The Colorado Rockies have been open to trade talks regarding third baseman Ian Stewart for a while now, and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports is reporting that they're discussing a trade involving Stewart and outfielder Tyler Colvin with the Chicago Cubs.
Stewart, 26, had a disastrous 2011 with the Rockies, hitting .156/.243/.221 over 136 plate appearances. He's shown major flashes of potential, though, hitting .246/.334/.454 over 1236 plate appearances in the preceding three seasons. Strikeouts have always been a big issue with him, but he has power, takes pitches and is a capable defender at third base.
And as bad as his 2011 was in the majors, he did help himself a little bit by hitting .275/.359/.599 with 14 homers in 45 games after being demoted to Triple-A, albeit in a ridiculously pro-hitting environment. MLBTR projects Stewart's 2012 salary through arbitration at $2 million, which could be major bargain if he bounces back.
Colvin, also 26, had an equally bad 2011 for the Cubs, hitting .150/.204/.306 over 222 plate appearances. His story is similar to Stewart's, though, as he's shown some nice potential in the majors in the past. In 2010, Colvin hit 20 homers and posted a .254/.316/.500 line in 395 plate appearances with the Cubs.
Chicago presumably eyes Stewart as a somewhat cheap replacement for the departed Aramis Ramirez, and he would give them some nice upside, as well. I'm not entirely sure why Colvin would appeal to the Rockies given their abundance of outfield talent, but he's athletic and his power is very real, and those facts alone make him intriguing.
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