The Colorado Rockies are apparently shooting for the moon when it comes to their asking price for 27-year-old right-handed starting pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez, who might be the best starting pitcher to switch teams at the looming MLB Trade Deadline.
MLB Trade Rumors summarized today’s batch of Jimenez rumors and the belief still appears to be that the Yankees have the “best chance” of acquiring the talented right-hander if the Rockies do decide to pull the trigger.
Colorado, though, appears to want an astronomical return from the Yankees. One report referenced by MLBTR said the Rockies want three of four top of the line Yankee farmhands — Manny Banuelos, Dellin Betances, Jesus Montero, and Ivan Nova.
That is the kind of price the Yankees might pay for a young superstar pitcher like Seattle’s Felix Hernandez, but not one you would think they would pay for a pitcher who is 6-9 with a 4.20 ERA and has had one truly dominant season (2010 when he was 19-8, 2.88) in a six-year major-league career.
The Yankees undeniably need a top-of-the-rotation starter if they are going to go deep into the postseason. At that price, though, Jimenez is probably not the right guy.