Tracy Ringolsby looks at the relatively minor moves the Rockies have made this winter when compared to their divisional peers, and while I generally think this approach is a good one so long as our farm remains productive, I think it's also important to note that the team hasn't closed itself to making the splashy move. We've learned that the Rockies talked to the A's about Haren, and we know that our contract offer to Iguchi was comparable if not over the one that the Padres offered. Ringolsby also breaks down this Spring's positional battles, which likely boil down to second base, fifth starter, LOOGY, and two other bottom of the bullpen slots. Except for second, these are probably the roles every team should have in competition each year, so the stability is nice.
One other note about the Ringolsby article, he says that Josh Fogg and Jeremy Affeldt haven't had serious negotiations with other teams to our knowledge, but but there was word out of Cincinnati yesterday connecting Josh to the Reds.
Adam Foster at Project Prospect put up profiles of his top five Rockies prospects, Stewart, Morales, Nelson, Fowler and Reynolds. Don't forget, our own PUrple Row ProSpect list is due tonight at midnight mountain time. I'll update the thread later this morning so it moves to the top, here.
In that regard, I've been thinking the last couple of days about whether I might be underestimating Aneury Rodriguez. It's a difficult call, because on the one hand you have a K/9 rate that's very high, particularly for a nineteen year old at that level, but part of the reason that it is so high is because he allows so many hits off contact that he's got to strike out people to get through innings. We know his home park at McCormick Field inflates offensive numbers against him, and actually suppresses the K's by about ten percent. His road numbers somewhat back this up, but there still seems to be too strong of contact against him (8 HR allowed on the road) to make me really comfortable thinking of him in elite terms yet.