LEFT-HANDER FLORES ADDS BULLPEN DEPTH
No go for Joe. But the Rockies are ready for Randy. Bent on adding left-handed relief depth, Colorado signed Randy Flores to a $600,000 minor-league deal with an invitation to spring training, according to contract information obtained by The Denver Post.
The Rockies had flirted with the idea of making a run at Joe Beimel, but general manager Dan O’Dowd moved on after the asking price never came down. For Flores, this is a reunion of sorts. He made a cameo for the Rockies in 2002, compiling a 9.53 ERA in eight games, including two starts. He returned to the big leagues in 2004 with the St. Louis Cardinals, for whom he found his niche as a late-inning reliever.
He compiled a 5.26 ERA in 43 games last season for St. Louis, but posted a 4.25 mark in 70 games in 2007. He is recovering from shoulder surgery that could keep him sidelined until June, according to an ESPN report. He has protection in his contract if he recovers more quickly, permitted to leave for a spot on an active roster elsewhere if not on the Rockies’ 25-man roster by April 30. The idea is that Flores could provide lift when right, rather than trying to acquire pitching during the season, always tough to do.
Footnotes.
The Dodgers signed 10-year-veteran left-hander Eric Milton to a $650,000 minor-league deal with an invite to spring training. . . . The Mets are bringing Jose Valentin to camp. He can make $800,000 if he is on the active roster. . . . The Rockies signed pitcher Greg Reynolds to a split contract, with the right-hander scheduled to make $114,795 in the minors and $402,000 in the majors.
Troy E. Renck, The Denver Post
