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Rockies Interested In Bengie Molina

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The Rockies have expressed interest in free agent catcher Bengie Molina, tweets Troy Renck of The Denver Post.  Colorado also has interest in Russell Martin though Renck says that landing the former Dodger is something of a longshot (via Twitter).

Molina's offensive numbers took a dive in 2010 when he hit .249/.297/.326 in 118 games for the Giants and Rangers.  The catcher was Type A free agent, but the Rangers did not offer him arbitration.

After announcing in May that he would be retiring after the 2010 season, Molina has slowly softened his stance.  The 36-year-old said that he was still considering retirement in October before finally deciding in November that he wanted to play one more year.

Odds & Ends: Hannahan, Votto, Cargo, Angels

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Three years ago today, the Marlins and Tigers completed a six player trade that sent slugger Miguel Cabrera (and Dontrelle Willis) to Detroit. It appears another slugging first baseman will be on the move shortly, but here's some other tidbits from around the league…

  • The Indians have signed infielder Jack Hannahan to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training according to the team. Hannahan, 31 in March, hit .237/.340/.374 in 392 Triple-A plate appearances this year while playing all around the infield.
  • When asked about contract talks, Joey Votto told John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer "[The Reds] said they wanted to do a contract. They haven't said one year or million years. How can I comment on that?" (Twitter link)
  • The Rockies, meanwhile, continue to talk to Carlos Gonzalez about a long-term contract, says Troy Renck of The Denver Post. He cautions that nothing is imminent, and it's unlikely that a deal would go beyond his arbitration years. Agent Scott Boras is known for taking his clients to free agency whenever possible.
  • The Angels are not setting deadlines with free agents this winter, a change from their previous way of doing things according to ESPN's Buster Olney (Twitter links). 
  • Tom Haudricourt of The Journal Sentinel looks at what the impending Adrian Gonzalez trade means for Prince Fielder. Brewers GM Doug Melvin acknowledged that teams just aren't making young pitching available in trades.
  • Lynn Henning of The Detroit News and Joe Strauss of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch write that the Tigers and Cardinals, respectively, expect to be busy during the upcoming winter meetings.
  • Matt Gelb of The Philadelphia Inquirer looks at how some moves might impact the Phillies in the coming weeks.
  • MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo takes a look back at some Rule 5 Draft gems. This year's Rule 5 Draft takes place this coming Thursday.

Rockies Interested In Martin, Francoeur, Wigginton

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The Rockies are looking for versatile right-handed hitters and have been in contact with the agents of Russell Martin, Jeff Francoeur and Ty Wigginton, reports FOXSports.com's Tracy Ringolsby.  Martin is already drawing significant interest since being non-tendered by the Dodgers yesterday, though only Colorado could re-unite him with manager Jim Tracy.  With the Rockies set on Chris Iannetta as their regular catcher, Martin might want to sign for a team that gives him a clearer path to a starting job behind the plate.  If he isn't set on catching, however, Martin would find plenty of at-bats in Colorado spelling Ian Stewart and Todd Helton at third and first, respectively, against left-handed pitching.

The Phillies and Royals have also shown some interest in Francoeur, but Ringolsby notes that the Rockies would have Francoeur play some first base as Helton's backup.  Francoeur has played only in the outfield in his career and is the least-versatile option of the three players.  If he were to struggle playing first, the Rockies could find themselves still in the market for a reliable backup corner infielder once the season began.

Wigginton has been linked to the Rockies already and could fit right in as a right-handed bench bat.  The Orioles are the only other club known to have an interest in Wigginton this winter, but it seems like he'd have more opportunities for playing time in Colorado.

Rockies Acquire Jose Lopez

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FRIDAY, 12:25pm: Lopez already signed a $3.6MM deal for 2011, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link). That's a $1.3MM raise from the $2.3MM salary he earned in 2010.

THURSDAY, 9:35pm: The Rockies acquired Jose Lopez from the Mariners for right-hander Chaz Roe, according to Shannon Drayer of ESPN 710 in Seattle (on Twitter). The Mariners have confirmed the move.

"Chaz is a former first-round pick with a nice arm, a 24-year-old sinker ball pitcher," GM Jack Zduriencik said in a press release. "We look forward to seeing him in a Mariners uniform."

It appeared that the Mariners were going to non-tender Lopez, so they did well to get something for the 27-year-old infielder. He batted .239/.270/.339 in 622 plate appearances last year and saw his homer total drop from 25 to 10. Lopez has always had trouble reaching base, as his career .297 OBP shows. He has experience at second and short, two positions the Rockies could use depth at.

Roe, 24, posted a 5.98 ERA with 6.6 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 158 innings at Triple-A last year. It was his first season at Triple-A and the highest ERA of his pro career.

National League Non-Tenders

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This post will list all the National League players non-tendered today, but the best place to track all 200+ arbitration eligible players is our new non-tender tracker.

Rockies Aggressively Pursuing Berkman

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THURSDAY, 7:51am: The Rockies' initial offer to Berkman was low, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  It appears Berkman is looking for $8-10MM, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.  Rosenthal notes that if Berkman were to sign with Oakland, he would spend some time in the field.

WEDNESDAY, 6:50pm: The Rockies are aggressively pursuing free agent outfielder Lance Berkman, writes Troy Renck of The Denver Post.  Renck writes that the slugger will likely get offered more money elsewhere but his preference to return to the National League helps Colorado's chances.  Berkman recently said that there are eight teams interested in him this winter.

While the 34-year-old slugger won't rule out being a DH, he says that he is still capable of playing either first base or corner outfield.  Berkman has not played the outfield since 2007 but claims to have made a full recovery from the arthroscopic knee surgery he underwent in March.

In 122 games for the Astros and Yankees last season, the five-time All-Star hit .248/.368/.413 with 14 homers in 481 plate appearances.

American League Free Agent Arbitration Decisions

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23 American League free agents were offered arbitration on November 23rd.  Four of those - Joaquin Benoit, John Buck, Victor Martinez, and Javier Vazquez - already have new contract agreements.  Current free agent Kevin Gregg has chosen to decline.  The remaining 18 AL free agents offered arbitration will have their decisions noted here and in our tracker.

Troy Tulowitzki Extension Reactions

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When we think of extension candidates, we think of players like Albert Pujols or Clayton Kershaw – franchise players nearing free agency or young players establishing themselves as big league stars. Players like Troy Tulowitzki, who already have extensions, don't usually come to mind, but that didn't stop the Rockies from extending Tulo with a $119MM deal that will keep him in Denver through the 2020 season. Here are some reactions to the extension from around the web:

  • ESPN.com's Keith Law writes that the contract is excessive and risky, even though Tulowitzki is "among the ten most valuable position players in baseball."
  • Dave Cameron of FanGraphs says this "seems like a deal [the Rockies] should have sat on for another year at least." 
  • Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe points out that this deal makes Boston's Dustin Pedroia extension look pretty good. Pedroia is under team control through 2015 on a contract that will pay him $44.5MM at most for 2011-15.
  • Yahoo's Jeff Passan argues that argues that the deal is bad for Tulowitzki and "ill-conceived and unconscionable" for the Rockies.
  • I respectfully disagree with Passan on Tulowitzki, who seems to like playing for the Rockies. It seems doubtful that Tulo will regret signing an extension that pays him $20MM per season.

Rockies Interested In Glaus, More Extensions

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Yes, the Rockies announced the Troy Tulowitzki extension and came to terms with Jorge de la Rosa, but that wasn't all. Here are the details on the rest of Colorado's busy day:

  • The Rockies are interested in Troy Glaus, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter). Glaus could be a right-handed version of Jason Giambi, who wasn't a natural complement to Todd Helton since both bat from the left side.
  • The Rockies are still "in the mix" for David Bush, but probably not for Aaron Harang, according to Renck (on Twitter). Both pitchers appeared on Renck's recent list of pitching targets for the Rockies.
  • Renck reminds us that Jorge Cantu, Jose Lopez and Kevin Kouzmanoff are options for the team (Twitter link). Only Cantu is a free agent; Kouzmanoff and Lopez are non-tender candidates.
  • Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd says he has told Carlos Gonzalez and Ubaldo Jimenez that he wants to lock them up long-term, according to Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post. O'Dowd has discussed a long-term deal with Gonzalez's agent, Scott Boras, but he doesn't have to worry about locking Jimenez up. The right-hander is under team control through 2014.
  • ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears (on Twitter) that De La Rosa turned down multiple offers for more money to re-sign in Colorado.

Rockies Sign Tulowitzki To Six-Year Extension

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Troy Tulowitzki is officially the face of the Rockies. This afternoon the team announced a six-year extension that will keep the shortstop in Denver through 2020 and pay him $119MM. Tulowitzki will be guaranteed $157.75MM between now and 2020, when he will be approaching his 36th birthday.

Tulowitzki is midway through the six-year, $31MM extension he signed before the 2008 season. He'll earn $38.75MM through 2014 on that deal once the Rockies exercise his 2014 option for $15MM. He'll also earn $119MM for the 2015-2020 seasons.

Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd and Tulowitzki's representatives at TWC Sports agreed to a multiyear deal with another Rockie, Jorge de la Rosa. 

Tulowitzki won a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger in 2010, finishing fifth in MVP voting for the second consecutive season. The 26-year-old also made his first All-Star team and, even though he missed a month with a left wrist fracture, finished the season with fantastic numbers. He posted a .315/.381/.568 line and hit 27 homers in 529 plate appearances.

Tulo's deal will become one of the most lucrative contracts in Rockies franchise history. Todd Helton ($141.5MM over nine years, 2001) and Mike Hampton ($121MM over eight years, 2000) also signed nine-figure deals with the Rockies.  Back in March, O'Dowd compared Tulowitzki to Derek Jeter in a conversation with Tyler Kepner of the New York Times.  Interestingly, the Rockies are locking up Tulo at the same time the Yankees' negotiations with Jeter have become surprisingly contentious.

ESPN.com's Keith Law first reported that the sides were nearing a deal, ESPN.com's Buster Olney confirmed that the sides were closing in on a deal and added detail. Jon Heyman of SI.com, Thomas Harding of MLB.com, Troy Renck of the Denver Post and Tracy Ringolsby of FOX Sports also reported on the story via Twitter.

Tim Dierkes contributed to this post.

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