I was reading SB Nation's Colorado Rockies site, and saw someone comment that the Rockies were interested in dealing for White Sox starter Gavin Floyd and that the White Sox wanted Rockies third baseman Ian Stewart in return.
Troy Renck from the Denver Post confirms the Rockies interest in his Sunday article:
Free-agent Carl Pavano remains a viable option, and Colorado will jump into trade talks for the White Sox's Gavin Floyd and Tampa's James Shields if the opportunity presents itself. Secondary free-agent targets include Kevin Millwood, Dave Bush and Aaron Harang.
With the possibility of losing starter Jorge de la Rosa growing by the day, and free agent target Jon Garland signing with the Dodgers this weekend, the Rockies may have to seriously look at making a deal for a starting pitcher.
Stewart hit .256-.338-.443 with 18 HRs and 61 RBIs in 2010, but he strikes out a ton. He did lower his K% the last two years, but he still strikes out 29% of his ABs. He lost playing time to Melvin Mora in 2010, and there have been rumors the Rockies are interested in trading for A's third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff. That rumor tells me that the Rockies may be looking to platoon Stewart again in 2011, or are looking to deal Stewart.
Floyd went 10-13 in 2010, with an ERA of 4.08 and a WHIP of 1.37. But, he is enticing to the Rockies for two reasons. One, he throws alot of innings. He has thrown 206, 193 and 187 innings in the last three years, and two, he induces ground balls. His GB% was 50% in 2010, up from 44% in 2009. The 50% GB rate was the highest of his career, and it remains to be seen if 2010 was a one-off or the beginning of a nice trend. His K/BB ratio was a solid 2.60 in 2010, and that is what one can expect from him going forward.
Will the Rockies deal their young third baseman to fill their need in the starting rotation this offseason?