The Orioles have inquired on Rockies left-hander Jorge De La Rosa, according to multiple reports. Baltimore has "done background work" on the 33-year-old veteran, but Colorado is unsure if it wants to part with him, per Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal.
De La Rosa might be more valuable to the Rockies than he would be to any other team in the league, and that could be problematic for other teams trying to acquire him. He is the rare pitcher who has a long track record of success at altitude, and that has certainly manifested itself recently. Since the beginning of last season, De La Rosa owns a 3.13 ERA in 132⅓ innings at Coors Field and has a career record of 40-14 in the Mile High City.
Another road block for the Orioles is that, even though the Rockies entered Wednesday having lost 39 of their last 55 games, owner Dick Monfort told Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post that the team is not planning to be a seller at the deadline. In fact, Monfort would like to acquire a starting pitcher this month after the Rockies lost out on getting Jeff Samardzija from the Cubs, who wanted a package centered around highly-touted pitching prospect Eddie Butler in return.
However, Colorado does want to improve its minor league pitching depth, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun, and that's something the Orioles might be able to help with. Baltimore pitching farmhands Dylan Bundy, Kevin Gausman and Hunter Harvey make up three out of the team's four prospects in Minor League Ball's Top 150, and a top-ranked pitching prospect is almost certainly what the Rockies would seek in any deal involving their de facto ace.
The Orioles are in first place in the American League East despite having only one current rotation member -- Bud Norris -- with an ERA+ of 100 or better. Ubaldo Jimenez, the team's marquee free agent signing on the pitching side, has struggled to an 88 ERA+ largely due to his 5.4 walks per nine innings.
Lackey attracting interest
The Red Sox are receiving "lots of interest" in starter John Lackey, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
Though Jake Peavy remains the Red Sox pitcher most likely to go, per Cafardo, it’s not a big surprise that teams are checking in on Lackey. The 35-year-old right-hander has a respectable 3.84 ERA with 8.1 strikeouts and 1.8 walks per nine innings in 18 starts.
Boston has recently engaged in talks with the Cardinals regarding Peavy and has discussed Peavy and other starting pitchers with "many teams," per the Boston Globe's Pete Abraham.