Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.
After an awful start to 2009, the Rockies fired Clint Hurdle, promoted Jim Tracy and proceeded to play like the best team in the National League for the rest of the regular season. They lost an exciting playoff series to the eventual NL champion Phillies, but there is no reason to think the Rockies are going away with all their young talent.
In fact, the Rockies are in position to make themselves a candidate to be a dynasty. Seriously. They can move forward with a starting lineup of Todd Helton, Clint Barmes and six proven guys who are 27 or younger. The pitching staff and minor-league talent are equally as impressive. Now it's simply a matter of cultivating their young talent while making sure they don't halt any momentum.
Yorvit Torrealba of the Colorado Rockies is thankful for the return of his 11-year old son and the child's uncle after they were kidnapped in Venezuela. The story was largely kept out of the public eye until the abducted were returned safely to their homes, and the perpetrators were apprehended. The situation resolved itself without tragedy, and we learned an important lesson: that this is way, way less important than two unassociated, relief-pitching strangers having beef.
Mark Teixeira, Braves Buzz: Though Atlanta has denied a willingness to trade Teixeira over the last few weeks, the club appears to be moving toward becoming a seller. How the Braves play over the next week will likely determine whether or not the team moves the slugger.
Jeff Zelevansky, Getty Images
A.J. Burnett, Blue Jays Buzz: Though several teams have scouted Burnett, trade movement remains slow as teams balk at the right-hander's uncertain contract status. He has great stuff and would be a quality No. 2 starter for a contender down the stretch.
Jonathan Daniel, Getty Images
Brian Fuentes, Rockies Buzz: The closer has reportedly been scouted by seven different clubs over the last few days, but Colorado's asking price -- rumored to be a top pitching prospect -- might be scaring potential suitors off. Florida will not deal Chris Volstad for Fuentes, but is still pursuing a deal for the southpaw.
Doug Pensinger, Getty Images
George Sherrill, Orioles Buzz: The Cardinals and Angels are among the teams who have asked about the closer, while the Brewers are not. Baltimore's rumored asking price is said to be two or three prospects.
Otto Greule Jr, Getty Images
Barry Bonds, Giants Buzz: The Yankees are the latest team to say they won't rule out pursuing the all-time home run king now that Hideki Matsui could miss the rest of the season. Hank Steinbrenner has admitted that the team will discuss Bonds in the next few days as they go over their options.
Lisa Blumenfeld, Getty Images
Jarrod Washburn, Mariners Buzz: The Seattle left-hander is drawing interest from the Yankees, who could use him to bolster their rotation. While not an ace, Washburn is a reliable innings-eater.
Otto Greule Jr, Getty Images
Huston Street, Athletics Buzz: Though some teams are worried about the recent drop in his arm angle and velocity, Oakland's closer seems to have no shortage of suitors. The Reds are the latest team believed to have expressed interest in Street. The Brewers have also made inquiries about his availability.
Jed Jacobsohn, Getty Images
Greg Maddux, Padres Buzz: San Diego would ideally like to move the future Hall of Famer, but he has a full no-trade clause and is rumored to only be willing to accept a deal to a West Coast team.
Marc Serota, Getty Images
Brian Giles, Padres Buzz: Giles is an on-base machine and a solid defender who could give a contender looking for a corner bat a boost. Getting out of pitcher-friendly Petco Park could lead to a power spike.
Doug Pensinger, Getty Images
Andy LaRoche, Dodgers Buzz: LaRoche, L.A.'s No. 2 prospect entering the season according to Baseball America, is reportedly being showcased for a potential deadline deal.
Christian Petersen, Getty Images
If ever there was an omen that it might be time to let go of this season, wouldn't injuries to the team's best pitcher and hitter on the same night be it? Teixeira is certain to leave this winter and if Atlanta holds on to him all it will get is a pair of early draft picks. They stand to get much better talent in a deadline deal, even considering Teixeira's rental status.
- I got a chance to see A.J. Burnett's rain-shortened start last night in Baltimore. There were plenty of scouts in attendance, though some of them were probably there in hopes of seeing Orioles closer George Sherrill. Burnett has good raw stuff -- a fastball he gets to 95 mph with ease and a tough curveball in the low-80s. Still, Orioles hitters made good contact on him. He's a very good, but fragile No. 2 starter, who could help a number of contenders, but his uncertain contract status continues to make potential suitors cautious. Don't put too much stock into the Roy Halladay rumors, Burnett is still the most likely to get moved of any of Toronto's pitchers.
Look, it's pretty clear that the Angels are going to coast to the AL West title. It's also become pretty clear over the past few seasons that they need another bat to get out of the divisional round of the playoffs. So it's easy to criticize the L.A. front office for not being aggressive enough in getting another big bopper. But that's an exorbitant price for any player, especially a nice one like Holliday, who happens to be pretty average away from the hitting paradise that is Coors Field. Adenhart and Saunders, in particular, are both a tad overrated, but a trade involving those two and Howie Kendrick would take away players contributing to the Angels right now. That's the definition of robbing Peter to pay Paul.
- As for the other big bat prominently mentioned in rumors, Mark Teixeira, the Braves appear more resolute to hold on to him and make a push in the NL East, despite the fact that the first baseman is likely to walk at the end of the season. Atlanta entered Sunday with the same run differential as the Mets, so perhaps there is reason for optimism. But there is also this: Atlanta is still 5 1/2 games behind New York in the standings and the rotation beyond Tim Hudson and Jair Jurrjens is in tatters. There is ground to cover and the Braves' best baseball might already be behind them. It might be time to swallow hard and become a seller.
One of the complaints about interleague baseball is that, with a few exceptions, the games are between teams with no historical rivalry which means less games between teams that do have such background to their meetings. On the surface this week's series between the Royals and the Rockies would fit the bill unless the thought of Clint Hurdle managing against the team he played against boils your potatoes.
Leave it to those two rapscallions, Ramon Ramirez and Yorvit Torrealba, to gin up some controversy where none existed. The Denver Post reports that the two players had a conversation before Ramirez walked Torrealba on four pitches in the ninth inning, a couple of which appeared to be in the general direction of the catcher's head and back.
Ramirez insisted afterward that the ball was wet from perspiration, saying "it slipped." Torrealba wasn't buying it. He said he was prepared for Ramirez to throw at him, though he wouldn't reveal why. "Ask him. It's all good," Torrealba said. "Every time I talk about stuff, I get fined or suspended."
Ramirez was traded by Colorado before the season and some Rockies said that he told them he was going to do some drilling when the two teams met. He pitched Monday and in the eighth inning on Tuesday without incident, however. We'll see if the two teams continue bucking for inclusion in our next edition of Old Boss, New Boss this evening.
"It was just out of frustration," he said Tuesday. "It was really stupid. It was not a good decision on my part. But it happened and you've got to deal with whatever it is that comes after that."
Kemp may be contrite, but he's still appealing the suspension. That's pretty much just a formality, though, since doing it allows him to play in the series that starts today against the Cubs. The Rockies are off today, so it's not clear if Torrealba will appeal or not, but it's customary for most players to appeal these things until the timing works out best.
MLB has already scrubbed most videos of the fight off the English-speaking tubes, but this Italian site is still showing it, in case you've somehow managed not to turn on a TV this week and see it a dozen times over.
I can understand the frustration that the Dodgers and Rockies must be feeling right now. The Rockies have followed up their World Series berth with a competition against the Mariners for worst team in the league, and matters haven't been helped much by injuries to Troy Tulowitzki and Matt Holiday.
For the Dodgers, they've lost nine of their last 12 games, and have about $50 million in payroll sitting on the disabled list right now. So when two teams who have a lot to be pissed off about face each other, sometimes, the littlest things can set one of those teams off.
In this case, that littlest thing was Matt Kemp being tagged out by Yorvit Torrealba after a dropped third strike. The anger Kemp felt after such an insult was so great, apparently, that it completely erased any sound from existence. (Via Walkoff Walk)
Just about every time you hear word of a sports transaction it's followed by a reminder that the deal is pending the player's successful passage of a physical. Usually that's a formality but, every now and then, you hear that a player fails and the deal falls apart.
One of those failures was in November when a seemingly done deal between Yorvit Torrealba and the Mets fell apart at the last minute. The Mets never publicly said what happened but all reports pointed to Torrealba's right shoulder as the reason for their change of heart. That hasn't sat well with the Rockie catcher or his agent so they've filed a grievance against the Mets for pulling the $14.4 million offer after a term sheet was signed.
Torrealba returned to the Rockies on a two-year, $7.25 million deal, with a mutual option for $4 million. The grievance will center on Torrealba's potential lost income. Even if the Rockies exercise his option, Torrealba stands to lose $3.15 million.
Now, my legal education may consist of a video shown before serving jury duty some years ago but term sheets and contracts aren't the same thing. Unless the Mets are using some real cut-rate attorneys, I'd guess that one of the terms they insisted on including was Torrealba's ability to pass a physical. Short of reneging on a signed contract, which the Mets aren't accused of, I don't see much justification for his aggrieved status.
Extra inning games are weird. When they first get going, you want to see some sort of resolution so you can go to sleep. But as a game goes to 15, 16, 17 innings and so forth, the masochist in me always comes out and hopes that the game hits that magic threshold of 20 innings ... even though I have to get up early the next morning to go to work.
The Rockies and Padres have hit that magic threshold for me ... and then some. The teams played a 22 -inning extravaganza which finally ended after Troy Tulowitzki drove home Willy Taveras with an RBI double off of Glendon Rusch on an 0-2 count. Taveras had reached with two outs and nobody on when Khalil Greene's throw from short pulled Tony Clark off the bag. Taveras then went to third on a stolen base and an error in front of Tulo's double. Of course it would have to be an unearned run that would win the game ... which finally ended at 4:21 AM ET after six hours and 16 minutes when Kip Wells struck out opposing pitcher Rusch looking.
Amazingly, both catchers, Josh Bard and Yorvit Torrealba, caught the entire game. And both teams now have to travel for Friday night games ... the Rockies go to Houston, and the Padres go to Arizona. Hopefully, Rockies announcer George Frazier will make it to the next game with his sanity, as he spent his time between innings on pizza runs, scrounging for food in adjacent luxury boxes, and contemplated sending their on-field reporter out for food in the 21st inning.
Yorvit Torrealba has had himself a bit of a tumultuous month or two. After an historic World Series run with the Rockies, Torrealba hopped into free agency and fielded serious offers from the New York Mets. In all, Torrealba -- a thoroughly mediocre player -- looked set to go make a pretty penny for his mediocrity.
Alas, it was not to be. The Mets went in a different direction by unloading Guillermo Mota to the Brewers for Johnny Estrada, and Yorvit was left on the outside looking in. Now, he's accepting his fate; he'll re-sign with the Rockies:
Yorvit Torrealba is staying in Colorado, agreeing Thursday to a two-year deal worth about $7 million with a mutual option for 2010.
Torrealba, who filed for free agency after helping the Rockies reach the World Series, was set to sign a three-year contract for about twice the money with the New York Mets this month. The Rockies got back into the mix when that deal fell apart and the Mets traded for Johnny Estrada instead.
Ouch. Torrealba could have been making oh, $15 million or so, and now he's back in Colorado for half that price. I'm sure he likes being in Colorado and all ... but probably not more than an extra $8 million. Ouch.
Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.
With the trade deadline right around the corner, our MLB editor brings you the top five rumors every day until July 31.
One of the complaints about interleague baseball is that, with a few exceptions, the games are between teams with no historical rivalry which means less games between teams that do have such background to their meetings. On the surface this week's series between the Royals and the Rockies would fit the bill unless the thought of 
Just about every time you hear word of a sports transaction it's followed by a reminder that the deal is pending the player's successful passage of a physical. Usually that's a formality but, every now and then, you hear that a player fails and the deal falls apart. 
