The Colorado Rockies are apparently quite interested in acquiring AJ Ramos. They have been having “ongoing discussions” with the Miami Marlins about the right handed Miami closer, though talks seem to be far from completion at this point, according to Jon Morosi of FOX Sports. Couple this report with ones earlier today that the Rockies are “aggressively searching for a right-handed reliever” and that they “will make a move,” and there seems to be a lot of smoke indicating a potential deadline deal for the Rockies.
The Rockies have been pretty open about their desire to add right-handed help to their bullpen as the MLB Trade Deadline approaches on Monday. Rumors earlier this week linked them to Ramos, along with the Cubs and Nationals, but this creates an even more definite link.
Ramos has had a lot of success as the Marlins closer over the past three years, recording 91 saves, fifth best in baseball during that time. While he offers a good fastball-slider mix, his fastball coming in at 92.9 mph on average and the slider at 80.5 mph. He also offers an effective 86.0 mph changeup that all comes together to produce a career 10.44 K/9. Unfortunately, his 4.75 BB/9 over his career means that, if the Rockies do acquire him, Rockies fans will be likely be watching him in the role of setup man (not closer, where Greg Holland, despite paternity leave, is firmly ensconced) create stress-inducing traffic. However, he would most certainly improve the bullpen, which is showing signs of wearing down over the long season, pushing more struggling arms off the roster.