Rockies Rumors

Rockies To Designate Phillips For Assignment

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | May 25, 2010 at 4:42pm CDT

The Rockies will designate Paul Phillips for assignment to make room for Chris Iannetta, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (via Twitter). Phillips will report to Triple A if he isn't claimed. That's where Iannetta posted the .349/.447/.698 line that forced the Rockies to call him up.

Miguel Olivo has been hitting well, so the Rockies have barely used Phillips this season. The 33-year-old has picked up just 19 plate appearances this year, hitting .294/.368/.294. That's a decent approximation of how Phillips has hit in his seven-year major league career.

Cafardo On Ortiz, Iannetta, Atkins, Lowell

By Luke Adams 2 | May 23, 2010 at 10:40am CDT

The key to the Rays' success so far has been their pitching staff, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, who praises Tampa Bay for playing so well despite a few slumping bats. Cafardo says that it may be hard for the club to add another piece or two before the trade deadline, since their budget is already maxed out. However, Cafardo acknowledges that with Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena facing free agency, the Rays may go all-out this year and stretch their budget a little in hopes of winning a championship. Here are some of Cafardo's other notes:

After this season, David Ortiz is probably "done in Boston unless he takes a massive pay cut." Ortiz might have trouble catching on anywhere next year, since there's virtually no market for one-dimensional players, and he may not be willing to accept a role similar to Jason Giambi's in Colorado.
If Ortiz and Victor Martinez continue to hit, the Red Sox are very unlikely to pursue Chris Iannetta.
One of the winter's most disappointing new additions has been Garrett Atkins, who is homerless and sports a .221/.261/.283 slash line in 119 plate appearances. The Orioles will have to consider releasing him if he doesn't turn things around.
The Rangers are looking for a starting pitcher and a productive right-handed bat. A Rangers official tells Cafardo that he'd still love to see Mike Lowell in Texas.
Cafardo thinks that if the Red Sox fall out of playoff contention and become sellers, they could replenish their farm system, acquiring multiple players for Martinez, Lowell, Ortiz, Adrian Beltre, Marco Scutaro, and Jeremy Hermida. I'm less optimistic than Cafardo about the caliber of talent the Sox could land for most of those guys.

Odds & Ends: Green, Oswalt, Mets, Gaudin, Werth

By Mike Axisa | May 22, 2010 at 9:01pm CDT

Links for Saturday….

With Rafael Furcal returning to the Dodgers, the out-of-options Nick Green is a candidate for demotion, writes Evan Drellich of MLB.com.
Roy Oswalt told Houston owner Drayton McLane that he wouldn't mind coming back and finishing his career with the organization, tweets Alyson Footer of the Astros.
More on Oswalt: Footer (via Twitter) is skeptical about the Mets' chances of acquiring Houston's ace. Meanwhile, manager Brad Mills doesn't expect Oswalt's trade request to be a clubhouse distraction, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.
At MLB.com, Peter Gammons takes a look at a few underachieving teams who are under pressure to make changes.
Scott Olsen has been placed on the disabled list, but Stephen Strasburg won't be the pitcher called up to take his roster spot, tweets Bill Ladson of MLB.com.
Jack Curry of the YES Network (via Twitter) asked Mets GM Omar Minaya if Jerry Manuel is managing to save his job. Minaya answered, "I don't want to say that. I wouldn't say that's the case."
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets that Chad Gaudin received and turned down a minor league assignment offer from the A's.
Mike Lowell told Scott Lauber of The Boston Herald that he has no regrets about passing on a four year, $37.5MM contract offer from the Phillies after the 2007 season.
Jayson Werth said he's "played [his] entire career for this year," according to David Murphy of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Werth, of course, is referring to his contract year and impending free agent payday.
Chris Iannetta remains the one who got away for the Red Sox, who almost drafted the catcher back in 2004 according to WEEI.com's Alex Speier.
Joe Christensen of The Star Tribune analyzed the Carlos Gomez–J.J. Hardy trade now that we're six months out.
John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer notes that the Reds have gotten tremendous production out of their bargain basement left field combo of Jonny Gomes and Laynce Nix ($1.4MM combined salary).

Odds & Ends: Orioles, Scheppers, Pirates, Blue Jays

By Mark Polishuk | May 21, 2010 at 5:55pm CDT

As we prepare for a weekend of watching AL pitchers take ineffective swings, here are a few news items…

Dave Cameron of Fangraphs thinks the Orioles should take advantage of their terrible start by being the first team to put its assets on the trade market.
Texas relief prospect Tanner Scheppers could be in the majors by the All-Star Break or even sooner, predicts John Sickels of MinorLeagueBall.com.
ESPN.com's Jason A. Churchill looks at what the Pirates might do with the second overall pick in next month's amateur draft.
The Blue Jays want "a top prospect" for either Scott Downs or Jason Frasor, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney, and other teams consider that to be too high a price for either reliever.
Olney also notes (via Twitter) that Seattle is still looking for batting help.
Matt Eddy of Baseball America discusses several prospects in a chat with fans. In regards to Indians prospect Lonnie Chisenhall, Eddy predicts that Cleveland will buy out Jhonny Peralta (for $250K) rather than pick up his $7MM club option in 2011, and then have Chisenhall take over as the everyday third baseman. Chisenhall has just a .641 OPS at Double-A Akron this season, so it might be too much to expect him to move up to the majors that quickly.
Larry Stone of the Seattle Times compares the situations of fading future Hall-of-Famers Ken Griffey Jr. and Trevor Hoffman.
ESPN's Rob Neyer thinks Colorado can do better than Luis Castillo or Kazuo Matsui if the club is serious about improving itself at second base.
Trevor Plouffe, Minnesota's first-round pick (20th overall) in the 2004 amateur draft, will make his major league debut tonight for the Twins, reports Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Red Sox Monitoring Chris Iannetta

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | May 21, 2010 at 4:12pm CDT

4:12pm: "Talks quickly faded" between the Sox and Rockies about Iannetta, says Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com, because Colorado reportedly "wanted 'premium' talent" for the catcher.

6:58am: The Red Sox are monitoring Chris Iannetta’s progress in case the Rockies make him available, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post. The catcher, who has been linked to the Red Sox for a while, is now in the minors.

Iannetta struggled through 34 plate appearances with the Rockies this year, hitting .133/.235/.333. The 27-year-old’s .362/.449/.741 Triple A line should be robust enough to convince any doubters that the last two years were not flukes: Iannetta can hit. The Red Sox have no doubt noticed that Iannetta has thrown out seven of 13 would-be base stealers.

Victor Martinez has struggled at the plate, but he has multi-hit games in three of his last four starts. Backup catcher Jason Varitek has been hitting surprisingly well in limited time. The tandem has limited opponents’ running games more effectively of late, nabbing nine of the last 21 baserunners to attempt to steal.

Iannetta, who is under contract through 2012, could be a long-term solution for the Red Sox. Their catchers are producing now, but both Martinez and Varitek hit free agency this winter.

Odds & Ends: Dodgers, Bruney, Conrad, McLouth

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | May 21, 2010 at 2:24pm CDT

Links for Friday, as interleague play begins…

Dodgers GM Ned Colletti told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that he expects to have the flexibility to make deals this summer. That doesn't mean the Dodgers be able to take on much payroll, though.
Jon Heyman of SI.com thinks the Nationals will call Stephen Strasburg up in mid-June. The team will limit him to about 100 major league innings (Twitter link).
The Nationals don't expect Brian Bruney to be claimed on waivers and the pitcher isn't sure what he'll do if he isn't claimed, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson (Twitter links).
As WEEI.com's Alex Speier explains, the Red Sox considered trading for Curtis Granderson and Javier Vazquez last winter, but acquiring either player would likely have meant giving up Jacoby Ellsbury. The Red Sox wanted to keep him, so they signed free agents instead.
Trying to predict which teams might become sellers? The Orioles, Astros and Pirates each have less than a one percent chance of making the playoffs, according to Baseball Prospectus' postseason odds.
Top July 2 prospect Eskarlin Vasquez has questions swirling around his age, according to Frankie Piliere of FanHouse (via Twitter).
GM Frank Wren told ESPN.com's Buster Olney that the Braves liked walk-off hero Brooks Conrad's versatility and power when they signed him to a minor league deal before last season.
Former Pirates outfielder Nate McLouth tells Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he's very excited to return to Pittsburgh. This time, it's as an opponent.
The Mets will probably fire at least one coach if they fire manager Jerry Manuel, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post says the Mets can't build their team around Jose Reyes and David Wright at this point.
Troy Renck of the Denver Post confirms (via Twitter) that the Rockies will have interest in Kazuo Matsui once he clears waivers.

Heyman On Lowell, Jeter, Castillo

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | May 21, 2010 at 2:17pm CDT

Jason Heyward and Mike Leake top Jon Heyman of SI.com's list of top rookies so far in 2010. It's hard to argue with those choices, though Stephen Strasburg may steal the show in a few weeks. Here are Heyman's rumors:

Mike Lowell upset the Red Sox brass when he told the media that he had no role on the team. Heyman says the Red Sox are not eager to release Lowell and eat his $12MM salary.
The Yankees say they will "definitely" re-sign Derek Jeter, who hits free agency after the season. It is almost impossible to imagine Jeter playing for another club.
Mets hitting coach Howard Johnson "appears to be in some jeopardy" of losing his job.
One person connected to the Rockies says they are "not even close" to having enough money to afford Luis Castillo, who makes $6MM this year and the same amount next year. The Rockies are interested in adding infield depth, but it appears that the Mets would have to take on a considerable portion of Castillo's salary for a deal to go down.

The Rockies And Kaz Matsui

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | May 21, 2010 at 9:09am CDT

The Rockies would like to improve upon Melvin Mora, which is understandable, given Mora's age and bat. But that doesn't mean bringing Kazuo Matsui back is the answer for the Rockies, who are interested in the infielder.

Matsui was fantastic during his first stint with Colorado, hitting .300/.353/.426 on his way to a $16.5MM deal with Houston. But two and a half years later, the Astros are about to release him because he's a different player. Matsui remains an efficient base stealer and UZR suggests his recent defense has been average, but his .141/.197/.155 line would not represent an upgrade from the Rockies' current option.

At 38, Mora is not likely to rediscover 25-homer power, but his .250/.308/.350 line is tolerable for a utility player. Mora's value comes from his defense; UZR rates him as an average defender, and he is versatile enough to play around the infield.

Replacing Mora with Matsui would leave the Rockies without much defensive flexibility. Matsui hasn't played a position other than second base in the major leagues since 2006 and he has never played either corner infield position at the highest level. The Rockies, who have used Mora at first, second and third already this year, rely on his versatility, since their bench includes pinch hitter Jason Giambi.

If the Rockies could carry a 26th man, then adding Matsui in the the hopes that he can recapture his batting stroke wouldn't hurt. But in reality, adding Matsui means removing someone else from the team. They aren't about to go to a six-man bullpen, so Mora or Giambi would have to go. Giambi hasn't hit like he did last year, but the Rockies seem to like his clubhouse presence and power bat.

Matsui does not seem to fit in Colorado, but let's not overstate the Rockies' interest. Just because they have some interest in bringing him back doesn't mean that they're actually going to sign Matsui and give up on either Giambi or Mora.

Castillo, Matsui Possible Options For Colorado?

By Mark Polishuk | May 20, 2010 at 7:11pm CDT

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes that the Rockies are looking to upgrade from utilityman Melvin Mora as their best backup option at second base. To that end, the Mets have contacted Colorado about a possible deal for Luis Castillo. The veteran infielder has a .256/.341/.299 line heading into Thursday's action and has improved his defense (a 2.5 UZR/150) this season after his horrendous -12.7 UZR/150 in 2009.

As Rosenthal mentions, the Rockies wouldn't have to worry about the $12MM owed to Castillo for 2010 and 2011 given that the Mets would be picking up the large majority of that tab to clear the way for Daniel Murphy to get some reps at second base.

If the Rockies aren't interested in working out a deal with New York, another possible answer to their depth problem could be a former Rockie. MLB.com's Thomas Harding proposes that if Kazuo Matsui clears waivers on Monday and is officially released by Houston, Colorado might be a logical landing spot for the second baseman. Matsui has just a .352 OPS in 78 plate appearances with the Astros this season, but Harding sees Matsui as a minor-league signing that would provide cover for regular second baseman Clint Barmes (who himself is struggling this season with just a .612 OPS heading into today's action).

Matsui's greatest success in the majors came with the Rockies, where he hit .300/.353/.426 in 579 plate appearances from 2006-07. Harding mentions that Matsui was popular in the clubhouse and apparently left no hard feelings with management when he left Colorado to sign a three-year, $16.5MM contract with Houston after the Rockies' pennant-winning 2007 campaign.

Given that the Astros would still be paying the $5MM that Matsui is owed for 2010, this would be a low to no-risk signing for the Rockies to make. The club would've liked to have been prospect Eric Young make a play for the second base job, but with Young looking at a lengthy stay on the DL with a leg injury, a veteran option like Matsui or Castillo could make sense.

Odds & Ends: Pirates, Chico, Burrell, Cust, Indians

By Mike Axisa | May 15, 2010 at 3:35pm CDT

Links for Saturday…

MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch writes that Pirates outfield prospect Starling Marte may require surgery on his left hand. Baseball America's Prospect Handbook called the 21-year-old "the first tangible result of the Pirates' renewed commitment to scouting Latin America."
Matt Chico could start for the Nationals on Wednesday, writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. Chico was DFA'd by the club earlier this week, but only so that the club could place him in Triple-A.
Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe tweets that the recently-DFA'd Pat Burrell is another reason why teams won't be spending major money on designated hitter-types anymore.
Jack Cust is on his way back to Oakland after Eric Chavez managed just a .247/.298/.355 batting line during the first six weeks of the season, tweets CSNBayArea.com's Mychael Urban. The A's 40-man roster is full, so a move will need to be make to accommodate Cust.
Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer touched base with Indians' GM-in-waiting Chris Antonetti about having the fifth overall pick in June's draft. MLB's recommended bonus for that pick is in the $2.5MM-$3MM range, and Antonetti acknowledged that that money has already been set aside in the budget.
Mike Morse is close to returning from the disabled list, which will create a bit of a roster crunch for the Nationals since he's out of options, writes MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
Meanwhile, MLB.com's Owen Perkins notes that the Rockies would have a similar problem if they were to call someone up to help fill in for the injured Eric Young Jr.
ESPN's Buster Olney spoke to Ken Griffey Jr.'s agent, who indicated that everything that happened this past week will have no bearing on his client's relationship with the club after he retires. Both links go to Twitter.

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