meaning more than like 3 months - this team gets attached fast), which is personally encouraging, but as we know, NOT giving up on guys in time has led to having to DFA players who might have returned serious value a season before. As Renck puts it, the deals need to make sense for this year and beyond.

Rockies don't have to deal Ubaldo Jimenez - The Denver Post
This is a salient point that some might have missed: while the Rockies have the opportunity to trade Ubaldo Jimenez at the trade deadline, they don't HAVE to. They don't HAVE to trade him RIGHT NOW. Whether they should trade him or not, period, is a different story, but this isn't the kind of deal that has to happen RIGHT NOW. This could wait until the offseason. Or maybe just wait until...well, never. Who knows?

Big teams, big names coming up at trade deadline - The Denver Post
Not done by a local writer, but Jon Krawczynski (wait, wasn't he just traded to St Louis?) gives a pretty solid rundown on some of the bigger names on the trading block and the teams hungry to acquire said names out there.

Rockies sign fourth-rounder Thomas | Inside the Colorado Rockies
OF Dillon Thomas signed with the Rockies on Thursday. We're still waiting on Tyler Anderson along with other picks, but I do enjoy seeing the dominoes fall as far as signing draftees goes.