The Colorado Rockies entered play on Sunday 52-41 and in sole possession of the second wild-card spot in the National League, up 5 1/2 games on the Chicago Cubs, their closest competitor.
Yet the Rockies would obviously like to put more distance between themselves and the pack. One way they might go about accomplishing that goal? Trading for Detroit Tigers outfielder J.D. Martinez. The Rockies have interest in the impending free agent, per MLB Network's Jon Morosi:
Sources: #Rockies interested in J.D. Martinez, who is especially valuable in NL West due to high number of LH starters in division. @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 16, 2017
Martinez would give the middle of Colorado's order a boost. He's hit .306/.384/.622 with 15 home runs over his first 224 plate appearances. The catch with Martinez -- besides the prospect cost -- is that he's a well-below-average fielder, one of the worst in baseball, and a poor fit in Coors Field's spacious pasture.
Still, the Rockies' interest in Martinez is sensible. Colorado has Ian Desmond and David Dahl on the disabled list, and has watched Carlos Gonzalez struggle to get going all season. Manager Bud Black might have to massage some egos if and when everyone got healthy, but that's a small price to potentially pay when the reward is a trip to the postseason.
