"The fasting couldn't last any longer. Twitter is a beast that must be spoon-fed hourly. It needs trade rumors, slobbers for them. An interesting link arrived in a retweet Tuesday morning as Fox Sports talked about the Reds' interest in Ubaldo Jimenez.

Don't choke on your Cheerios. This will be the first of hundreds of stories about possible deals over the next two weeks. The Rockies aren't shopping Jimenez. General manager Dan O'Dowd told me directly that he has no mandate to move money, that he's not looking to sell.

But what makes O'Dowd different than most general managers is that he picks up the phone when it rings. He likes to engage trade talk, even if it's headed nowhere. It allows him to better understand other teams' needs and perhaps get involved in a multiclub deal, if possible.

Last week in Atlanta, O'Dowd offered insight into his trade philosophy this summer. He wants to acquire at least one starting pitcher he controls beyond this season — whether the Rockies are in the race or not. I'd prefer Florida's Anibal Sanchez. But Florida's not looking to move him.

That's where Jimenez comes in. The starting pitching market is thin and underwhelming. If he's made available, he could land a haul with 28 to 29 teams interested, namely the Yankees.

And that's where the logic veers off course.

There's little the Rockies could acquire that would justify trading the right-hander — unless someone wants to give them a front-of-the rotation starter, a top major-league- ready arm and a slugging outfielder.

The Rockies have never had a proven ace. Jimenez, when healthy, is that. Has he been a disappointment this season? Clearly. But he owns a 2.52 ERA over his last eight starts and has been among baseball's best pitchers on the road this season.

It's easy to speculate and play the name game. How would Travis Wood, Mike Leake and Homer Bailey for Jimenez sound? I posed that trade to five National League all-stars and they gave me looks typically reserved for Brian Wilson's beard. Jimenez's stuff makes hitters uncomfortable.

The bottom line is that one is greater than three. All three Reds are nice pitchers, but project as back-of-the-rotation starters. The Rockies have cornered the market on those guys over the years. Bailey has an elite arm, but his shoulder scares me off. I would much rather have Jimenez paired with Jhoulys Chacin and a healthy Jorge De La Rosa (he's well ahead of schedule in his recovery from Tommy John surgery)."