Baseball Rumor News

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports thinks that Matt Holliday may be the big star to get moved before the trade deadline. Because the Rockies could lose the All-Star LF to free agency after the 2009 season, they may opt to deal him for a bunch of prospects this season. While that idea makes sense, I think the Rockies should push for a long-term extension rather than lose him at all. This guy is the face of the franchise and is the reason they went to the WS last season. The Rockies would return to a shell of last years greatness without Holliday as the Backbone.

It is understandable that the Rockies might not be able to work out a deal for the guy that deserved the MVP last season (his agent is Scott Boras…who loves free agency), and if that becomes the case, they would be better off moving him this year than next because he is more valuable to another team with a whole extra year of service time guaranteed. Also, the Rockies are way out of 1st already so there might not be a reason to pay players to lose.

Rosenthal speculates that the following teams could be good fits for Holliday: Indians, Cardinals, Yankees, A’s, Tigers, Blue Jays, Mariners, and Mets. I expect at least a few of those teams (Cardinals, Tigers, Jays, A’s, and Mariners) to be out of the playoff hunt by the time the trade deadline comes around.

Other possible players that could be moved include closer Brian Fuentes and 3B Garrett Atkins. Fuentes could strengthen any team’s bullpen for the stretch run and Atkins is an effective run producer. It is more likely that Atkins stays around though, as he is under contract for a year longer than Holliday.