Rockies, Hawpe near deal; Atkins in fold

By Tracy Ringolsby, Rocky Mountain News

Published February 11, 2008 at 11:17 a.m.
Updated February 11, 2008 at 4:32 p.m.

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Photo by Joe Mahoney

Right fielder Brad Hawpe will have a base salary of $3,962,500 when he finalizes his deal with the Rockies.

The Rockies have alleviated two of their three potential arbitration cases, having reached agreement on a one-year deal with third baseman Garrett Atkins and needing only to finalize a similar contract for right fielder Brad Hawpe.

Talks on a deal for reliever Brian Fuentes, however, hit a stalemate, and both sides are ready to take their cases in front of a three-person arbitration panel in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, the day before Rockies pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to spring training.

Fuentes, an All-Star as a closer the last three years, who was replaced in the ninth-inning role by Manny Corpas the second half of last season, is seeking $6.5 million, and the Rockies offered $5.05 million.

The two sides are arguing dramatically different cases, Fuentes’ representatives seeking a deal commiserate with what a closer is paid, and the Rockies contending that while Fuentes has pitched well he is a setup man, which sets a different salary scale.

Atkins and Hawpe both settled for the midpoint between the arbitration figure they asked for and what the Rockies offered. They were both first-time arbitration eligible.

Atkins, who earned $400,000 last year, agreed to a deal worth $4.38 million with a possibility to add up to $92,5000 from incentives for plate appearances and postseason awards.

Atkins said he has interest in a possible multi-year deal, “but at this point it’s a one-year agreement. There are bigger issues (Fuentes) for the Rockies to deal with right now.”

Hawpe, who was paid $403,000 last season, will have a base salary of $3.73 million.

“My agent and I have both been in transit so we haven’t had a chance to talk the last two days,” Hawpe said.

The Rockies, meanwhile, continue to show interest in free agent pitchers Livan Hernandez and Josh Fogg, neither of whom has agreed to a contract despite the onset of spring training this week.

Fogg turned down a one-year, $5 million offer from the Rockies, and since then the Rockies used that money to sign Kip Wells ($3.1 million), Mark Redman ($1 million) and Josh Towers ($400,000), which makes it unlikely they would come close to a similar offer at this late date.

They also are limited in what they can offer Hernandez, who had expected to sign with the Mets until they traded for Johan Santana, but reportedly has several offers with base salaries of $4 million and more than $2 million in reachable incentives base don innings pitched.

• February 11, 2008

  1:46 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Longshanks writes:

  I think they meant to say $3.74 million. Hawpe was only asking for $4.35 million, so unless they decided to just get awfully generous, that $4.74 million figure doesn't make much sense...

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