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Rockies make it clear: Atkins is their man

Tracy Ringolsby, Rocky Mountain News

Published November 7, 2007 at midnight

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ORLANDO, Fla. — So much for the curiosity about who's on third for the Rockies.

General manager Dan O'Dowd, admitting there have been inquiries from other teams about third baseman Garrett Atkins, said Wednesday he has declined to get involved in trade discussions.

"He is one of the better corner bats in the major leagues," O'Dowd said. "He is still young and hasn't reached his ceiling. We see him getting better."

Speculation was Atkins, 28, would be dealt during the offseason to make room for third-base prospect Ian Stewart. Philadelphia and Minnesota showed strong interest in Atkins, and there was an expectation the Yankees, Dodgers and Angels would inquire.

But O'Dowd said the organization is comfortable giving Stewart a second season with Triple-A Colorado Springs, where he hit .304 with 15 home runs and 65 RBI in 112 games last season. Stewart also will be in the mix at second base during spring training if the Rockies don't re-sign Kazuo Matsui.

Atkins was happy to hear he is not on the market. He has proved to be valuable offensively, having batted .306 with 320 RBI in three full major league seasons. He is coming off two straight seasons in which he hit better than .300 with more than 100 RBI and 25 or more home runs.

He was a big part of the Rockies' late-season surge, hitting .389 from Sept. 1 to the end of the regular season, and .349 after the All-Star break.

"Obviously, I'm happy to hear that they want to stick with me and be the third baseman," Atkins said by phone. "I'm glad to feel a part of the Rockies organization. You never want to go somewhere else when you are with a team that has won. We got to the World Series and I feel we can do it again.

"On another team, you don't know where you are going. You don't know what opportunity that team will have. Here, I know the guys, and we know what we are capable of doing."

FREE-AGENT OFFERS: The Rockies have made two-year offers to Matsui and catcher Yorvit Torrealba and are waiting to hear back on their one-year proposal to right-handed pitcher Matt Herges.

The Rockies will look to replace Matsui internally if he doesn't re-sign, and O'Dowd realizes building a bullpen is a long-term effort.

Herges filed for free agency Wednesday. Torrealba's strongest potential suitor is expected to be Florida.

"In certain cases, we have laid our cards on the table and when the bell rings on Tuesday, we will extend our search, and if we get something done with someone else, we will move on," O'Dowd said of his approach to re-signing free agents. "Our first desire is to bring back our players, but we can't wait and have the market disappear, either."

CATCHING ON: O'Dowd confirmed that if Torrealba is not signed by Tuesday, when teams can begin discussing financial terms with free agents from other clubs, the Rockies will begin pursuing other free-agent catchers.

The main targets will be Michael Barrett, who has the biggest potential for offensive impact, and veteran Jason Kendall.

Ideally, the Rockies would sign Torrealba, Kendall or Barrett to be the primary catcher, then give Chris Iannetta a chance to play regularly for Triple-A Colorado Springs with the expectation he could take over at the major league level in 2009.

Rushed to the majors in 2007, he was the Rockies' Opening Day catcher but struggled early and then appeared sporadically.

Iannetta planned to play for Licey in the Dominican Republic winter league but had to back out after surgery to remove a bone spur from his right hand. It is expected to take six to eight weeks for that to heal.

OVERHEARD: The Rockies are looking for left-handed pitching help from Japan, where the top free-agent possibility is Hitoki Iwase of the Chunichi Dragons. But he would seem out of the Rockies' price range. The top closer in Japan, Iwase has recorded at least 40 saves each of the past three years and has a career 1.97 ERA. The Yankees reportedly have shown interest in the 33-year-old pitcher.

A more likely possibility would be Kazuo Fukumori, who pitched for the Tokyo Rakuten Golden Eagles.

Detroit approached the Rockies about left-handed reliever Brian Fuentes, but the Tigers don't seem to have enough to offer. If Fuentes stays, he likely will open the season handling eighth- inning chores. Cleveland, Milwaukee, Philadelphia and the Mets are among the teams with interest in Fuentes.

There is a growing feeling former Rockies right-hander Jason Jennings might have interest in returning, but his preference is to work out a deal with San Diego.