Well, that didn’t take long.
As expected, Chris Nabholz’s tenure with the Baltimore Orioles lasted approximately long enough to unpack his bags, try a crab cake, and realize he was getting traded again.
The Orioles have shipped Nabholz to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for the 14th overall pick in the upcoming draft, continuing what has become one of the more fascinating asset-conversion projects of the offseason.
And honestly?
Everybody involved should probably be pretty happy.
Let’s start with Colorado.
Because this is exactly the kind of move you’d expect from a franchise with new ownership looking around the division and seeing opportunity.
The Rockies entered the offseason holding two first-round picks and a roster that wasn’t quite there yet.
Now they’ve turned one of those picks into Chris Nabholz.
That’s a trade you make every time.
Nabholz may only carry a three-star profile, but the league keeps telling us the same thing over and over again: this guy can pitch.
He’s ranked among the league’s top 20 starters, has quietly outperformed plenty of bigger names over the last three seasons, and most importantly, he takes the ball every fifth day.
That’s becoming an increasingly valuable skill.
Colorado now rolls into 1998 with a rotation fronted by Curt Schilling, Jason Schmidt, and Chris Nabholz.
That’s a legitimate top three.
Not a “maybe if everything goes right” top three.
A real one.
Schilling remains the ace.
Schmidt remains one of the more exciting arms in the league.
Nabholz slides perfectly into the middle, bringing veteran stability and taking pressure off everyone around him.
For a team looking to capitalize on what appears to be a very winnable division, this is exactly the type of move that makes sense.
Prospects are great.
Winning games is better.
Now let’s talk about Baltimore.
Because what the Orioles have done here is quietly remarkable.
Remember, Nabholz wasn’t originally their player.
He arrived as part of the massive Montreal trade that sent Steve Avery and Johnny Damon north of the border.
At the time, many people viewed Nabholz as the centerpiece of the return.
Apparently Baltimore viewed him as a coupon.
Because they immediately turned around and cashed him in.
Let’s review the scoreboard.
For Steve Avery and Johnny Damon, Baltimore has now received:
- Pick #14 in the 1997 Draft
- Pick #18 in the 1997 Draft
- Montreal’s 1998 First Round Pick
That’s three first-round picks.
Three.
For a franchise that desperately needed a future.
The obvious caveat is salary.
Baltimore had to eat a mountain of money to make all of this happen.
But honestly, who cares?
This isn’t a team trying to win 85 games.
This is a team trying to build something that can eventually win 95.
The Orioles aren’t worried about payroll flexibility in 1998.
They’re worried about accumulating talent.
And right now, they’re doing that better than almost anyone.
In fact, the funniest part of this entire exercise may be that Baltimore somehow found a way to improve its return after already making the trade.
That’s difficult to do.
Most teams trade stars and spend years defending the package they got back.
Baltimore traded stars and somehow upgraded the package a week later.
The Orioles may not have many wins coming in 1998.
But they’re certainly winning the rebuild.
As for Colorado, this is the kind of move that signals intent.
The Rockies aren’t collecting assets.
They’re spending them.
The division appears vulnerable.
Ownership sees an opening.
And Chris Nabholz makes them a better baseball team immediately.
Sometimes it really is that simple.
Trade Grades
Baltimore Orioles: A+
Collect. Those. Picks.
Baltimore turns Steve Avery and Johnny Damon into three first-round selections while accelerating a rebuild that desperately needed direction. The salary retention hurts on paper, but it’s largely irrelevant given where this team is competitively.
Colorado Rockies: A
An easy decision.
The Rockies dealt the weaker of their two first-round picks for a proven top-20 starter and significantly strengthened a rotation that now has the potential to be one of the league’s best. When the division is there for the taking, this is exactly the kind of move contenders should make.