Randal Grichuk, C.J. Cron Traded to Angels; Rockies Land 2 Pitching Prospects

Kyle Cooper/Colorado Rockies/Getty Images

The Colorado Rockies agreed to trade first baseman C.J. Cron and outfielder Randal Grichuk to the Los Angeles Angels for a pair of minor league prospects in right-handed pitcher Jake Madden and left-handed pitcher Mason Albright.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported the news first on Sunday evening, and the Angels soon confirmed the trade.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post added more information as well.

Cron, 33, has been battling injuries for much of the 2023 season. He’s hitting .260 (.780 OPS) with 11 home runs and 32 runs batted in through 56 games played, a far cry from his 2022 All-Star campaign.

The Rockies chose to move on from Cron as he prepares for free agency this winter. Cron, despite his shaky 2023 season, is due a raise this winter from his $7.3 million salary.

Grichuk, 31, missed over a month to start the season after undergoing bilateral sports hernia surgery. He’s since fared quite well for the Rockies, slashing .312/.367/.502 while amassing eight home runs and 27 RBI.

Grichuk has also been dominant in July, hitting six home runs with a .368 batting average and 1.137 OPS. Like Cron, Grichuk is set for free agency this summer.

Colorado’s front office lavished Kris Bryant with a seven-year, $182 million contract before the 2022 season but has done almost nothing else to improve the roster. Colorado sits 41-64 after Sunday, 18.5 games out of the NL West lead.

The Rockies have not made the playoffs since 2018 and have lacked a coherent organizational plan ever since.

Trading Cron and Grichuk sends a mixed signal and perhaps an on-the-fly adjustment back to the NL West basement for the foreseeable future. The Rockies do not have a deep or particularly impressive farm system, so moving Cron and Grichuk now may be a way to reshape their future.

Cron also had one of the largest home-road split disparities in baseball in 2022, hitting like one of the greatest sluggers of all time at home (.955 OPS) and a far more middling player on the road (.619). That difference is far less in 2023 but still noticeable (.804 home, .740 road).

The Angels undoubtedly has the same numbers we all do, so this trade is more of a bet that Cron’s park-adjusted numbers—where he still ranks as a solid slugger—are the most accurate representation of what to expect moving forward.

As for Grichuk, the Angels certainly hope that his hot month of July carries over into Anaheim for the last two months of the year. If so, the Halos could very well find a way to sneak into the playoffs.

Interestingly, both Grichuk (2009 first-round pick) and Cron (2011 first-round pick) began their respective careers in the Angels’ system, with each having been drafted by the club.

On the other side, Colorado landed a pair of pitching prospects. According to MLB.com, both Madden (No. 8) and Albright (No. 28) were ranked in the top 30 of Los Angeles’ farm system.