Rockies extend contract Iannetta, talks with Torrealba stall
By Bert Jan Brands | December 11, 2009
(AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)
A quiet Winter Meetings in Indianapolis ended yesterday for the Rockies. The only significant news from the annual event appeared to be Rafael Betancourt accepting the Rockies’ arbitration offer, making his return to Colorado for the 2010 season a fact. The team left the meetings on a positive note thursday, after being able to reach an agreement with catcher Chris Iannetta and his representatives on a new three year, $8.3 million contract that includes a club option worth $5 million to cover Iannetta’s first year of free agency. The Rockies had earlier expressed their interest in resigning Chris Iannetta, closer Huston Street and 2nd baseman Clint Barmes, so the extention did not come as a surprise.
Though catcher Yorvit Torrealba was reportedly close to re-signing with the Rockies, a deal is still far from done. Since the last report that Torrealba was close to signing, no progress has been made between the two sides. Torrealba is looking for a two year, $6 million deal, just like Pudge Rodriguez (Washington Nationals) and Ramon Hernandez (Cincinnati Reds) received earlier in the offseason. However, the Rockies are sticking to their offer of two years, $5.6 million, leaving a $400.000 gap to be bridged. Torrealba prefers to remain in Colorado, but the San Francisco Giants and the New York Mets are also interested in his services, both on one year deals however. Torrealba is scheduled to fly to New York next week. If Torrealba does sign with another team, the Rockies appear to be ready to offer a contract to free agent catcher Miguel Olivo, who has played in the majors since 2002 (White Sox, Mariners, Padres, Marlins and Royals). Olivo has a career batting average of .243 with 96 homeruns and 330 RBIs.
Manager Jim Tracy has expressed his interested in re-signing Jason Giambi, who joined the Rockies midway through the last season, and was a valuable addition to the team. Giambi would be open for a return to Denver, but prefers a designated hitter role in the American League. He will likely wait to see if their is any interest in his services in the AL before deciding to return to the Rockies.
The Rockies are also still interested in signing a utility player that can fill multiple roles on the team. Names that reportedly are being considered include: Melvin Mora (career .278, 164 HRs, 693 RBIs), Orlando Hudson (career .282, 77HR, 434 RBIs), Chad Tracy (career .280, 78 HRs, 318 RBIs), Jamey Carroll (career .273, 12 HRs, 174 RBIs), Robb Quinlan (career .281, 25 HRs, 119 RBIs) and Fernando Tatis (career .266, 111 HRs, 442 RBIs).
With the Rockies management returning from the Winter Meetings in Indianapolis, it is expected that negotiations to extend the contracts of Huston Street and Clint Barmes will start soon.
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Comment from admin
Time: December 11, 2009, 2:05 pm
If the Rockies screw this up, somebody please kick Brother Momfort’s in the rear for me! We are talking about a franchise that fills the stands and makes money hand over fist, but they can’t muster $400,000 over 2-years, for Yorvit Torrealba.
Yorvit, plays the game hard and plays with his heart. Torrealba, is well liked in the locker room, is great with the Spanish speaking players, and brings a wonderful energy to the team.
Don’t let him slip away, Yorvit deserves every penny!
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