Ryan Shealy has never asked for a trade. He has remained unfailingly loyal to and patient with the Rockies. But with interest in the first baseman escalating, Shealy made quite an audition tape Wednesday, going 2-for-5 with two doubles.
“It was good to be back out there, but I wish I could have come through at the end,” said Shealy, who struck out with bases loaded in the ninth inning of a 6-5 loss to Pittsburgh. “It’s hard not to think about that.”
His overall performance, however, didn’t go unnoticed, particularly by American League clubs who view him as a part-time designated hitter. The Kansas City Royals and Boston Red Sox have interest and the type of bullpen reinforcements the Rockies are after.
According to ESPN, the Red Sox are in conversations about sending third baseman Mike Lowell to San Diego for pitching help. If that happened, Kevin Youkilis would move to third, leaving Boston with an opening at first.
The Royals have discussed relievers Elmer Dessens and Jeremy Affeldt with the Rockies. The Red Sox like Shealy’s potential. They have offered minor-league pitcher Abe Alvarez in the past, but the Rockies wanted more.
The teams also could connect Shealy to a larger deal with other teams since they have discussed exchanging relievers – with Ray King going to Boston for Rudy Seanez or Julian Tavarez. The growing opinion from some executives contacted Thursday was King would soon be dealt.
After designating Shea Hillenbrand for assignment Wednesday, the Toronto Blue Jays also will continue monitoring Shealy’s situation. Other teams known to be interested include the San Francisco Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates.
Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd has said he’s willing to hold onto Shealy until the offseason if he doesn’t receive fair value in return.
Tough break
Rockies reliever Jose Mesa was disappointed to learn that the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Craig Counsell is out for at least a month with a cracked rib. Counsell traced the injury to a Mesa fastball that hit him July 9, though he doesn’t blame the reliever. The pain became unbearable last Friday when he swung at a pitch.
“I wasn’t sure exactly where I hit him. It’s tough when you hear somebody’s out,” Mesa said. “There’s nothing you can do about it, though. You have to pitch inside or you won’t be in the big leagues.”
