http://colorado.rockies.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb...t=.jsp&c_id=colHelton going nowhere; Jennings unlikely
Deadline passes on first baseman as GM ponders righty
By Thomas Harding / MLB.com
Rockies general manager Dan O'Dowd faced a deadline on Wednesday so crucial that ...
Well, he didn't even know it existed.
First baseman Todd Helton had until Wednesday to inform the club that he would opt out of the final four years of his current contract at the end of the 2007 season. But there was no thought of Helton opting out of his contract -- which would involve walking away from $73.5 million from 2008-11.
Helton has battled chronic back trouble and a calf muscle pull in 2005, and a serious stomach ailment in 2006, and has been unable to put up the monster numbers that are expected when someone is so highly paid. But Helton has been loyal to the Rockies as they've retooled with youth, and the club trusts him to contribute big when healthy.
"I didn't know about the deadline until [reporters] came to me about it yesterday," O'Dowd said from Naples, Fla., where he is attending Major League Baseball General Managers Meetings. "He's been great for the franchise."
O'Dowd added that he isn't under any type of pressure in his dealings with the club's No. 1 pitcher, right-hander Jason Jennings. The Rockies picked up his $5.5 million option for 2007 but would like to sign him beyond that, rather than risk losing him via free agency after the season.
That has led to the logical step of the Rockies listening to other teams interested in trading for Jennings. However, O'Dowd said it's too early for him to know how much interest there is in Jennings, and the priority is negotiating with Jennings and his agent, Casey Close.
"We have Jason signed through this year," O'Dowd said. "There's no sense of urgency about it at all."
Jennings has proven the ability to pitch at Coors Field and be a workhorse, but the unknown is whether Jennings is more valuable to the club in purple pinstripes or in acquiring multiple players in a deal.
The Jennings market could become crystallized at the Winter Meetings next month in Orlando, or it could be an issue the Rockies revisit at the in-season trading deadline.
The attention given to Jennings raises another issue for the mostly homegrown Rockies. Will they need to trade one of their homegrown talents for multiple players to quicken their building efforts?
In addition to figuring out how to deal with Jennings' pending free agency, the Rockies have All-Star left fielder Matt Holliday eligible for arbitration this winter and for the following winters. The price could rise in what are expected to be year-to-year negotiations with Holliday and his agent, Scott Boras, who is noted for negotiating big contracts. Third baseman Garrett Atkins, coming off a strong 2006, will be arbitration-eligible next winter.
For now, O'Dowd said they'll just "see where the process ends up," but the prospects are intriguing.
In other developments: GMs are expected to discuss an idea to have all teams adopt uniform standards in the storing of baseballs. The Rockies have stored them in a so-called "humidor" to combat the effects of Colorado's atmosphere, and MLB officials believe that a uniform standard is a good idea. O'Dowd said changes in baseball sometimes move "at a glacial pace" but it's a good idea to preserve "the integrity of the ball." ... O'Dowd said he didn't expect any major decision regarding the limited use of instant replay, but there is sentiment to try to find a way to use it without destroying the pace of the game. ... With many high-priced players setting the market, and with the Rockies only expected to modestly increase their payroll, they expect more movement toward signing free agents at the Winter Meetings than now.
Thomas Harding is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.