Buster Olney's column today leads off with talk about the possibility of the Colorado Rockies trading Ubaldo Jimenez, and includes some info on what it would take:
The Rockies are telling interested teams that the price will be high, and that if Colorado deals him, the extraction of prospects needed in return will be painful. One evaluator's current odds of Jimenez being traded: 25 percent. "It has to be something that makes sense for the Rockies [right now]," said the evaluator.
The Rockies are targeting players who could help in the big leagues right now, or in the very near future.
Jimenez is very good. He strikes out hitters and gets a lot of ground balls, making him a very good fit for the Rangers, who, no doubt, are among the teams inquiring about him. He has a 4.08 ERA, but at Coors Field that's still good enough for a 111 ERA+, and Jimenez has posted a 2.88 and 3.47 ERA the previous couple of seasons. He's accumulated 18.7 fWAR since the beginning of the 2008 season.
In addition, he's under contract for $4.2 million for next year, and has a $5.75 million club option for 2013 (he also has a 2014 club option, but Jimenez can void that if he's dealt).
Jimenez would be a great companion for C.J. Wilson as a post-season 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation, and would give Texas some insurance if Wilson were to leave after this year.
But at what cost? Given what Olney is saying, the package would probably need to be something like Martin Perez, the Rockies' choice of either Derek Holland or Matt Harrison, Chris Davis, and maybe something else, a Pedro Strop, for example. And that may not be enough for Colorado to pull the trigger.
Anyway...I'm putting up a poll to see what folks here think. Would you want the Rangers to deal Perez, Holland/Harrison, Davis and Strop?
UPDATE -- Right around the time I hit post, the Rockies' blog published a post about Jimenez and the need for a "Herschel Walker trade" for Colorado to part with him.