New York Nine

Its almost hard to believe that this team was in the world series two years ago, I mean even then that team wasn't THAT impressive and now they've only gotten worse. Indeed, after making the first big move of the year trading Matt Holliday to the Oakland A's of all teams, and since then they've only seemed to get weaker, whether that be through injuries, trades or free agency.


Easily the biggest move as I said was the trade of Matt Holliday early in the off-season. Headed for free agency next year and poised to lose their star player for nothing, Dan O'Dowd shocked the baseball world by trading for Huston Street, Carlos Gonzalez, Greg Smith and a host of other prospects. I can't say much about the other guys because I dont know a whole lot about them, but with the guys they got aren't stars but solid contributors to say the least. Street, coming off an awful year has been one of the better young closers in baseball with electric stuff. That said he's coming off a lousy year with a pretty pestrian 109ERA+ that he lost the closer job, but there's hope that he'll rebound with similar numbers striking out 69 in 70 innings and still only giving up 6 home runs with a slight jump in walks from a paltry 12 to 24. Going to a weaker league may help Street rebound and become the replacement for the newly departed closer Brian Fuentes.


Carlos Gonzalez is also a solid pickup for the team a young and very talented centerfielder with great range and promise behind the plate posting a career minor league line of .286/.340/.473. now that's not exactly great and he didn't do that well as a rookie, but when you consider he's replacing automatic out willy taveras's line of .250/.308/.296 i mean thats pretty putrid. Take that out of the lineup is addition by subtraction at the very least.


The rockies also made some additions in their rotation, although they're not exactly great. Greg Smith came in the trade, a young promising lefty who in 190 innings struck out 110 but aside from that he had his problems, giving up 21 home runs and walking 87. You figure him moving from an extreme pitchers park to the hitters park, coors i see those numbers only getting worse. Jason Marquis another marginal player with a 99ERA+ in 167 innings for the cubs also doesn't bode well for the Rockies. Add in losing Jeff Francis for the year, that staff is looking pretty bad right now.

Considering that they were in position to get nothing for Holliday, I'd say the Coors made off pretty well all things considered. They got cheap young players to replace their closer who they were able to get a first round pick compensation and a superior centerfielder, but Holliday's production will be seriously missed. PECTOA predicts rebound years from Atkins and Tulowitski as well as more from Chris Ianetta and Ian Stewart, but its a big hole to fill. Either way that rotation is crappy at best, awful at worst so no matter runs they score i dont see them making much noise this year. I give them a solid B on the strength of the trade, but this is a team that needs more still.