Personally, I wouldn't mind it, so long as we get quality in return. The Rays have reportedly been interested in Colby for a while now, and they have a wealth of young pitchers. I especially like Jeremy Hellickson, currently a starter for the major-league ballclub with a record of 9-7 in 18 starts and a FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching...a more accurate measurement of a pitcher's success than the traditional Earned Run Average) of 4.42 in his rookie year, and Matt Moore, the Rays' stud prospect just recently promoted to the AAA minor-league club. Hellickson is probably the likelier candidate...lower ceiling than Moore and a couple years older.
Colby's stats on the year don't knock you down. His OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging Average) is sitting just above MLB-average at .753 while his BABIP (Batting Average on Balls in Play) is .284, a full 70 points lower than his season mark last year. Some of his troubles this year can be explained by luck...he's hitting fewer line drives and more ground balls this year, but he is also getting a lot fewer homers out of his fly balls. With 14 doubles and a whopping 6 triples on the season, the power is there...it's just not producing runs like it did last year.
Honestly, if we do wind up trading Colby for another starter, we'll probably just be trading one worrisome problem for another. Adding a starter would send Kyle McClellan back to the bullpen, so that's a plus, but unfortunately we don't have another stud centerfielder to take Colby's place. Jon Jay saw his production take a major hit last year when he became the everyday rightfielder in Ryan Ludwick's absence. I like the Chief Justice coming off the bench (pun intended) but not in an everyday role.
On a happier note, Westbrook performed beautifully tonight, pitching out of every jam he got himself into. This recent stretch of his where he has showed more confidence in his breaking and off-speed pitches has been fun to watch. He's locating the ball much better now than earlier in the year, keeping it down to avoid careless mistakes that wind up getting rocked out of the park. Albert's homer tonight was a homer, no matter what Rick Horton says. And I am choosing to ignore any news of Berkman's shoulder until the mothership tells me otherwise.
This is Jax, the basset hound pup with the adorably floppy ears. He belongs to a fraternity brother of mine who was out of town today. He asked me to come dogsitting, and really, with a face like that, who could refuse?
No Hot Stove stuff tomorrow unless there are new developments...
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