The start of a sell-off? Rockies trade Mike Moustakas

Mike Moustakas watched the 25-1 carnage from the safety of the Rockies dugout Saturday.

Whatever happens Sunday, he’ll see it from the other dugout.

Just after the dust cleared from the second-most-lopsided home loss by any Major League team in the last 122 years, the Rockies announced the trade of Moustakas to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for minor-league pitcher Connor Van Scoyoc.

The Rockies announced today that they have acquired Minor League RHP Connor Van Scoyoc from the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for INF Mike Moustakas. https://t.co/QEUrgmU2bP

— Rockies Club Information (@RockiesClubInfo) June 25, 2023

And with that, the Rockies did something they didn’t do last year: make a deal in advance of the trade deadline. In this case, they did so over a month before the Aug. 1 deadline.

A sinker-throwing right hander, Van Scoyoc has a 1.097 WHIP and a 2.76 ERA in 11 starts this season for the high-A Tri-City Dust Devils of the Northwest League. He also pitched in the Arizona Fall League last season following a year in the California League.

Moustakas’ use declined over the course of the season after he signed with the team during spring training. Nine of his last 18 appearances for the Rockies saw him enter as a pinch hitter. But he turned in a solid .270/.360/,435 line, and did so without extreme righty-lefty splits.

The Rockies brought in Moustakas just after learning that they could lose second baseman Brendan Rodgers for the season. Colorado thought it might need Moustakas to play third base with Ryan McMahon moving to second to fill in for Rodgers. But McMahon eventually returned to third. Meanwhile, the Rockies eventually settled on giving Harold Castro and recent callup Coco Montes the work at second base.

Most of Moustakas’ starts came at first base. But with C.J. Cron progressing as he works toward a return from the injured list and the desire to give Elehuris Montero a longer look as a fill-in, the Rockies decided there wasn’t room for Moustakas any longer.

The trade could be an indication that the Rockies are poised to enter sell mode. Last week, general manager Bill Schmidt said that the team had not committed to a deadline direction.

The Rockies lost the game taking place while he conducted that on-air interview. They lost five of the six games that followed, including Saturday’s historic debacle.

Moustakas is the first to go. It seems likely he won’t be the last.

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