A buddy and I, both Boulder natives living in NYC, are going to be in Austin this weekend for the game Colt McCoy Mexican food, and would be interested in meeting up for beers at some point on Saturday with any Buffs fans. I know the alumni association is running a tailgate but it looks absurdly poor value to me: $50 bucks for a cash bar and BBQ (Hey, but Chip will be there!). So I was thinking we could do something different before the game, or meet up afterwards. There are a ton of options around campus or downtown that are semi-walkable to the stadium.

Joel Sherman of the NY Post writes in his blog that the Yankees would consider trading Wang and aren't super enthusiastic about signing him to a mega free agent deal.

Wang is going to be a free agent after the 2010 season so to keep him the Yankees are going to have to pay him elite dollars over a long-term to stay: He will likely have a case that he should be paid commensurate with the five years at $82.5 million bestowed A.J. Burnett. And the Yanks, internally, are not positive about going to such extents with Wang. He has pitched four seasons in the majors and two have been interrupted by injury. They wonder how a pitcher who does not strike out batters will age as he loses some bite on his sinking fastball, especially since he has been sketchy in developing the rest of his repertoire. And he would begin a new contract in 2011 at age 31, so you almost certainly are buying declining years.

 

Now, I'm not advocating that the Rockies consider giving Wang AJ Burnett money, and I don't think the Monforts are ready to shell out that kind of cash on a pitcher, but I think that he would be a good fit. Despite the fact that he "does not strike out batters", he has consistently posted GB in excess of 50%, doesn't walk many, and gives up very few home runs. His GB percentage has actually declined as his K/9 has increased, because he has developed a slider and learned to pitch for strikeouts a bit more. He seems like someone who could consistently post a FIP under 4 and would make a very solid #3 in the Rockies rotation behind Cook and Jimenez. In a normal year he is worth about 4-5 wins. Last year with the Cubs Marquis was worth 1.8 wins, and at this point we are all hoping and praying that he can duplicate that performance. 

For the Yankees to trade Wang this year would probably mean that 1)A Rod is hurt for longer than currently expected 2)they are out of the race in July and 3)Joba and Hughes show the ability to stay healthy and be effective. But the Yankees need middle infield and catching prospects, two areas that the Rockies have a decent amount of depth. Would Rosario + Gomez + Frazier + one of our surplus corner bats like Baker be enough to get a deal done? Would it be worth it to the Rockies? I think if the Rockies are hanging around in the West come July then O Dowd has to pursue pitching, as the offense is good enough to win the division.

So yesterday Georgie boy issues a fax from down in Tampa (its an open secret that he basically senile)that says he isn't ready to fire Torre or Cashman, but that the players sure as hell better start playing better. The Yankees, let me remind you, are currently in the unfamiliar position of looking up at the Devil Rays in the AL East. Meanwhile we have heard nary a peep from the Brothers Monfort or Dan O'Dowd about the Rox' pathetic opening month.

Anyways, to move this thought experiment along, assume that you are mid-1980s Steinbrenner, you own the Rockies, and you are ready to hit the panic button. What can be done to make the team play better? Or, if we are already giving up on the season, what can be done to set up the team for a more succesful 2008?

For instance, should we just can Hurdle right now? Can we entice Joe Girardi to give the Rocks a go, even though he is probably next in line for the Yanks job?

What about our players? Should we start exploring some trade possibilities? It does seem to me that we have a surplus of bats at corner positions, and  could use some pitching...How about trading Helton?

Let's not forget that most of the statistical projections this year had the Rockies at well under 500, and so far the models seem to be right on. So we can't just sit around next year with the same team, also projected to have a losing record, and hope that by some miracle everybody has a career year, can we?