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dont do it!
thats the last thing we need...more power for the sox.
If the Rockies and Red Sox can agree to a deal that would send Todd Helton to Boston, the first baseman told The Denver Post that he likely wouldn't veto the trade.
Todd Helton
First Base
Colorado Rockies
Profile
2006 SEASON STATISTICS
GM HR RBI R OBP AVG
145 15 81 94 .404 .302
Helton, who has a complete no-trade clause, wouldn't confirm that he had set a deadline for a trade to be worked out, but told The Post "yes" when asked if he would consider accepting a trade to the Red Sox.
Sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney that the Rockies are in high-level talks to trade Helton to the Red Sox in a deal that could send third baseman Mike Lowell and right-handed reliever Julian Tavarez to Colorado.
According to the Post, which first reported the talks in Saturday editions, discussions between the two clubs are set to resume Monday or Tuesday, when Rockies general manager Dan O'Dowd returns to Denver after attending to a family matter out of town.
According to major league sources, conversations between the Red Sox and Rockies actually opened last fall, and at that time, one of the sides felt that there could be an acceptable framework to make a deal.
Talks resumed at the ownership level about 10 days ago and have moved forward from there. Both sides are in virtual agreement on the dollars, with the Rockies likely responsible for slightly less than half of Helton's remaining six-year, $90.1 million guaranteed pact.
Helton's due to make $16.6 million this season (and each of the following three seasons) on a team with a projected payroll of about $55 million, something team owner Charlie Monfort has called problematic.
Monfort didn't return phone calls to The Associated Press over the weekend but he told mlb.com that Helton, who has a complete no-trade clause, has indicated he would be amenable to a trade to the Red Sox.
In the current proposal, the Red Sox would send Lowell, Tavarez and prospects to the Rockies. But the iden y of the prospects could hold up the deal: The Rockies want relief pitchers Craig Hansen and Manny Delcarmen, while the Red Sox do not want to give up either at this time.
Helton, who signed with the Rockies as a first-round pick in 1995, has starred for Colorado since 1998. He signed a nine-year, $141.5 million extension that took effect in 2003.
Lowell will earn $9 million next season, the final year of his contract. Tavarez is guaranteed $3.1 million next season with a $3.85 million option for 2008 that is guaranteed if he makes 65 appearances.
If Lowell comes to Denver, Garrett Atkins would likely move to first base, although there are other possibilities such as accelerating the arrival of 25-year-old Joe Koshansky, who has led the organization in homers the last two seasons and is projected to play first base at Triple-A Colorado Springs this year.
Koshansky hit .284 with 31 homers and 109 RBIs at Double-A Tulsa last season.
The Rockies said this winter that they were open to dealing Helton and they had discussions with the Los Angeles Angels at the winter meetings but those talks didn't go far.
After averaging 35 homers and 117 RBIs over the previous seven seasons, Helton's numbers dipped in 2005, when he hit .320 with 20 homers and 79 RBIs while he was playing with a bad back. He also made his first career trip to the disabled list with a strained calf.
An intestinal infection sent him to the DL again last May and he never regained his strength, weight or power stroke upon his return, finishing with just 15 homers, a .302 batting average and 81 RBIs.
Information from The Associated
dont do it!
thats the last thing we need...more power for the sox.
If it happens, that's one of a 3-4-5-6 twixt Manny, Ortiz, Drew and Helton. It'll be interesting to see how things play out between the Yankees and the Red Sox this year.
One thing I will say about the Rockies ownership - they appreciate their older veterans and are willing to try to get them in a good situation to win at the end of their career, especially when it can be a long term beni for the Rockies.
It'd be a good deal for the Red Sox --- but not THAT good of a deal.
Helton will be 34 next year, is coming off of his 2nd straight year where his OPS dropped almost 100 points & his 3rd straight year where his power dropped by a good margin.
And over the past 3 years, he has been a significantly lesser player away from Coors Field than he has been at home. In fact, last year he had a .780 OPS away from Coors, that is below the league average for first basemen.
It's not probable, but it's not outside the realm of possibility either that Lowell could actually post better numbers next year than Helton.
Deal died
Unfortunately
Pitching wins championships. not hitting.
Cardinals, White Sox, and many others have proved it.
I don't know how the Cardinals proved it, their pitching was very mediocre last year. Any other division and they're trying to figure out how to make up 10 games in the standings this year.
Adding Helton gives them the another guy that will take pitches and help chew up pitchers. His lifetime OBP is .430. Granted, he played half his games in that al ude but even away in his career, his OBP is .393.
The Red Sox are loaded. The American League, overall, will be fun to watch, this year.
True during the reg season, but in the playoffs, their pitching was pristine. They were batting less than .230 going into game 4 and only batted .250 for the WS. f you told me the Cards would bat .250 (Big Al .200) and win the WS, I'd wanna know what you were smoking. Pitching won the WS for them, plain and simple. Only allowed 11 runs in 5 games.
That's true, although I'm not sure anybody else can or would emulate that formula of running out a few guys who have been average to bad during the course of their careers, then getting the performances of their lives in postseason.
I would say no, however, TParks quote stating that pitching, not hitting won the Championship for the Cards is completely valid.
Doesnt matter how good it is in the regular season.
Get to the playoffs and your all good.
Pitching, wins, championships.
The cardinals hiting 221 and winning in 5 in the WS once again, PROVED it.
Thank you.
In the course of this thread, what are you trying to say? Of course you can ride a hot pitching staff to a championship. But in the past 5 years, the Red Sox and the Angels have ridden hot offenses to championships as well.
Besides, if you are using the Cardinals as an example in this thread, that basically says don't worry about your pitching in the offseason. Just hope that your division is bad enough that .500 gets you into the playoffs then a couple of guys who have been mediocre to crap throughout their careers will have the october of their lives.
Most of the time, you need a lot of pitching and offense over the course of the season to even put yourself in a position to win a championship.
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