Rockies Rumors: Betancourt, Duchscherer, Hawkins, DeRosa
Tracy Ringolsby of FoxSports.com reports that the Rockies hope free agent reliever Rafael Betancourt accepts arbitration, even though he’s a Type-A free agent and would net them two draft picks if he went elsewhere. Colorado declined their $4.5MM option for Betancourt last month, and he’s since rejected their two year, $7MM offer.
The deadline for free agents to accept arbitration is Monday, and if Betancourt accepts, Colorado would get to keep him on a one year deal, though it might cost them somewhere in the neighborhood of $6M.
Meanwhile, Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post adds that Justin Duchscherer and LaTroy Hawkins have become “top targets,” while the team has also expressed interest in Mark DeRosa.
Rockies Interested In Orlando Hudson
7:37pm: Rockies' GM Dan O'Dowd said the club is not actively pursuing Hudson, according to MLB.com's Thomas Harding.
"That is not anything near a front-burner issue," O'Dowd said. "We're very happy with Clint Barmes as our second baseman."
1:31pm: The Rockies are interested in free agent second baseman Orlando Hudson, according to Tracy Ringolsby of FOX Sports. It's a surprising name, but Ringolsby explain that the Rockies feel that Clint Barmes would get a lot of playing time in a super-utility role.
Hudson, 32 later this month, hit .283/.357/417 in 631 plate appearances for the Dodgers this year. His playing time slipped after the Dodgers acquired Ronnie Belliard, but he still earned almost all his incentives and reached almost $8MM in total. Hudson would not cost the Rockies their #26 draft pick, because the Dodgers did not offer arbitration.
Gregg Zaun Agrees To Deal With Brewers
1:33pm: ESPN's Buster Olney has the contract details: a $1.9MM base in 2010, and a $2.25MM club option for '11 with a $250K buyout.
1:18pm: Zaun is close to a deal with the Brewers, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. Yahoo's Tim Brown tweets that the deal is signed, and worth $2.15MM guaranteed (with a 2011 option). The free agent market didn't offer much, but Zaun was one of the better catchers out there. The Rays will receive a supplemental draft pick for their loss.
10:03am: Free agent catcher Gregg Zaun spoke to Don Landry and Gord Stellick of The Fan 590 this morning, and revealed that he'll sign with a team "possibly by the end of the day." Zaun confirmed that he'll be signing with the Brewers, Rockies, Rays, or Mariners.
My guess is the Mariners. How about you?
Rockies Rumors: Hawpe, Tracy, Carroll
Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post has some Rockies rumors for us…
- GM Dan O'Dowd called Brad Hawpe a "legitimate alternative" that can spell Todd Helton at first base. The team had been looking for a bench player capable of playing both first and third.
- The Rockies have expressed preliminary interest in free agents Chad Tracy and Jamey Carroll.
- O'Dowd confirmed that he's not looking to move Ryan Spilborghs.
- Contrary to reports, the Rockies are not interested in Gregg Zaun, though they still hope to bring Yorvit Torrealba back.
- Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com say that reports about hard feelings between Jason Marquis and the Rockies about not getting a playoff start are untrue.
Odds & Ends: Jenks, Polanco, Tate, Marquis
Some links for Thursday…
- John Manuel of Baseball America ranks all 30 MLB farm systems at SI.com. The Rangers, Rays and Giants top the list.
- ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick lists nine potential free agent bargains.
- Keith Law, Dave Cameron and Tyler Hissey don't like the Placido Polanco deal from the Phillies' standpoint.
- Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Pirates have tentative interest in Xavier Nady and Ron Villone, who are both Scott Boras clients.
- Sam Borden of the Journal News wonders how many long-term contracts the Yanks can take on.
- The Yankees get the sense that Andy Pettitte isn't done yet, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News.
- They aren't expected to consider an extension for Joe Girardi this offseason.
- Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports that the White Sox have begun preliminary talks with arbitration-eligible reliever Bobby Jenks.
- Placido Polanco appears to be nearing a three-year deal with the Phillies, but the Astros have some interest in the Gold Glover, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.
- Curtis Granderson tells MLB.com's Jason Beck that he doesn't let the trade talk get to him.
- The Rockies have tentative plans to meet with Rafael Betancourt's representatives this coming Monday, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post.
- As Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports, Donavan Tate, the Padres' third overall selection in the June draft, was injured in an ATV accident. He broke his jaw, but should be ready for Spring Training.
- Jason Marquis had a falling out with the Rockies, so Jon Heyman of SI.com suggests he isn't likely to accept the team's offer of arbitration.
- MLB.com's Matthew Leach explains why long-term deals are becoming less frequent in MLB.
- Juan Castro passed his physical, so his deal with the Phils is now offiicial, according to Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Brewers, Rockies, Rays Interested In Zaun
The Brewers, Rockies, and Rays are showing the most interest in free agent catcher Gregg Zaun, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Zaun still has an arbitration offer from the Rays, on which he must decide by Monday. However, Zaun has said he expects to sign with a team by week's end. As the FOX writers note, he'd get the most playing time with the Brewers. Earlier this offseason it seemed that they planned to spend all of their money on starting pitching, but maybe they'll peel off a few million for Zaun.
Rosenthal and Morosi wrote yesterday that the Mariners were pursuing Zaun, but they don't mention the team in tonight's update.
Rockies Rumors: Crosby, Betancourt, Street
The Rockies' interest in Bobby Crosby might not amount to anything if there are teams interested in him a starter, according to MLB.com's Thomas Harding. The Rockies would like to sign Crosby as a utilityman, but the Red Sox and other clubs that have been linked to the shortstop might be willing to give him a chance to start, which Crosby would prefer. Here are a few of Harding's other Rockies-related rumors….
- The team will likely have "internal discussions" about signing Chad Tracy as a bench player.
- The Rockies won't pursue any free-agent relievers until they see what happens with Rafael Betancourt, who has been offered arbitration and is their top bullpen priority.
- If they can't retain Betancourt, LaTroy Hawkins could be a target.
- The club would like to re-sign Yorvit Torrealba, but will have to wait for him to test the market.
- Long-term contracts for Huston Street and Clint Barmes are another priority. One Rockies official says that it's too early in talks with Street to see how far apart the two sides might be.
Rockies, Street Far Apart In Extension Discussions
The Rockies and closer Huston Street are far apart in discussions for a contract extension, according to ESPN's Buster Olney. Olney says the Rockies will consider trading Street at the July deadline if an agreement can't be reached beforehand. Street is eligible for free agency after the 2010 season; he'll be just 27 in August.
Back in early October, Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post speculated "it would take a three-year deal in the range of $25 million to get discussions going" with Street. In a September article, Renck suggested Street is in line for "at least $7MM in 2010," as he's arbitration-eligible for the last time. If that's accurate, the Rockies would be paying $9MM per free agent year if they sign him at 3/25. Would Street be in line for a two-year, $18MM deal if he was a free agent this winter?
Rockies Notes: Crosby, Lowry, Hawkins
The Denver Post's Troy Renck recaps Colorado's arbitration moves and also fills us in on some of the club's possible free agent moves this winter….
- The Rockies have some interest in Bobby Crosby as a utilityman and as a right-handed option at third base if starter Ian Stewart continues to struggle against lefties (.178/.278/.386 against LHP in 2009).
- Noah Lowry, who became a free agent in October, may be brought to spring training on a minor-league contract. Lowry hasn't thrown a major league pitch since 2007 due to injuries, but was a solid starter (4.03 ERA) in four seasons in San Francisco. He has a 9.10 ERA in six career starts at Coors Field.
- Colorado is "expected to call" free agent reliever LaTroy Hawkins, who was a major part of the Rockies' bullpen during their run to the 2007 National League pennant. The club's interest in Hawkins will only increase if Rafael Betancourt turns down Colorado's arbitration offer and signs elsewhere. Hawkins should be more appealing also because he did not receive an arbitration offer from the Astros and therefore will not cost a draft pick.
Rockies Offer Arb To Betancourt, Marquis, Not Torrealba, Beimel
The Rockies offered arbitration to reliever Rafael Betancourt (Type A) and starter Jason Marquis (Type B), according to Tracy Ringolsby of Inside The Rockies. They did not offer to Yorvit Torrealba (B) or Joe Beimel (B).
The Marquis decision comes as a mild surprise. Ringolsby says there are indications he will reject the offer in search of a multiyear deal, which would net the Rockies a supplemental pick.
Betancourt rejected the Rockies' two-year, $7MM offer earlier in the offseason, so this arbitration offer gives them a chance to either keep him on a one-year deal or receive two draft picks for their loss. The Rox already rejected Betancourt's $5.4MM club option, so they might be thinking he'd get less than that in arbitration. From Betancourt's point of view, he'll be a lot less attractive to other teams if he turns down the Rockies' offer.