Denver, Colorado

In an unprecedented move, the RLPA commissioner has vetoed a proposed trade between the Rockies and Cubs that was sent to the commissioner's office for approval. Reactions in the baseball community were mixed following the release of a terse press release, but the prevailing sentiment was captured by off-the-record remarks of a senior baseball official who commented that "the new RLPA commissioner [UCCF, former owner of the Houston Astros] really had no choice here, since it was very clear that the two clubs were attempting to circumvent the rules ... the fiscal stability of the Rockies has been on shaky ground for a couple of years due to the economic downturn and some very bad player contracts. Really, it's not exaggerating too much to say that Colorado ownership has had its head buried in the sand about their financial problems for a while now. So what are we seeing now? They are desperately selling off assets to avoid the debt rules as best they can, but this should have been addressed months ago."

On pace to lose more than 100 games this season, with no hope of a quick turnaround, time will tell how long it takes the Rockies to shed the label of the laughinstock of the RLPA.