Where do we go from here, babygirl?

Well, the trade deadline has come and gone. The Rockies valiant post-All-Star Break play has come and gone. OUR ROTATION FEATURES GLENDON RUSCH, JORGE DE LA ROSA AND VALERIO DE LOS SANTOS. Okay, I know Jeffrey William Francis will be back in the rotation--this time sans injury--but seriously? The Royals wouldn't even take De La Rosa as a fifth starter and he's our third starter? The 42-68 Padres thought Rusch wasn't good enough for their team. Then there's Valerio De Los Santos. He wasn't good enough for anyone in America to want him on their team. Welcome to Colorado, Valerie of the Saints. Pitch well and with vigor.

Dan O' Dowd in his infinite wisdom decided that the Rockies were contenders. Maybe Terry Malloy shoulda been a contendah, but the Rockies don't pitch on the waterfront. They pitch at the stoop of the mountains, where balls fly higher than a beach ball at a Nickelback concert.

Let's pontificate on this for a moment... Jimmy is learning how to strikeout, Cook's striking more out and walking fewer, Francis isn't hurt and screwing with his delivery anymore. Then we have Gregford Reynolds the first starting to figure stuff out at AAA. Morales and Hirsh are slowly but surely being taught that the object of the game is to throw the ball across the plate, not at the batter, at the ump, into the stands, toward Uzbekistan. Dan O'Dowd's answer is let Rusch, De La Rosa and De Los Santos take us to the promised land. The Rockies are only 8 games out!

Wouldn't it maybe make sense to focus on the future? Stew and Iannetta are destroying; Tulo remembered how to hit; U-Ball is using the stuff of the gods to get swings and misses; Dexter Fowler is blitzkrieging AA pitching. The Rockies might just have a future with those players and a rotation of Cook, U-Ball, Francis, Reynolds and either Hirsh or Morales (may be better suited for the pen).

I understand not trading T-Rex Fuentes--the Rockies get two first round compensatory picks for him. Perhaps Dan of O'Derr will pick up two college players on the fast track. But, as much as it hurts, Holliday and Helton should be traded. Helton, though he gets on base more than the Dark Knight gets ticket sales, is too expensive. The duo of Atkins at first and Ian "Do you think I'm sexy?" Stewart at third base is much more cost effective and not a huge dropoff in production. Also keep in mind that Atkins is one of the worst fielding third basemen in baseball and is better suited for first. Last year, he had the second worse plus/minus, after Ryan Braun, of all third basemen (-29). Over the last three years Atkins is fifth worst of all third basemen. He had a -12 FRAA last year. To put it bluntly, Atkins blows at third base, no matter how you look at it.

So for the next few years you have an infield of: Atkins-1st, Baker or eventually EY Jr.-2nd, Stewart-3rd, Tulo-SS, Iannetta-Catch. That is a pretty decent infield and all relatively cheap.

Holliday's replacement would be tougher. Hawper is a good hitter and functional outfielder, who is under control, at a decent wage, till 2010/11 with option. Taveras sucks and is a fourth outfield/pinch runner at best. Seth Smith is a replacement player, who will provide slightly less than Keanu Reeves value, but still not a huge gap in the lineup. Dex Fowler is certified stuck off the realness and will be one hell of a center fielder and, since he hasn't appeared in the majors yet, will be around until at least 2014. So Seth Smith would have to fill in for Holliday. But that depends what we would get in return for Holliday. Future ace? Sluggifier? Left field is usually a pretty easy position to fill. All you have to do is find a fat first basemen who can run a bit and stick him in the outfield. Hell, Joe Koshansky could learn to play left and he could provide Brad Hawpe like production at the major league level.

So trade Helton and Holliday and the conclusion: reduce the payroll by huge margin, lose maybe 30-50 runs in the short term, and add prospects that could eventually make up those 30-50 runs and possibly add more. It'll hurt ticket sales and fan's feelings, but it'll add wins in the future (if, of course, O'Dowd gets good prospects).

There's no chance of contending this year; there's a small chance to contend next year; and if, O'Dowd plays his cards right he'll have a good chance in 2010-2012ish, before having to rebuild with the losses of Atkins, Hawpe, Cook, Francis and soon after Tulo and Manny.

The D-Bags are only going to improve, and will provide intense competition. Luckily, Ned Colletti is a complete moron and got robbed by the Red Sox and Bucs. I'm so excited that I won't be seeing Andy LaRoche in Dodger blue. Maybe even the Dodgers will sign Manny Being Ramirez for $100mil/4yr like he thinks he deserves. It would be amazing to watch him hit like 10 home runs at 40 and get paid $25 mil by the Dodgers, while limping his way around the outfield, of course. I am concerned though that Manny won't fit in with the gamer mentality of the Dodgers. Manny can hit, he doesn't hustle, he doesn't have a beard and he doesn't scrap. Hmmm, how do you win games with that? If only the Dodgers had a team of Juan Pierres, Casey Blakes and Nomar Garciaparras, they'd score like 100 runs per season and scrap their way to five wins.

Okay, that was meandering and incoherent, but I'm sick and it's about 90 degrees at Frost Brewed Baseball Headquarters. So, please forgive me.