In terms of record, the Oakland Athletics (30-77) are the worst team in the league, yet, they won two of three games against the Colorado Rockies (41-64) at Coors Field. In their series loss, the Rockies tied a franchise record. With their use of Chris Flexen as their starting pitcher, they tied the franchise record for most unique starting pitchers used in a season with 15, tying the 1993 and 2014 Rockies.
Series vs. A’s
Although the Flexen game was the second game of the series, the final game saw a couple of Rockies legends throw out the first pitch. Carlos Gonzalez and Jorge De La Rosa were two of those players, both of which were a part of the 2014 squad that shares the record with the 2023 squad.
In his first start with the team, Flexen looked like his MLB career is closer to its end than he might like. He went three 2/3 innings while giving up five runs. He walked six batters and gave up two home runs, rarely showing any of the potential that teams saw in him early in his career.
Having their starters not make it deep into games is not a rare occurrence for this Rockies team. Only Ty Blach went five innings in this series, being the 58th time it has happened this season for the team, the lowest total in baseball.
Starting the first game of the series was Kyle Freeland, who went four innings while giving up three runs in what may have been one of his final starts in the team’s uniform. Despite signing a contract extension in the 2022 offseason, he, like most of his teammates, is open to being traded at this year’s trade deadline. Freeland is also not new to being in trade rumors, as ever since the Rockies’ last playoff appearance, he has been a point of conversation at every deadline.
Trades have begun
In what became both of their final series with the team, C.J. Cron and Randal Grichuck both went 4-for-12 at the plate. After Sunday’s game finished, Mark Feinsand announced that the Rockies traded the duo alongside $2 million to the Los Angeles Angels for a pair of pitching prospects.
BREAKING: The Angels are acquiring OF Randal Grichuk and 1B C.J. Cron from the Rockies, per source. Colorado gets back RHP Jake Madden and LHP Mason Albright.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) July 31, 2023
Going back to Colorado is the Angels’ number eight prospect Jake Madden and their number 28 prospect Mason Albright. Madden is a righty, and Albright is a lefty, with both having the potential to be high-volume pitchers when they make it to the big leagues.
The pitchers became the Rockies’ number 20 and 21st-ranked prospects in the system, respectively. Both also have an ETA of 2026, according to MLB.com. Most of the prospects in the Colorado system have an ETA of 2024–26, with the team looking to contend near the end of the current decade.
The Cron/Grichuck trade is the second domino to fall in what is becoming a firesale of a trade deadline for a team deep in the depths of the NL West standings. While getting only two prospects for the duo is far from ideal, the trade provides more depth for a farm system that the front office hopes is the future of the league.
Outside of their plethora of reliever arms available, players such as Elias Díaz, Jurickson Profar, and Ryan McMahon are on the block given the right price. Overall, the 2023 deadline is on track to be the inverse of the lackluster 2022 deadline that left a sour taste in fans’ collective mouths.
Main photo credits:
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Players mentioned:
Chris Flexen, Carlos Gonzalez, Jorge De La Rosa, Ty Blach, Kyle Freeland, C.J. Cron, Jake Madden, Mason Albright, Elias Diaz, Jurickson Profar, Ryan McMahon
