There are rumors that the Colorado Rockies are thinking of trading Jonathan Gray for Jeff Samardzija.
In a report by Fansided, MLB fans started to ponder whether the team was truly serious about acquiring Samardzija after Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post asked the question about a possible trade. But, the Rockies would have to give up a top prospect like Jonathan Gray to complete the deal. Should Samardzija indeed transfer to Colorado, he is expected to only play for one to two years at most before opting to transfer to another team again.
Samardzija was not very impressive during the season but has the potential to become an ace. Jon Gray, on the other hand, has become one of the best pitching prospects in the history of the Colorado Rockies. Samardzija has a 94 mph fastball and 1.45 earned run average but has to suffer in a poorly performing team.
In June 2014, the Chicago Cubs asked for a "competitive-balance draft pick and the accompanying bonus-pool money". These were included in the return for their trading off Samardzija. It was a question of whether the Rockies, with the 35th pick, would find Samardzija better than their late pick in addition to other players that could be in the transaction.
Mark Polishuk of MLB Trade Rumors said, "The draft pick would just be part of a Samardzija trade package, of course, and I would guess the Cubs would also ask for Rockies pitching prospects Jonathan Gray or Eddie Butler in exchange for their ace. The Rox could possibly upgrade their rotation simply by promoting one of those two young arms, however, rather than deal assets for a veteran."
The Denver Post writes that the Colorado Rockies have not played competitive major league baseball for several years. If it plans to join the playoffs in 2014, it has to take a few risks and get the players it needs to improve its rotation.
Do you think that Jeff Samardzija is a good trade for Jon Gray for the Colorado Rockies?