| Travis Heath. 24th July, 2005 - 4:21 pm
 Todd Helton returned to his roots Friday night hitting a game winning home run in Pittsburgh, the city where Helton hit his first career home run nearly eight years earlier.
It was classic Todd Helton. Top of the tenth inning, facing Jose Mesa, a pitcher Helton had failed to tally a career hit against. Helton turned on a pitch yanking a majestic homerun into the right field seats of PNC Park. In a year where Helton has struggled mightily at the dish, managing just 11 home runs to date, it was a welcome sight for Rockies fans who were quickly reminded of the potential greatness of the left handed hitting first baseman. Problem is, so was the rest of the league.
On a team, after Saturday’s 5-3 loss to the Pirates, that has a dismal record of 34-62, no player is untouchable, hall of fame numbers or not. The Rockies wouldn’t really do it though, would they? They wouldn’t dare trade the face of the franchise, and the only member of the team that many fans would be able to distinguish from a random police line-up? With the no waiver trade deadline looming less than a week away we are about to find out.
In April, many media outlets, including The Denver Post, were reporting that the Rockies were talking trade with the Baltimore Orioles. The primary target of the Orioles was of course the Rockies sweet swinging first baseman. The Rockies categorically denied the rumors, and they stated that they were not shopping Helton. However, if I have learned anything during my thorough exposure to sports over the years, it’s that where there is smoke on the trade front there is almost always fire.
Talks have since died down, and Helton has not been mentioned in any trade rumors in months. One still has to wonder though, if the right deal surfaced for Helton, would the Rockies pull the trigger?
There would certainly be no shortage of interest around the league in a player of Helton’s caliber. Although Helton’s hefty contract occupies nearly a third of the Rockies estimated team payroll, his salary could easily be accommodated by a number of other teams.
George Steinbrenner and the New York Yankees, who have endured a tumultuous season by their standards, would love to get their hands on a player like Helton. The Yankees have been notorious for giving up highly regarded prospects in return for the players they have desired at the deadline, no matter what the price. Just ask the Minnesota Twins who nearly a decade ago received in upwards of ten prospects for Chuck Knoblauch. If any team could tempt Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd to pull the trigger on such a deal it would almost certainly be the Yankees.
You can bet that the world champion Red Sox would love to acquire Helton as well, if for no other reason then not allowing the Yankees to get him. Acquiring Helton would not just provide benefits this season, but it could have a devastating long term affect on the fortunes of the rival Yankees and the rest of the American League. Making such a deal would give the Sox two big bats in their lineup that could either DH or play first base in Helton and David Ortiz.
Of course one would have to assume that the Orioles would still be interested in Helton, perhaps now more than ever. Baltimore currently resides in third place in the AL East standings just 3.5 games behind the first place Red Sox. What a coup it could be for the Orioles if they could land Helton. Making such a move could drastically alter the power structure of the AL East, and it may be the only chance the Orioles have to get serious about matching, and eventually surpassing the Red Sox and the Yankees.
These are just three of the options for Helton if he were to be moved. Other suitors with perennially large bank accounts could include the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, Atlanta Braves, and the resurgent Chicago White Sox.
Todd Helton has been everything the Colorado Rockies could have ever asked for. He plays hard day in and day out, never complains, and has been nothing short of phenomenal in the community. How should the Rockies reward him for all he has done? Move him to a contender, so he does not have to spend the rest of his career in a baseball wasteland with his talent simply rotting away.
But if the Rockies are serious about winning they should reward themselves and their fan base by quickly and aggressively building a contender next year. The Rockies track record of course tells us that the likelihood of that happening is about the same as the likelihood of John Elway returning to quarterback the Broncos in 2005.
Since many Rockies fans, and diehard Todd Helton fans, probably won’t hold their breath for a resurrection at the corner of 20th and Blake in the near future, they may want to make the trek to their local sports outlet and try on some pinstripes or Beantown caps, just in case.
Travis can be reached at travismheath@msn.com |
