After the middle of March it's almost impossible to get a fair return when you're the team trying to unload an extra player as most teams figure they could get the same player or somebody similar for free if they just wait a week or two for the end of Spring roster crunch. I think the team's been too slow to commit to players in the Spring, leaving them in a weak position when it comes to retaining value of departing players.

I don't think the Rockies have to decide on the Carroll PTBNL until June, possibly clearing the way for them to trade for a 2007 draft pick or short-season player from Cleveland.

I've been scouring Cleveland sites for the past month as well as ours, with nothing coming of it yet. From what I do know, tthe delay has nothing to do with waiting for service time restrictions as the player that will be returning will be higher up in Cleveland's system than a 2007 draftee. Personally, I was wondering if it might have been more similar to this case, that the Rockies were waiting for a player to clear waivers, but that didn't transpire either.

Parts of the last four at the MLB level to little success. He is now with his fifth organization. He is out of options or it wouldn't have required him to go through waivers to get to the Rockies. In sum, he's no longer a prospect, but he's crossed over into that Jack Cust lottery ticket real. Whatever team he's on if he clicks and finds consistent control will get a big payout, but until it actually happens, he's just going to bounce around with little to no value. Every year the epiphany doesn't happen, it becomes less likely, and ten seasons is probably already too long to wait. Ramirez was more certain to have value, it's why the Rockies had to trade him as there was no way he'd have gone through waivers like De La Rosa.