Most pressing questions facing NL West clubs | MLB.com
It’s that time again: the non-waiver trade deadline. Teams have 39 days left to make their moves, which is still plenty of time, but they should at least be thinking about it. The Diamondbacks have been playing without some key players due to injuries, yet they’re still leading the division. It comes down to who can come back and in what way from being hurt that will determine what kind of player Arizona should shop around for. The Dodgers are in need of some pitching help. They can usually start pretty strong, and they’ve got Kenley Jansen to close, but they fall apart a bit in those middle innings. It could come down to some juggling, so they won’t necessarily need a reliever, but in all likelihood, it’ll be some kind of pitcher. The Giants are another team with some important guys on the DL. The Padres may be sellers. They have some restructuring to do, so it’ll come down to who’s valuable enough to them to keep around.
And then there’s the Rockies. Dear Rockies, who spent so much money on a bullpen that has gone way off course and can’t deliver. They’ve made long commitments with Wade Davis, Bryan Shaw, and Jake McGee, and they really need at least one to come through, otherwise some big moves will have to be made. The Rockies might keep an eye out for another reliever, but fingers are crossed we can start to rely on our current guys.
Rockies option Ryan McMahon, recall Yency Almonte | Mile High Sports
Right-handed pitcher Yency Almonte got the call to come up to the majors, his second time on the forty-man roster, but his first time on the active roster. His numbers are looking pretty good, with 93 strikeouts in 111 innings pitched, and he’s played in over 500 innings at the minor league level, with a record of 36-34. Here’s hoping he can bring something good to the Rockies pitching staff. The Rockies also optioned Ryan McMahon, likely in a move meant to allow him to have more consistent at-bats. He’s done pretty well in the last month or so, showing us some solid hitting, so hopefully this will fully round out the McMahon we’ve been longing to see since Opening Day.
Colorado Rockies: It’s time we talk about Jordan Patterson | Rox Pile
Similar to Raimel Tapia, Jordan Patterson is another player caught in th eminor leagues who is on a tear and might be ready to be called up at any time. You might remember Patterson from his brief stint in a Rockies uniform in 2016, when he played ten games as a well-hitting utility player. He was left down in Albuquerque in favor of Tony Wolters, Pat Valaika, Ryan McMahon, and Mike Tauchman. Given the way they’ve each begun the season, it’s surprising to see that Patterson still hasn’t gotten an opportunity to play in the big leagues yet. His slash line is pretty impressive, and he’s got 15 HRs. So we know he can hit the ball and drive in runs, which is a skill that probably wouldn’t hurt the Rockies to have on the bench. It’s hard to speculate about what the Rockies have planned, why they’ve kept the lineup the way it is. But when they’re ready to make some changes, they definitely have some depth in the organization that could give them a nice boost later in the season.
If you want to understand how June has gone for the Rockies, all you have to do is look at Bryan Shaw. He’s given up too many hits, many costly that lose the Rockies games. However, Shaw, and Bud Black as well, see this as a mere glitch, something that Shaw can overcome. Look at Adam Ottavino: after a rough season last year, he came back in 2018 to be absolutely phenomenal. Black attributes some of the problem to lack of confidence, which anyone who gets booed coming off the field might experience. But they’ve been working on it, studying video and keeping his spirits up. They claim that the ball is just a bit high, so hopefully he can adjust and get himself right. If that’s all it takes, the super bullpen could have a chance still.