His team making a push in the National League West and in need of more offense, Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd made an aggressive play for Boston center fielder Coco Crisp.
The Red Sox wanted Ryan Shealy and one of the Rockies’ frontline starters. The Crisp quest quietly ended, leaving O’Dowd netting two appetizing arms instead – Kansas City’s Jeremy Affeldt and Denny Bautista – in exchange for Shealy, a first baseman, and Triple-A reliever Scott Dohmann.
“We got two arms with high ceilings,” O’Dowd said. “And we didn’t think the market was going to get better for Shealy this winter.”
Interest in Shealy escalated the past two weeks with as many as seven teams regularly inquiring about him. The Rockies coveted Affeldt and will insert the 27-year-old into the bullpen – where he excelled for the Royals, posting a 2.96 ERA in 27 1/3 innings.
“The last time he pitched for us in relief he hit 97 miles per hour. I think he will help them,” said Royals pitching coach Bob McClure, who taught Affeldt a cut fastball during spring training. “We have some (pitching) depth and need to add position players.”
Affeldt called the Rockies a good fit, having grown up in the mountains of Washington.
“I don’t feel like I’ve reached my potential, and that’s my fault. Sometimes you just need a fresh start,” said Affeldt, whose arrival allowed the Rockies to switch back to a seven-man bullpen.
The trade would not have been consummated, however, if Bautista had not been included. As one scout put it, Bautista, 25, is capable of looking like a No. 1 starter on one night, while struggling to get an out the next. He will join the Triple-A rotation at Colorado Springs, though there’s a chance he could become a full-time reliever.
His car his suitcase if not home for the past two weeks, Shealy, 26, welcomed the closure, his name churning through the rumor mill for a year.
“It’s bittersweet because the Rockies were so great to me and I have a lot of friends there,” Shealy said. “But at the same time as a player all you can ask for is an opportunity, and I am going to get that here.”
The Royals plan to use Shealy at first base and as a designated hitter, while inserting Dohmann immediately into their bullpen.
Ardoin eager to help
Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said catcher Danny Ardoin’s return would solidify the team’s defense behind the plate. But Ardoin vowed to produce offensively, too.
“I just want to contribute any way I can,” Ardoin said. “I’ll do that at the plate when I can.”
Ardoin was hitting .191 in 30 games before spraining his left knee May 24 against the Dodgers. He struggled to drive in runs, posting just two RBIs, while going 1-for-30 with runners in scoring position. He hit .267 in his Triple-A rehab assignment.
Footnotes
Double-A shortstop prospect Troy Tulowitzki landed on the minor-leagues’ seven-day disabled list (retroactive to Saturday) after getting hit by a pitch and suffering a bruised hand Saturday during the Tulsa Drillers’ game in Springfield, Mo. X-rays showed no broken bones. … Hurdle made good on his promise to start giving players some rest by starting Luis Gonzalez in right field, instead of Brad Hawpe, with lefty Chris Capuano on the mound.
Third baseman Garrett Atkins continues to wield a hot bat. His 418-foot homer to left field to open the third inning was his fourth homer in his past 11 games, and his 15th homer this season.
Atkins has reached base safely via a hit, walk or hit-by-pitch in 25 consecutive games overall and in 33 straight at Coors Field. He entered Monday batting .361 in his past 16 games, raising his average from .305 to .314.
CLIMBING THE CHARTS: Jason Jennings’ past two starts have him mixing with good company. Jennings’ ERA over the past two games is 1.13, dropping his overall ERA from 3.88 to 3.58. That ranks him 11th in the National League, a percentage point ahead of the Mets’ Pedro Martinez.
SMALL BALL: Heading into Monday, the Rockies led the majors with 76 sacrifice bunts, 19 more than Houston’s total. The 76 sacrifice bunts are the seventh-most in a Rockies history, with 57 games left in the season.
