Rockies acquire pitcher Wilton Lopez

The Colorado Rockies are acquiring righty Wilton Lopez in a trade with the Houston Astros, in exchange for pitchers Alex White and Alex Gillingham, according to a tweet from the club's official feed. The Rockies are also getting a player to be named later or cash considerations.

A priority for the Rockies during this offseason is pitching; and despite the fact team executives have repeatedly said their answers might come from within the organization, they are also trying to add pitching help via trades. Lopez fits the bill as a proven setup man, something badly needed in a bullpen which has lacked a consistent presence in that department. Anyone who watched the Rockies last season will remember the piggyback relievers which took the mound during the short-lived four-man rotation experiment.

However, there are questions regarding the 29-year-old's health. He was close to joining the Phillies last month before the deal was called off. Lopez had a 2.17 ERA in 66⅓ innings of work with Houston, with 54 strikeouts and 10 saves.

Lopez would be mostly seen as setting up the stage for Rafael Betancourt, who saved 31 games for the Rockies last year.

This article originally appeared at Baseball Nation.