After weeks of watching the Colorado Rockies bring on mostly young and relatively inexpensive arms to hopefully bolster their pitching prowess, and a bout of mild depression over the non-tender of one of my favorites—Ryan Spilborghs—general manager Dan O’Dowd finally laid down some big bucks for an outfielder with a name, a big bat and the versatility to fit into a number of positions.

According to a Dec. 16 Denver Post article, the Rockies reached a three-year, $30 million agreement with former Minnesota Twins outfielder Michael Cuddyer. Though the team had expressed interest in Cuddyer at the end of last season, it found itself in a pool of other interested teams, including Philadelphia and Seattle. The acquisition wasn’t possible until $9 million was cleared off this year’s payroll with the trades of reliever Huston Street and third baseman Ian Stewart, the Post reported.

Cuddyer, 32, hit .284 last season, with 20 home runs and 70 RBIs. A first-round pick by the Twins in 1997, the new father of twin girls was offered $25 million to remain with the Twins, according to a Dec. 16 article from Yahoo! Sports. In his career, Cuddyer has played both corner outfield and corner infield positions, as well as second base.

One of the best endorsements I’ve seen of the Rockies’ willingness to take a chance on Cuddyer came from Mr. Big Bat himself, Troy Tulowitzki. In a Dec. 15 interview for the Denver Post, Tulowitzki said that it would be “huge” to get another bat and that he’s heard nothing but good things about Cuddyer.

Let’s hope Tulo is right and that this deal is, in fact, huge—$30 million huge. Best in the National League huge. Because it’s about time for that kind of huge.

Susan Culver-Graybeal is a longtime resident of the highly elevated land where the Colorado Rockies play.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

The Philadelphia Phillies acquired
Ty Wigginton from the Colorado Rockies, adding a versatile
player to a team that will start the Major League Baseball
season with at least one All-Star on the disabled list.

The Rockies will receive either a player to be named or
cash for the 34-year-old infielder, the Phillies said on their
website. Philadelphia, which has won the National League East
division title for last five seasons, will pay him half of the
$4 million he is owed in the final year of his contract,
according to MLB.com, which didn’t list the source of its
information.

Wigginton played at least 20 games each at first base,
third base and left field last season. The Phillies’ starting
first baseman, three-time All-Star, Ryan Howard, will begin the
2012 campaign on the disabled list recovering from a torn
Achilles tendon, the team said on its website. Third baseman
Placido Polanco may also be sidelined as he recovers from
sports-hernia surgery.

Wigginton has hit .265 with 158 home runs and 548 runs
batted in during a 10-year career that began in 2002 with the
New York Mets. Last year, his only season in Colorado, he hit a
career-low .242 with 15 home runs and 52 runs scored.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Eben Novy-Williams in New York at
enovywilliam@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Michael Sillup at
msillup@bloomberg.net

— First things first: what about second base?

The Rockies will have a new starting second baseman after losing Mark Ellis to the Dodgers on Monday. Ellis signed a two-year, $8.75-million deal with the National League West rival, creating a vacancy that Colorado would ideally like to fill by signing the Braves’ Martin Prado.

The Rockies have talked with Atlanta. Multiple executives said that the Braves are still in a fact-finding stage, trying to determine what they want in return a player who could start at second or third base for the Rockies. The discussions are expected to restart at the general manager’s meetings that begin Tuesday in Milwaukee.

Atlanta has interest in left fielder Seth Smith, but is looking for a center fielder. Colorado is reluctant to trade Charlie Blackmon or Tim Wheeler and Dexter Fowler, an Atlanta native, is not available.

The Rockies’ desire to keep Ellis had limits. They were comfortable bringing him back as their starting second baseman, but were seeking a one-year deal in the neighborhood of $3-million plus, with a club option. When the Miami Marlins signed Omar Infante to a two-year, $8-million deal in September, the landscape changed, decreasing the likelihood that Ellis would return. That played out today as the veteran agreed to the Dodgers’ offer in a deal first reported by ESPN.com. The Dodgers moved quickly to replace infielder Jamey Carroll, another Rockies’ target who landed in Minnesota on a two-year, $7-million contract over the weekend.

“We had interest in both players, but we have other things going on and there is a lot of winter left,” Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd said. “We are very comfortable with our in-house options.”

If unable to acquire Prado, the Rockies have several second base candidates, including Chris Nelson, Jordan Pacheco, Jonathan Herrera and Eric Young Jr., who is playing second base this winter in Venezuela.

After being acquired from Oakland at midseason, Ellis hit .274 with 19 extra-base hits in 286 plate appearances. At 34, the Rockies view Ellis as a starter, but felt he would be more effective playing 135-140 games.

Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or

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