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Rockies Notes: Tulo, Giambi, Chacin, Volstad

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Four years ago today, the Rockies avoided arbitration with third baseman Garrett Atkins by agreeing to a one-year, $7.05MM contract making him the second-highest paid player on the team behind only Todd Helton. The Rockies, however, didn't get their money's worth. After averaging a slash line of .301/.363/.480 the previous four seasons, Atkins' 2009 numbers dropped to .226/.308/.342 and was non-tendered that winter. He played just 44 games with the Orioles in 2010 before being released midseason and hasn't seen any MLB action since. Let's take a look at the news and notes coming out of the Mile High City today:

  • Coming off an injury-plagued 2012, Troy Tulowitzki was the subject of several trade rumors this offseason. "It was a weird thing – the first time I had ever had any trade rumors," Tulowitzki told MLB.com's Thomas Harding. "Any normal person is going to start to think, 'What if this? What if that?' But I can't control those things. Whatever happens, happens, but I definitely want to stay."
  • Jason Giambi has received calls from a few teams and is working out five days a week, as he is determined to continue his playing career, reports Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post.
  • Better health of the pitching staff and improved defense are two reasons why fans should have hope for the Rockies, Renck writes within the same article. Renck cites Jhoulys Chacin as a prime candidate for a bounceback year because of his strong finish last season, his new two-year, $6.5MM contract, and a repaired relationship with the front office.
  • Renck feels right-hander Chris Volstad will receive a long look in Spring Training, especially with his former Marlins pitching coach Mark Wiley now working for the Rockies as their new pitching coordinator (via Sulia).

Quick Hits: Pirates, Liriano, Indians, Aviles, Rockies

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Links from around baseball as Friday turns into Saturday..

  • Pirates General Manager Neal Huntington is non-committal about the likelihood of finalizing a deal with Francisco Liriano before the start of spring training, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.  “The process continues,” Huntington said. “We have ongoing conversations. I'm not an oddsmaker, so I don't know if it is likely or unlikely that we will add another pitcher.”
  • Indians GM Chris Antonetti says that it's hard to quantify the odds of the team working out a deal with Mike Aviles to avoid arbitration, writes MLB.com's Jordan Bastian.  As MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows, Aviles filed for a $3.4MM contract while Cleveland is offering $2.4MM.
  • The Rockies' biggest offseason addition has been the acquisition of reliever Wilton Lopez from the Astros, but they shouldn't be overlooked in 2013, writes Tracy Ringolsby of MLB.com. 

Minor Moves: Garko, Golson, Haeger, Figaro

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We’ll track today’s minor moves here…

  • The Rockies signed first baseman Ryan Garko and outfielder Greg Golson to minor league contracts, Baseball America's Matthew Eddy reports.  Garko saw regular time as the Indians' first baseman from 2006-09 but hasn't played in the majors since 2010, spending the 2011 season in Korea and last year with the Rays' Double-A affiliate.  Golson, picked 21st overall by Philadelphia in the 2004 draft, amassed 42 Major League plate appearances with the Phillies, Rangers and Yankees between 2008-2011 and hit .276/.309/.412 in 480 PA with the White Sox Triple-A affiliate in 2012.
  • Also from Eddy, the Red Sox re-signed knuckleballer Charlie Haeger to a new minor league deal.  Haeger last pitched in the majors in 2010 and has been in the Red Sox farm system since July 2011, though he missed all of last season with an arm injury.
  • The Brewers have signed right-hander Alfredo Figaro to a minor league contract that includes an invitation to MLB Spring Training, the team announced (via Mike Vassallo on Twitter). It took more than a month for the sides to complete the deal, since agent Barry Praver had to negotiate a departure from Figaro's Japanese team, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports (on Twitter). The 28-year-old returns to MLB after spending the past two seasons pitching in Japan for the Orix Buffaloes. He picked up some MLB experience with the Tigers before going to Japan, appearing in 14 games from 2009-10.

MLBTR's Mark Polishuk also contributed to this post

Rangers Notes: Cruz, Gonzalez, Ryan

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In the wake of Nelson Cruz's connection to a Miami-based clinic that allegedly supplied performance-enhancing drugs to several MLB players, the Rangers released an official response (transcribed by ESPN Dallas) saying that they were contacted about the story by the Miami New Times last week and then themselves contacted Major League Baseball.  Beyond these details, the club had "no further comment" about the allegations.

Here are some more items out of Arlington…

  • If Cruz ends up having to serve a 50-game suspension, ESPN Dallas' Richard Durrett doesn't think the Rangers would respond by signing Michael Bourn.  Texas isn't interested in signing Bourn to the four- or five-year deal that he desires but could possibly explore a shorter-term agreement if Bourn lowers his demands.  If lieu of a new acquisition, Durrett notes that the Rangers could use internal options to replace Cruz, such as moving Mike Olt, Ian Kinsler or Mitch Moreland to the outfield.
  • The Rangers had a "preliminary chat" with the Rockies about Carlos Gonzalez, MLB.com's Tracy Ringolsby reports, but the talks didn't lead anywhere since the Rangers weren't willing to give up Olt or Jurickson Profar.  Several teams asked Colorado about Gonzalez during the Winter Meetings but were told the outfielder wasn't available.
  • Also from Ringolsby's piece, Rangers president Nolan Ryan and GM Jon Daniels were satisfied with the team's fairly low-key offseason, despite missing out on signing Zack Greinke and losing Josh Hamilton to the Angels.  "You have to guard against overreacting to something someone else did or not getting the players you anticipated," said Ryan. "When things don't work out the way you hoped, you have to step back, digest the circumstances, and figure out what to do to keep moving forward."

Rockies Sign Jhoulys Chacin To Two-Year Deal

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TUESDAY, 3:35pm: The Rockies announced that the deal is now official.

SATURDAY, 3:22pm: Jhoulys Chacin announced that he has agreed to a two-year, $6.5MM deal, according to Thomas Harding of MLB.com (on Twitter).  The club confirmed the news to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter).  The right-hander is represented by Kinzer Management Group.

The 25-year-old, who was arbitration eligible for the first time this offseason, filed for $2.6MM while the Rockies countered with $1.7MM according to MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker.  The deal will leave Chacin with one more arbitration eligible year before he is eligible for free agency following the 2015 season.

Chacin missed considerable time in 2012 thanks to a nagging right shoulder issue and wasn't as sharp in his 14 starts as he has been in years past.  For his career with the Rockies spanning four seasons, Chacin owns a 3.68 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9.

West Notes: Fowler, Wells, Dodgers

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Earlier today, the Padres signed Freddy Garcia to a minor league deal and announced that they've avoided arbitration with Luke Gregerson by agreeing to a one-year deal. Here's some more news out of baseball's West divisions…

  • The Rockies are open to a multi-year deal with Dexter Fowler if Fowler and his agents at Excel Sports Management come up with a proposal to the club's liking, writes MLB.com's Thomas Harding. Colorado recently signed Jhoulys Chacin to a two-year deal despite previously saying they preferred one-year deals.
  • Vernon Wells would prefer to remain with the Angels and prove to fans what he's capable of rather than be traded elsewhere with a chance to start (Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times reports on Twitter). Wells says he knows he has to earn a spot to play and that he has to work hard in order to do so.
  • Major League Baseball isn't happy with the Dodgers' reported new TV deal, writes Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Nightengale reports that the previous fair-market value for a new deal called for an $84MM annual value. The Dodgers agreed to a deal with Time Warner Cable earlier today that would provide the team with roughly $280MM annually. That number has created significant revenue-sharing concerns among MLB officials.

Rockies Agree To Sign Yorvit Torrealba

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10:40pm: It is a minor league contract, confirms Troy Renck of the Denver Post (via Twitter).

9:52pm: The Rockies have agreed to a deal with catcher Yorvit Torrealba, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (Twitter link).  The contract is for one year, as Torrealba revealed himself on his Twitter account (MLB.com's Thomas Harding provides the translation).  Harding reported earlier this week that the Rockies had offered Torrealba a minor league deal.  Torrealba is represented by MDR Sports Management.

This is Torrealba's second stint in Colorado after playing for the Rockies from 2006-09.  There were rumors that the Rockies were looking to acquire Torrealba last summer in the midst of a busy year for the 34-year-old catcher — he bounced around between the Rangers, Blue Jays and Brewers and hit a combined .227/.293/.330 in 218 plate appearances. 

Ramon Hernandez is the Rockies' incumbent backup catcher (behind starter Wilin Rosario) but he underwent hamstring surgery last September and is scheduled to play in the World Baseball Classic.  Torrealba is on board to provide depth through Spring Training while Hernandez is away and potentially fill in should Hernandez suffer a fitness setback.

Rockies Out On Injured Pavano

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The Rockies are no longer looking at free agent starter Carl Pavano, Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports (via Twitter).  It's likely that the team backed off its pursuit due to Pavano recently suffering a ruptured spleen, according to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal.  Pavano is expected to need six-to-eight weeks to recuperate from the injury, which occurred while he was shoveling snow at his home.

The Mets and Rockies had both recently been linked to Pavano and New York had already moved on, agreeing to sign Shaun Marcum earlier today.  Colorado has been looking to sign either Pavano or Derek Lowe this week though Renck reported yesterday that the Rockies weren't close to signing either pitcher. It's hard to see Pavano finding a new team before Opening Day given that he'll miss most of Spring Training and was already an injury risk given that he missed the last four months of the 2012 season with a shoulder injury. 

Quick Hits: Rockies, Yankees, Wells

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The latest links from around MLB, as the Justin Upton rumors pick up…

  • Though the Rockies continue looking for starting pitching, they aren’t close to signing Carl Pavano or Derek Lowe, Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports. Renck reported earlier this week that the Rockies were pursuing the free agent right-handers aggressively.
  • The Rockies would love to sign free agent catcher Yorvit Torrealba to a minor league deal, Renck reports. The veteran backstop played for the Rangers, Brewers and Blue Jays in 2012.
  • The Yankees discussed Delmon Young internally, but didn’t have great reports on his performance, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). The Phillies signed Young to a one-year contract yesterday.
  • Vernon Wells could spend much of the coming season on the Angels’ bench, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports. Wells is unlikely to be traded, yet he doesn’t project as a regular. Though the Angels explored deals involving Wells, owner Arte Moreno was never willing to absorb a substantial part of the $42MM remaining on Wells’ contract to complete a trade. Naturally other teams weren’t interested in paying Wells $21MM per season through 2014.

Rockies, Herrera Avoid Arbitration

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We'll track the day's arbitration settlements under $2MM here. Be sure to use MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker for all the details related to this year's cases…

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