Rockies get Mets' Matsui, sign pick

Pat Rooney, Special to the News

Published June 10, 2006 at midnight

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The big picture and immediate future might have brightened for the Colorado Rockies on Friday.

The Rockies traded Eli Marrero to the New York Mets in exchange for Japanese infielder Kaz Matsui and cash. The club also secured one of its top draft picks from the first-year player draft conducted earlier this week by agreeing to terms with 18-year old outfielder David Christensen.

Matsui will report to Class AAA Colorado Springs and will be re-evaluated after getting about a month of regular at-bats.

Christensen, selected in the second round Tuesday, took his first turn in the batting cage with manager Clint Hurdle on the mound and Todd Helton, Matt Holliday and hitting coach Duane Espy watching intently behind him.

The prospect from Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., is expected to sign and report to rookie-level Casper pending the results of his physical.

"I was definitely a little nervous at first, but the guys were real cool," said Christensen, who spurned a national letter-of-intent he had signed with the University of Miami to begin his pro career. "After the first round or so I started to settle down a little bit."

Christensen, who also was being recruited to play for Georgia Tech by Holliday's brother, Yellow Jackets hitting coach Josh Holliday, enjoyed a tour of Coors Field with his parents.

While Christensen might be one of the gems of the Rockies' future, the speedy Matsui could provide a boost before the All-Star break.

The 30-year old Matsui signed a three-year, $20.1 million contract with the Mets before the 2004 season but withered in the spotlight of the Big Apple, hitting only .256 with 11 home runs and 75 RBI in 239 games with the Mets, including a .200 average in 38 games this season.

Matsui, a former most valuable player, seven-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner in Japan, is expected to play shortstop and second base with the Sky Sox before the Rockies re-evaluate his progress.

The Mets gave the Rockies a reported $4.6 million to offset the difference between the contracts of Matsui and Marrero.

"We loved (Matsui) when he came out of Japan," Rockies general manager Dan O'Dowd said. "Obviously, he hasn't been the same player over here that we knew he was over there. We'll send him to Triple-A and see if we can get his bat going and see if he can help us at some point."

To fill Marrero's roster spot, the Rockies called up outfielder Jorge Piedra from Colorado Springs before the series opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Piedra hit .313 in 61 games with the Rockies last year but began this season on the disabled list because of a foot injury. Piedra hit .239 in 41 games with the Sky Sox but has been hot lately, going 23-for-72 (.319) in his past 21 games.

The versatile Marrero made an early splash with the Rockies with home runs in four of his first six starts but tailed off recently, finishing his Rockies tenure with only one hit in his final 22 at-bats as his opportunities dwindled with the emergence of Ryan Spilborghs the past two weeks.

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