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Mutual Interest Between Francis, Rockies

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The Rockies have interest in bringing Jeff Francis back next year and the left-hander would like to re-sign in Colorado, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post. The Rockies, who are expected to decline their $7.5MM option for Francis, told his agent they still want to work out a deal.

"They have made it clear they want Jeff to stay," Jim Lindell said. "Jeff loves Denver, loves the guys in the clubhouse. And if everything's equal, Jeff would love to be back."

ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark recently heard indications that the Rockies won’t offer Francis more than a modest one-year deal with incentives. The team’s pursuit of Francis could depend, in part, on negotiations with another Rockies lefty. Jorge de la Rosa hits free agency this offseason and he may have started discussing a contract with Colorado.

Odds & Ends: Valentine, Cook, Mets, Mariners

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Wednesday evening linkage..

  • Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun-Sentinel wonders if Bobby Valentine was ever a strong candidate for the Marlins opening this time around.
  • Troy Renck of The Denver Post (via Twitter) believes that Aaron Cook will be back with the Rockies in 2011.
  • Bobby Valentine pulling his name out of contention in Florida could be a sign that things are heating up elsewhere, writes Larry Stone of The Seattle Times.
  • Jeff Wilpon would like to hire a GM by the end of the World Series, tweets Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.
  • Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times (via Twitter) says it's not impossible that we'll see Eric Wedge and Milton Bradley in the same clubhouse again.

Rockies May Be Talking Contract With De La Rosa

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There are strong indications that the Rockies started discussing a contract with Jorge De La Rosa this week, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post. The left-hander hits free agency this offseason, but the Rockies have exclusive negotiating rights until shortly after the World Series ends. 

De La Rosa missed two months with a torn tendon in his finger and walks 4.1 batters per nine innings. That will hurt his market value, but his age (29), strikeout rate (8.4 K/9) and groundball rate (52.3%) will likely entice potential suitors.

He doesn’t have to convince the Rockies – they’re interested. Not only did Colorado offer De La Rosa a two-year deal worth $8.75MM in the offseason, GM Dan O’Dowd recently said that re-signing him is a priority. De La Rosa won't cost the Rockies a draft pick, but if he turns down arbitration to sign elsewhere, Colorado will obtain a top pick for losing a Type A free agent.

Odds & Ends: Halladay, Dodgers, De La Rosa

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Links for Thursday, as we await another day of playoff games. It will be nearly impossible to match the show Roy Halladay put on in his playoff debut last night, but October baseball is always worth following…

  • Former Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi told Rob Bradford of WEEI.com that he was surprised not to see better offers for Halladay when the right-hander was on the market last year. "We kept sitting there saying, ‘This is Roy Freaking Halladay! Do people know?’ Not only will you have him for this year, but you’ll have him for next year."
  • Dodgers executive De Jon Watson told Tom Krasovic of AOL FanHouse that Zach Lee and James Baldwin are two farmhands to watch. The 2010 draftees are impressing their new organization with their play so far. (Baldwin, the son of former MLB pitcher James Baldwin, is an outfielder.)
  • Krasovic also says the Rockies “likely will lose” Jorge de la Rosa to free agency this winter. GM Dan O’Dowd recently said re-signing the left-hander is an offseason priority for the team.
  • The Marlins outrighted Brett Carroll, Hector Luna, Mike Rivera, Taylor Tankersley and Tim Wood, which means those five players are no longer on the team’s 40-man roster.

Rockies Undecided On Olivo Option

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2:52pm: The Rockies have not determined whether they'll pick up their side of Olivo's option, tweets Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post.  Renck says the Rockies are keeping an open mind, with Victor Martinez on the radar.  At #20, the Rockies would give the second-best available draft pick to the Red Sox if they sign V-Mart after he turned down an arbitration offer.

8:11am: The Rockies will exercise their option on catcher Miguel Olivo, tweets Tracy Ringolsby of Inside The Rockies.  By reaching his 110th game played on September 26th, Olivo's club option became mutual and jumped up to $2.7MM.  That means Olivo could still decline the option in search of a bigger payday or multiple years, though he told Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post last month he wants to stay.

The 32-year-old backstop hit .269/.315/.449 with 14 home runs in 427 plate appearances this year for the Rockies.  He caught 935 innings, throwing out 42% of attempted thieves.  His presence in 2011 would again create an uncomfortable situation for Chris Iannetta, who is on a multiyear deal running through 2012.  Iannetta has a 2013 club option he can void if he's traded, which seems like a legitimate possibility this winter.

Odds & Ends: Iwakuma, Ichiro, Red Sox, Barmes

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Links for Sunday evening, with the regular season behind us and the playoff picture defined…

  • Angels GM Tony Reagins tells Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times he's "confident we'll be able to add an important piece."
  • As passed along by NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman on Twitter, Sanspo reports that a posting announcement will come soon regarding Japanese pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma.  The righty, 30 in April, posted a 2.82 ERA, 6.9 K/9, 1.6 BB/9, and 0.49 HR/9 in 201 innings this year for Rakuten. 
  • Ichiro Suzuki's 10-and-5 rights kicked in today after the Mariners' game, tweets Larry Stone of the Seattle Times.
  • In his end-of-the-season press conference, Red Sox GM Theo Epstein indicated fixing the bullpen and retaining important free agents are his offseason priorities (WEEI's Alex Speier reporting).  Epstein fielded all kinds of questions and was noncommittal in most cases, but the transcript is still worth a read.
  • Clint Barmes would like to return to the Rockies if he can't find an everyday role elsewhere, he explained to Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post.  We discussed Barmes' non-tender candidacy in August, and 79% of MLBTR readers predicted he'll be cut loose.
  • The Dodgers officially announced Brad Ausmus' retirement with a press release.  Ausmus revealed his decision to reporters in July.

O’Dowd: Re-Signing De La Rosa Is “A Priority”

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The Rockies made a valiant late season charge at a playoff spot, but they ultimately fell short and will miss the postseason for the second time in four years. We've already heard that GM Dan O'Dowd wants to acquire an impact bat this offseason, but he now tells Troy Renck of The Denver Post that re-signing Jorge de la Rosa is a priority.

"He is a priority. I don't know how to gauge that yet," O'Dowd said. "Adding a middle-of-the-rotation starter is a priority. And we would certainly like that to be Jorge."

De La Rosa missed close to three months with a torn flexor band on his left middle finger, but he was rock solid in the 20 starts he was able to make: 121.2 innings, 4.22 ERA, 8.4 K/9, 4.1 BB/9. Aside from a drop in strikeout rate (9.4 K/9 in 2009), the southpaw was able to repeat his 2009 breakout performance.

The Rockies tried to lock De La Rosa up last winter to a two-year, $8.75MM contract with an option for a third year, but he instead opted for a one-year deal that paid him $5.6MM in 2010 and allows him to hit the open market after the season. The 29-year-old could be in line for an annual salary of $7MM or more on a multi-year deal, so he likely made himself some extra money by passing on Colorado's offer. 

Tim looked at De La Rosa's free agent stock back in April, but more recently one unnamed GM cautioned that he could be "the next Oliver Perez."

Rockies Interested In Martinez, Jackson

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Rockies manager Jim Tracy told Troy Renck of the Denver Post that the Rockies want to add an “impact bat” this offseason. According to Renck, Colorado has interest in Conor Jackson and will target Victor Martinez if the Red Sox don’t lock him up.

Jackson, a non-tender candidate, can play first base or left field; Martinez can catch and play first. The Rockies appear to want a right-handed complement to Todd Helton and Martinez, a switch hitter, would satisfy that requirement. But Colorado has Chris Iannetta under contract and a mutual option for Miguel Olivo's services, so the team isn't desperate for catching help.

Adding an outfielder is a priority for the Rockies, according to Renck. Seth Smith isn’t conisdered an everyday player because of his late summer struggles, so the Rockies will consider free agent outfielders and trades.

The Rockies already have two electrifying hitters: Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki, but Tulo told Renck that he’d like to see some of the organization’s young players improve so the Rockies can reach the postseason in 2011.

Odds & Ends: Darvish, Feliciano, D’Backs, Blue Jays

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As the Padres face a big uphill battle in San Francisco this weekend, we look at some news items….

Odds & Ends: Brewers, Buehrle, Francis, Vazquez

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Miguel Olivo never played a major league game for the A's, but he signed with Oakland as an amateur free agent 14 years ago today. Here are some afternoon links, including an update on Olivo…

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