This has been unquestionably the worst season in the history of the Colorado Rockies. They are in last place in the National League, have the worst record in the Senior Circuit and are tied with Texas for the worst record in the Majors at 47-74. To make matters worse, they lost their two biggest stars, Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez this week on back-to-back days to season-ending injuries. Tulowitzki, who turns 30 in October, needs surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left hip. The 28-year-old Gonzalez is a former batting champ and Gold Glove outfielder who needs an operation to repair a partial tear of the patella tendon in his left knee. While not directly demanding a trade, a couple of weeks back Tulowitzki strongly hinted at one by saying he was sick and tired of all the losing in the Mile High City. With he and Gonzalez in their line-up this season the Rockies were 28-27. Without them they were just 19-47. Colorado, barring a trade of one or the other or both in the off-season, will be paying them a combined $36.5 million next season or roughly a third of their payroll. But this story isnt really about Tulowitzki and Gonzalez. Its about their teammate, 35-year-old Michael Cuddyer. You may have forgotten, as I did, that he won the National League batting title a year ago with a .331 average. He was off to a decent start this year as well when he injured his left shoulder making a diving play at third base. Right now, hes finishing off a rehab assignment and should be ready to rejoin Colorado shortly. In the midst of a dreadful Rockies season, Cuddyer will still be motivated. Hes in the final season of a three-year, $31.5 million contract. He claims to want to stay in Denver and definitely doesnt want to retire. But he could be the perfect rental player for a team like, say, the Blue Jays. Though primarily an outfielder, he has played third base and first base and could DH. Hes also a right-handed hitter who would help the Jays out against left-handed pitching - something Toronto has struggled against this season. Cuddyer would be relatively cheap as well, since he is owed somewhere around $3 million for the remainder of this season. Its just a thought. But if the Jays arent motivated to check out any big ticket items before the August 31 waiver trade deadline, they might want to check out Cuddyer in the bargain bin. Another man the Blue Jays maybe should be interested in is Cubs reliever Carlos Villanueva. The 30-year-old right-hander actually spent two years with the Jays before moving on to the Cubs as a free agent. Carlos filled a valuable role with the Blue Jays as a spot starter and long reliever, but ultimately he jumped to Chicago for a little more money than the Jays wanted to pay and for the chance to be a starting pitcher - something the Blue Jays werent willing to let him become. In that regard, maybe the Jays were right. Villanueva hasnt been all that effective as a starter with Chicago, but has been doing a great job since they basically cemented him in a relief role. Villanueva, like Cuddyer, would be a relatively cheap rental. Hes only owned around $1.6 million for the rest of the season before he becomes a free agent again. Both of these guys are character players, and in Villanuevas case, he was a respected confidante in the clubhouse in his former role as the Blue Jays players rep. Id wager the Blue Jays could get both of these guys for a couple of lower to mid-range prospects. It sure wouldnt hurt. I guess youre always rolling the dice a bit when you trade prospects for established rental talent. Take the Texas Rangers. They picked up Canadian-born righty Ryan Dempster from the Cubs on July 31, 2012 to pump up their staff a bit for the stretch run. Dempster made 12 starts for the Rangers, but despite a 7-3 record got hit around a bit to the tune of a 5.09 ERA and needless to say Texas didnt win the World Series. Dempster moved on to Boston, and after a so-so 8-9 campaign for the Bosox decided to take this year off to get away from the game, spend some time with the family and determine whether he wanted to play any more. So what did the Cubs get in return? Well they landed a third base prospect named Christian Villanueva and a fringe pitching prospect by the name of Kyle Hendricks - not to be confused with the Phillies Kyle Kendricks. Two years later Hendricks is the talk of Chicago, at least on the north side. The soft-tossing 24-year-old 63" right-hander is 4-1 with a 1.73 ERA. Hes struck out 26 and walked only nine while utilizing a Mark Buehrle-like array of off-speed pitches including a great change-up. Texas could certainly use him now with practically their entire rotation on the disabled list including Yu Darvish, whos expected to miss a couple of starts with a neck issue. Speaking of the Rangers, ex-Jay J.P. Arencibia actually got to pitch an inning in a 10-1 blowout loss to Tampa Bay the other night. He threw all fastballs, averaging just over 72 miles per hour and peaking at just above 74. J.P. did pretty well, giving up just an infield single to the four batters he faced. Brandon Woodruff Jersey .com) - Cincinnati Reds pitcher Mat Latos had an arthroscopic procedure performed on his right elbow last week, the teams official site reported Wednesday. Jacob Nottingham Brewers Jersey .com) - Ryan Miller made 28 saves to record his fifth shutout of the season and second in as many nights as the Vancouver Canucks defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 3-0 on Friday. https://www.cheapbrewers.com/1399y-tyler-austin-jersey-brewers.html . Early in the first period, Stuart pinched in from the blue line, hit Nash and was assessed a minor penalty for elbowing. Nash remained in the game for the rest of the first period, but did not return for the second. Jacob Nottingham Jersey .9 million deal Thursday. The 25-year McGinn had 19 goals and 19 assists in 79 games last season in helping the Avalanche tie a franchise record with 52 wins. Greg Vaughn Jersey . Green-Ellis was Cincinnatis leading rusher each of the last two seasons. His role was reduced last year when Giovani Bernard was added to the backfield. Green-Ellis ran for 756 yards and a career-low 3.WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama is picking Michigan State to win the NCAA mens basketball championship over defending champion Louisville. In what has become an annual March Madness tradition at the White House, Obama filled out a bracket in a segment broadcast on ESPN Wednesday. Florida and Arizona rounded out Obamas Final Four picks. But he said the talents of Michigan State coachh Tom Izzo made him pick the Spartans to go all the way.dddddddddddd Obama said he knows his picks arent imaginative but expressed hope theyd help him win his pool this year. He noted that he hasnt had a lot of luck with his picks in the past. Last year he correctly picked Louisville to play in the championship game, but wrongly said the Cardinals would lose to Indiana. ' ' 'g up a group that nominated Baizley for the Hall of Fame. I was among those who contributed supporting letters. Here is what I believe to be true: There are those who establish identities unlike any other. Baizley, a player agent for five decades, was one of these men. He was a pioneer - playing a major role in facilitating the first wave of European players to North American hockey - and a peerless advocate for players and the game, itself, during a turbulent period of the sports history. Baizley was an original thinker whose counsel was sought by people at all levels of hockey - on and off the ice and on both sides of the management-labour divide. He conducted himself professionally and personally with the utmost integrity. He was regarded as the most respected man in hockey and he used his position and powers of persuasion, not just for the betterment of his players, but for the sport. Baizley was, indeed, a builder. A builder of consensus whether in the thick of contract negotiations or discretely to the side in collective bargaining negotiations. No agent has ever been named to the Hockey Hall of Fame, but Don Baizley would be a worthy consensus choice to be a pioneer one more time. ' ' '