Blue Jays: Which NL contenders could come calling for a starting pitcher?

Colorado Rockies

As of this writing (prior to the schedule being completed on Thursday night), the Rockies were just 0.5 games back of the 2nd wild card spot, so they’re clearly in the playoff picture again this year. However, they’re dealing with a familiar theme in the hitter’s haven in Colorado, a need for starting pitching.

It looked like things were trending in the right direction last season, but unfortunately, it hasn’t been the same in 2019. German Marquez has been very good, but Kyle Freeland was so bad that he was sent back to Triple-A after finishing 4th in Cy Young voting a year ago. Jon Gray has been serviceable, but beyond that things have been pretty ugly in the Rockies’ rotation.

After signing Nolan Arenado to a huge extension they may not feel quite the same “win-now” urgency that they would have otherwise, but I still think the Rockies will be active buyers to upgrade their rotation. Whether or not there’s a match with the Blue Jays remains to be seen, but someone like Stroman who can keep the ball down would be a good fit, or at least as good of a fit as there is at Coors Field.

With a core that includes guys like Arenado, Trevor Story, Charlie Blackmon and more, it would be a shame to see them miss on an opportunity to take a run this year. Their minor league system is seen to be in the middle of the pack, and with bigger contracts that could be eaten like Ian Desmond‘s, maybe there’s a deal here, even if it’s a creative one.

Likelhood= 2.5/5