7:29pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that Amezaga will earn $750K if he makes the team with another $350K available in incentives.
4:13pm: The Rockies announced that they signed Alfredo Amezaga to a minor league contract and invited him to Spring Training (Twitter link).
Amezaga, 33, barely played in 2009 and missed the 2010 season after undergoing microfracture knee surgery. He appeared in 125 games at four positions for the 2008 Marlins, hitting .264/.312/.367. He has big league experience at every position but pitcher and catcher.
The Rockies were reportedly considering Amezaga, Aaron Miles or Cristian Guzman for a bench role. The team can now look to add starting pitching depth and veteran left-handed relief.
Good sign here. Willie Bloomquist with no speed, but a team cheer leader and TOP TEAM 1st guy in every way. You can’t go wrong signing this guy to a minor league deal guy, especially seeing some of the riff-raff being recycled today and over the last couple of months who have little hope of helping an A Ball team, much less the parent club.
I can assure you this guy has speed. He may not do much with the bat but he plays his heart out on the field and does his job pretty well.
I remember well his times from the Fish.. They are my 2nd fav team (behind Boston) and watch every game broadcast here.
He does not have stolen base speed may have been a better choice of words on my part? Much like Bonifacio?
Would be nice to see him standing on the Rockies top dugout step and waving towels, plus cheering them on again, or any team for that matter. A 1 man team losing streak breaker + Rally starter he was..
Good to hear from a fellow Fish fan then. From seeing him for about 3 years, I think he had the speed to steal bases, he was just selective because he doesn’t have 70 or 80 speed. He definitely doesn’t have Boni speed, but then again, who does?
He was definitely the spark plug of the team. If you wanna talk about clubhouse presence, this guy has got to be up there. They really missed him last year after all the cascading injuries.
Seems to me like the Rockies are adding a lot of depth to make a move for Michael Young. We already have way too many infielders with Helton, Lopez, Tulo, Stewart, Wiggington, Herrera, Eric Young, Jason Giambi, and now Alfredo Amezega. Lopez, and Eric Young could be part of a package to Texas, with Charlie Blackmon.
M. Young will be wearing a Texas Rangers uniform next year unless there is a team willing to take on the 45 mil he is owed because they are so desperate for a bat and a middle of the road glove (Like the Angels did with V. Wells). I believe they are really make this kind of an addition for two reasons. 1. To push these young guys like Herrera, EYJ, and Nelson in the Spring. 2. There are always injuries over the course of a season and having depth is nothing but a good thing. Would i want to see M. Young in Rox uni come March, no doubt about it…dude is a class act veteran that still can play but a lot will have to happen for a deal to get done between both sides.
Trading Blackmon for Young would be a bad bad idea. Guy is way under rated as a prospect.
Alfredo Amezaga.. it never ceases to amaze me that we’re still seeing his name in baseball.
I can think of worse people to sign than a .260 bat with plus defense EVERYWHERE on the field. He’s a backup, not a starter.
As long as it’s a minor league deal with an invite I have no problem with it.
Personally, I see some of these machinations as an attempt to add just a touch of outfield depth because the current plan as I understand it is to carry just four outfielders with Giambi sitting on the bench waiting to pinch-hit. They’ve apparently been looking for a guy who is serviceable at one or two infield spots as well as being able to play a little outfield.
The real solution would have been to not bring Giambi back, but that ship appears to have sailed.
I was hoping the Braves would sign him, assuming he’s now healthy, etc. He was solid at shortstop and in center-field with Florida.