Rockpile: More Tulo/CarGo trade talk

Sorting out trade speculation on Rockies Gonzalez, Tulo, Cuddyer, Morneau - Denver Post

Patrick Saunders examines the Rockies' biggest trade chips. Following the news that Cargo and Tulo are no longer deal breakers, it is starting to feel like this off season will be an eventful one. Will the young new GM try to make his mark early by corralling a major blockbuster trade? Is a rebuild in the offing? Or do we give the current cast of characters one last chance to put up healthy seasons?

Wayne Gretzki, Shaq, Joe Montana all traded--is Troy Tulowitzki the next great one to be traded?

Ken Rosenthal spoke briefly with Tulo's agent Paul Cohen. Quote:

He has such a familial relationship, a close personal relationship with the ownership group, he’s not going to talk about it right now. If something ever came up, his hope and expectation is that he would be able to sit down with the front office and ownership and have a conversation about it because of his history with them.

He loves playing there, loves the fan base, loves living there. If ultimately it’s best for the Rockies and they approach him (about a trade), he’ll deal with it accordingly. Right now just wants to focus on his rehab and get ready for a terrific season.

Naturally Tulo's agent wouldn't say anything negative about the team, but that language seems stronger than the usual "player X loves playing in City Y." You don't usually hear the word "familial" thrown around in sports. It sounds like Tulo is almost a partner to ownership. People always say baseball is a business, but sometimes it's more than a business.

Are the Rockies finally ready to rebuild? - Fangraphs

Dave Cameron parses the news of the past few days and draws some conclusions. The Rockies are always torn between two courses, rebuilding and contending. When they get significant playing time from their stars, they contend, or at least think they are close to contending. When those stars go down, they plummet to the cellar of the division. If Cargo and Tulo are actually on the block, then it seems like the Rockies finally have committed to the rebuild.

Second, a Cuddyer Qualifying Offer makes sense if the stars really are traded. While $15 million is too much for Cuddyer, Dave notes that contenders looking for outfield depth at the deadline will still be interested in him. If the Rockies eat a good chunk of his salary, the prospect coming in return could actually be a significant player. It would be an innovative way to pay for young talent; with slot values on draft picks and other rules on international free agents, eating a veteran's salary is another way to buy a young player. There's always another angle...

Though I'm sure the folks in the front office wouldn't be heart broken if Cuddyer declined the QO.

Rockies 2014 player grades: Franklin Morales - Denver Post

Nick Groke gave Morales a C for the season. If Nick ever becomes a high school teacher, the kids are going to love him.