The MLB trade deadline passed Tuesday night, and once again your Colorado Rockies whiffed on a huge opportunity. No, we’re not talking about acquiring Juan Soto. Rather, the Rox had a chance to forever alter the course of the franchise—and maybe even the trajectory of the city it calls home—by betting on itself to win the World Series. Like, literally placing a wager.

Closer Daniel Bard was considered one of the Colorado Rockies’ most attractive trade chips. If the Rockies would have swapped him (instead of being the only MLB team not to make a move at the deadline) for peanuts, they would have saved about $2.2 million over the rest of the season. Owner Dick Monfort could have then taken those funds and put them on the Rockies to win the World Series in 2022. The odds of that miracle taking place are currently at +250000, according to Caesars Sportsbook—a Hail Mary that would net the franchise a cool $5.5 billion.

Sure, the Rockies are unlikely (to put it mildly) to make an October run this year. But they’re unlikely to make an October run in any year. And think about what those winnings could buy—not only for the team, but for the city the Rockies have so abused over the past three decades. That’s what we did when we asked 5280 editors to daydream about how Denver could put that money to use.

Riane Menardi Morrison, associate food editor
Fantasy: “Me? Double-decker lanes on I-70. My husband? A second Blucifer.”
Reality: Texas recently broke ground on a double-decker highway project that will cost $1.5 billion for 10 miles of roads. So, with $5.5 billion, the Rox could extend a second story of I-70 from Denver more than 30 miles west—just past Idaho Springs. We’ll even rename it the Dante Bichette Memorial Expressway. And Blucifer? Why stop at two? Denver International Airport’s Demon Stallion is valued at a measly $2 million, which means we could scatter 2,750 of them around the city—and could even replace the world’s most generic sports statue.

Nicholas Hunt, senior editor
Fantasy: “Research and build an effective desalination system…in Los Angeles, so California stops stealing our water.”
Reality: The money isn’t the issue. A proposed desalination project near LA was expected to cost $1.4 billion, so the Rockies could buy California three. Together, they’d pump out a combined 150 million gallons of water a day for the parched Golden State. The problem is whether California would actually build the plants: The state’s Coastal Coalition recently rejected the permit for that proposed plant over ecological concerns.

Robert Sanchez, senior staff writer
Fantasy: “Convert the Colorado Rockies to a Green Bay Packers–style ownership model.”
Reality: Well, if you’re not going to take this seriously, Robert…. There’s simply no way Monfort is going to use his bounty to give his team away to the fans. But he could finally buy us a championship. The past 30 years don’t inspire a lot of confidence that Monfort can do that by making smart personnel decisions on an individual level. So, he should just buy a turnkey winner. The Yankees (currently valued at $6 billion) are a bit too steep, but the Dodgers ($4.1 billion) are getable—with enough left over to grab the Tigers ($1.4 billion), too.

Patricia Kaowthumrong, food editor
Fantasy: “I’d love to build that light rail from Denver to Boulder—with stops along the I-36 corridor.”
Reality: Ah, the B Line, a proposed 41-mile RTD route from Union Station to Longmont that stands little chance of reaching that destination before 2050. Why? RTD can’t pay the $1.5 billion price tag. But now the Rockies can—with enough left over to still buy the Dodgers!

Chris Walker, associate editor
Fantasy: “Heck, let’s just buy everybody an e-bike.”
Reality: Done. You can get a solid e-bike for around $2,000. Then you could get $400 back thanks to the city’s rebate program. So, at $1,600 a pop, the Colorado Rockies can buy an electric two-wheeler for everyone in the city and metropolitan area. Wait—should we include this in the U.S. Senate’s new climate deal?