The Rockies were never in the hunt for a marquee, free-agent starting pitcher. Instead, they dealt for innings-eating right-hander Jason Marquis, completing a trade with the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday. In exchange, the Rockies shipped right-handed reliever Luis Vizcaino to the Cubs.
Marquis, 30, is not an ace, but the Rockies are counting on him to add stability to the back of the rotation. He welcomes the challenge.
“I’m an aggressive, go-at-them guy,” Marquis said Tuesday from his home in Staten Island, N.Y. “I want the ball every fifth day, I want the challenge of that, and I promise I’ll leave it all on the field.”
In two seasons with the Cubs, Marquis was 23-18. He went 11-9 with a 4.53 ERA last season, pitching 167 innings, the fifth consecutive season he racked up at least that many innings.
Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd had dinner with Marquis and his wife, Debbie, on Monday night in New York. O’Dowd came away impressed.
“We wanted to find a guy who was durable and knows how to pitch,” O’Dowd said. “Of course, we’ll know more in six months, but I think Jason can help us.”
Marquis calls his two-seam, sinking fastball his “bread-and-butter” pitch. He thinks it will serve him well at Coors Field, where he is 3-0 with a 2.51 ERA in five career games.
“I feel comfortable pitching anywhere, but I guess me and Aaron Cook can get together and work on our sinkers,” Marquis said.
Marquis was entering the final year of a three-year contract he signed with the Cubs in 2006. He will make $9.875 million this year, with the Cubs expected to pay $875,000 of that.
“I would have liked to have fulfilled the final year of my contract with the Cubs, because I signed a three-year deal intending to complete it in Chicago,” Marquis said. “But I understand this is a business, and for whatever reason, the Cubs went in a different direction. I’m excited about this because I think the Rockies are a good, young team.”
Footnotes.
Marcus Giles, who lost out on his bid for the Rockies’ second-base job last spring, signed a $600,000 minor-league deal with the Phillies. . . . One-time Rockies Triple-A outfielder Alexis Gomez signed with the Tigers on a minor-league contract.
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com
Vital signs
A snapshot of new Rockies starting pitcher Jason Marquis:
Age: 30
Height: 6-1
Weight: 210
Throws: Right
Bats: Left
Career record: 79-70, 4.55 ERA with Braves, Cardinals and Cubs
2008 season: 11-9, 4.53 ERA with Cubs
Best pitch: Two-seam, sinking fastball (low to mid-90s)
Bonus: Good athlete with a .206 career batting average, with five home runs and 40 RBIs in 441 at-bats. Owns a .231 career pinch-hit average.
Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post
This article has been corrected in this online archive. Originally, it had an incorrect update for Alexis Gomez, who has signed with the Tigers.
