Rocky Mountain Rundown
Inside the Mind of The Gregapus
Rocky Mountain Rundown #10
Week 6 Power Rankings: Potential trades
The biggest news from this week doesn't come from a game but from our first trade of the season. Fitting for this week's article. The Blue Jays acquire JayPaul Volpone from the Mets for John Lockhart in an unprecedented player for player trade. No cash considerations and no case of beer included. My initial thoughts are that this helps both teams, but the jury is still out on how much. It gives the Jays a much needed reliable arm but leaves questions with the lineup. After Wednesday's game against the White Sox, outside of Cam, the Jays’ hitters rank 31st, 34th and 39th in OBP. Lock is batting .280 and ranks 25th in OBP to start the year after setting career highs in OBP and OPS last season with the Pirates. The Mets have the ability to lean on Polanco later in the season so they aren't as reliant on relief pitching but if this team makes the playoffs they will have some questions in that department. That being said I don’t think they make the playoffs without making a move like this. Overall, I'd give this an A- for the Mets and a B for the Jays.
Sunday's slate gave us our first look at the Mets, Angels and Expos in quite a while. All four games were low scoring. Prior to this slate, 28% of games this season had featured four or fewer total runs. Every game finished with four or fewer including two 1-0 victories for the Expos where Noah threw nine no hit innings highlighted by a perfect game against the Mariners.
Wednesday's action featured just two games. The A’s take their first loss of the season in an extra inning battle where the words “you are not red” may haunt A’s captain Dylan Harshaw. If he tells Wayne in the bottom of the 4th “you are red” there is a good chance this team is 6-0. The White Sox saw the emergence of Jimmy Hallman, something this team desperately needed. They finally put together a good showing on offense and it was against one of the best pitching teams in the league. The White Sox followed it up by ruining Pone’s Jays debut in a 1-0 no hit shutout win.
For the first time in a while, I felt there was enough action to make an accurate power ranking.
Rocky Mountain Rankings
-
A’s –
-
Astros –
-
Royals +1
-
Expos +4
-
Mariners -2
-
White Sox +1
-
DBacks -2
-
Phillies +1
-
Jays -3
-
Mets +1
-
Angels -1
-
Scoring just two runs in two games is concerning for the Expos, but Noah's domination on the mound is enough for them to be the biggest riser of the week.
-
For now the offensive outburst for the Sox seems like an anomaly. 2-0 on the week but not enough to overtake the Mariners who still hold the head to head.
-
Jays simply aren't getting enough offense outside of Cam. Pone will keep them in games but can this team win if Cam gets shut down?
-
Not full on panic yet but for the Mets and Angels it's time to get it together before it's too late.
My original goal was to find at least one trade involving every team, but as I got into it, that seemed unlikely.
While I could’ve had one trade for every team I wanted the trades to make sense. I didn't want to just throw stuff out there that isn't plausible. The Jays and Mets proved something important this week: trades aren't just possible, they're realistic. With that in mind, here are the deals I'd actually consider if I were each front office.
I also don't want it to seem like I'm picking on the Mets, but they're the team that makes the most sense as a trade partner. With how competitive the league is, most teams won't move pieces unless they're getting a significant upgrade. The Angels already own two second round picks next season and have a strong long term outlook. The Mets, meanwhile, feel like the team most likely to make another move if things don't turn around quickly.
Astros
Trade: Eddie Bleacher, 2027 2nd round pick
Receive: John Lockhart, 2027 3rd round pick
Could we see a player be traded twice in the same season? Probably not, but I think the Astros could have an opportunity to secure a more reliable option for a championship push. The Mets would improve their outlook for next year but it would be a tall task to keep this season alive.
Athletics
Trade: Josh Butler
Receive: Vinny Albanese
While I think the A’s are the least likely team mentioned to make a move, their only option would be moving Josh to a team that could use a proven arm. We haven't seen Josh in this format, but what we do know is that he throws strikes, something Cam has struggled to do consistently. The A’s are lacking support beyond Dylan and Chris, and while Vinny has had a slow start, he adds more potential to do damage. As for the Jays this gives them a solid 1-2 pitching duo and lets Cam focus on doing his damage at the plate.
Expos
Trade: Adam Beyers
Receive: Matt Milakeve
This would be a bet on past performance here for Noah. Although they’ve only seen two innings out of Hinchey, with how Noah has been throwing it, I think they have an opportunity to bet on offensive upside. (Offensive as in hitting, not morally. We all know Beyers has the highest upside in that regard) Milakeve has had a slow start but if they could get any sign of 2025 Barry this would be an improvement. As for the Mets, they downgraded at pitcher with their trade but Beyers would give them another arm to deploy.
Phillies
Trade: Pat Farrell, 2027 2nd round pick
Receive: Dennis Donegan, 2027 3rd round pick
The only way this trade seems possible is if the Mets continue to lose. The Phillies would add one of the most reliable bats in the league to pair with a top 3 pitching duo. Right now the Phils are lacking the offensive consistency that you need to win a championship. This move would be a play for 2027 for the Mets. I don’t expect that to happen but this is the type of move I'd like to see if Stretch loses hope.
White Sox
Trade: Jimmy Hallman
Receive: Erick Schulles
A rookie for a rookie trade would be shocking. Jimmy Hallman just had his breakout game against the A’s, but I still think the White Sox need an upgrade. Schulles has had a sneaky start to his RP career, ranking 15th with a .296 average. We know Sean loves to develop guys and I could see him wanting to turn Hallman into an even better player than he's shown.
My favorite trade piece I didn’t mention is AK. He hasn't had a good start to the year but he's proven to be a reliable piece of the lineup. I just struggled to find a trade that worked since the Angels outlook is already great next year as they own their 2nd and the Expos 2nd.
Championships aren't won in June, but they can be lost there. Every captain has to decide whether they trust the roster they drafted or if it's time to take a risk. The first domino has already fallen. Now we'll see if anyone is willing to push theirs over next.
Up next from the Rocky Mountain Rundown: Full Round by Round Re Draft