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Rockies, Embree agree to one-year deal

By Tracy Ringolsby, Rocky Mountain News

Published December 13, 2008 at 12:20 p.m.

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The Rockies will be the 10th major league team for 15-year veteran Alan Embree.

Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images

The Rockies will be the 10th major league team for 15-year veteran Alan Embree.

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The Rockies answered their need for a late-inning, left-handed reliever Saturday, formally announcing a one-year deal with Alan Embree.

The Rockies also re-signed infielder Jonathan Herrera to a minor league contract and issued him an invitation to big-league spring training.

The Rockies now can turn their attention to working out final details on re-signing left-handed pitcher Glendon Rusch and also can explore starting pitchers Chris Capuano, a left-hander from Milwaukee, and Tim Redding, a right-hander from Washington, both of whom became free agents when they weren’t offered contracts Friday.

Herrera and outfielder Willy Taveras weren’t tendered contracts by the Rockies on Friday, becoming free agents. Taveras is negotiating with Washington, which continues to have concerns about stress fractrures in his legs that kept him from playing the final week of the 2008 season.

Embree, 38, signed a $2 million deal that includes a $250,000 buyout on an option for 2010.

The 15-year big-league veteran has appeared in at least 60 games the past 10 seasons, limiting left-handed hitters to a .236 career average.

He was with Oakland in 2008, appearing in 70 games and going 2-5 with a 4.96 ERA while allowing left-handed hitters a .232 average and stranding 36 of 45 inherited runners.

The Rockies become the 10th big-league team for Embree, who previously pitched for Cleveland (1992, 1995-96), Atlanta (1997-98), Arizona (1998), San Francisco (1999-2001), the Chicago White Sox (2001), San Diego (2002, 2006), Boston (2002-05), the New York Yankees (2005) and Oakland (2007-08).

Comments

  • December 14, 2008

    8 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    salidakid writes:

    I wish Mr. Embree all the luck this year, and I understand can say the same for Mr. Redding if we can land him. This is more of the same with regard to pitching that we have all seen in the past. Since none of us truly know the operating costs, of the Rockies, we can only speculate. I for one do not believe we are the "little sisters of the poor". I have come to think the ownership simply might not be suited for the rigors of modern day sports ownership.We here in the Rocky Mountain region can run with the big dogs, we can have Beimel or maybe even Penny and or be just as agressive as most others with regard to aquiring quality pitching, anyone who has watched any types of sports knows winning cures everything, even this supposed mid market b.s.

  • December 15, 2008

    10:35 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    denverjohn writes:

    Salidakid is right on. Chicken or the egg….we can compete and trade/keep/sign tier 1 ballplayers but we don’t because of the Rockies self imposed restrictions. We could lead all of baseball AGAIN in attendance if we field a consistently competitive product. No, all you Rockies apologists, I don’t expect them to spend over 100 million a year on payroll but I grow weary of these retreads they run out every year in the bullpen and back end of the rotation. Diving into the numbers since 1999….the Rockies finished 5th, 4th, 5th, 4th, 4th, 5th, 5th, 2nd, 3rd. So one glorious year in the last 10 the Rockies have rewarded their fans with a respectable contending product. The other years they finished an AVERAGE of 19.5 games out of first. Not acceptable

  • December 16, 2008

    11:31 a.m.

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    arvada_mark writes:

    Can we call him Gramps? I can't believe this is our answer for the Brothers Monfort ushering B-Fuent out the door. Embree may have thrown in 70 games last year, but that still only equates to 61 innings & some change. He also gave up 36 runs on 59 hits. 30 walks, too. After a review of his career stats, I now know why he is still playing after 19 seasons. He's never thrown more than 68 innings in any single season. I also think it is worth pointing out that the Rox, our team, have just gutted a team that has lost over 170 games the past 2 seasons (the A's also just offered a $40mil multi-year deal to a free agent, so it can be done). And let's not foreget the AL West is pretty much the worst division in baseball. 172 losses, Brothers Monfort...is this what we can expect the next 2 years? And then what, we see which perrenial loser wants to give us their underachieving/contract expiring talent for our best player...part Deaux? I'm with the other guy, I still hope he does well...I just highly doubt it. The team has not gotten better this off-season. And I don't see where all of this salary dumping is puting us in position to go after top shelf talent even next off-season.

    Quoting the grounds crewman from Major League, "They're horrible."

  • December 16, 2008

    12:20 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    salidakid writes:

    Dismal stat's arvada_mark and no doubt accurate, Cleveland also just made a big investment with regard to their fan base. The rockie ownership I think was born in Greeley or at least have lived there awhile. My point is, how little they understand the zeal of area fans, show us a contenter, and the whole area will be in your corner. I will dig a little deeper in my wallet, as will most area fans.

  • December 16, 2008

    5:07 p.m.

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    wharfratg writes:

    denverjohn wrote: We could lead all of baseball AGAIN in attendance if we field a consistently competitive product.

    I think you might be dreaming there, John. If the annual attendance only rises to 2.6 million (avg. 32K per game) the year after going to the World Series, you could probably realistically expect attendance to fluctuate between 25K and 35K per game, depending upon product quality and competitiveness down the stretch. I'll bet you a bobblehead that the Rox will never lead baseball attendance again our lifetimes, no matter how good they are or who the owners are. Sure, we have great fans but we're talking 81 home games per year, not eight. The novelty of baseball in Colorado has worn off and we're down to the true fans and a normal number of bandwagoners.

  • December 17, 2008

    8:53 a.m.

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    denverjohn writes:

    Hmm, not sure about your contention that the “novelty of baseball has worn off” wharfratg. We may have to agree to disagree on this one because I don’t think we’ll be able to test this anytime soon since the Rockies likely won’t field a consistently competitive product anytime soon (perhaps in our lifetime, ha). Keep in mind that one good year will not immediately spike your attendance 20,000 a game. The Rockies went from 28,978 per game in 2007 to 33,127 average per game this year. Leading the league might be a stretch but I do believe its realistic to be in the top 5 in baseball year in and year out with a good product.

  • December 17, 2008

    11:04 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    arvada_mark writes:

    Hockey is the only novelty sport in this city. We've been filling stadiums to watch professional baseball in Denver for several decades now. In fact, I remember once the Bears outdrew the Yankees over a 3 game weekend home stand. I don't see anything "bandwagon" in supporting the home team for so long. There's some really good baseball history here, you should read up. Great players, & some pretty good teams. The ticket sales aren't there for the Rox becasue we are tired of being pandered by ownership. You know I used to pay $26 for club level seats? Right next to the press boxes. I'm pretty sure I'd be forking out over $50 now. And the product now is certainly not twice as good...I'd go for twice as bad, though. I expect the same out of the kid making my double cheeseburger as I do from the Brothers Monfort. If you're going to do it, do it right. I mean, why would you buy a baseball team if you don't want to win? What does it say outside the Notre Dame locker room? "Play like a champion..." If we had an ownership group that played (or ran this club) like champions, I'd be back at the park for at least a game or 2 every homestand. But until then, I feel my lifelong support of professional baseball in Denver gives me the right to criticize a proven losing method of how to run a big league baseball team. Sorry Brothers Monfort, but Mr. Bowlen & Uncle Kronks have set the bar high. They want to win. The Nugs also dumped salary this off-season, but they did not do it at the cost of winning. It can be done responsibly.

  • December 17, 2008

    12:22 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    salidakid writes:

    arvada_mark is 100% correct, I for one have been watching baseball here since 1966, wharfratg implies some recent entrys to this discussion are not from "true fans". Rockie ownership have no business in sports, in this area, with this timid style of player aquistion. Also it was suggested by ownership we would recieve a top tier pitcher for Holliday, once again ownership disrespects area fans.