Rockies Pursuing Several Lefties to Fill Holes In Bullpen

The 2007 National League Champion Colorado Rockies went to the World Series for several reasons.  Some have been more publicized than others.

One of those reasons that is often times overlooked is the strength of the bullpen down the September stretch run that landed the team in the playoffs for the first time since 1995.

That bullpen featured two lefties, Brian Fuentes and Jeremy Affeldt, who setup for then closer Manny Corpas.  The lefties could be used in certain situations or to bridge the game to Corpas.

After the World Series run, Affeldt left via free agency to the Cincinnati Reds. Fuentes went on to regain his roll as closer for the Rockies last season, but is a lost cause for the Rockies to resign, as he is looking to command roughly $10 million per year on the open market.

The team currently stands without a single left handed reliever on the 40-man roster.  This is an issue that they know that they need to address, and are on the path to doing just that over the course of the next week.

Several lefties are on the Rockies radar.  The Dodgers' Joe Beimel heads up that list.  Beimel is coming off three seasons with the Dodgers where his combined record was 11-4.  More importantly, he has only given up one home run in the last two years.  That spans 116-1/3 innings. 

The sinkerballer may be difficult for the Rox to obtain, as he is reportedly looking for a multiyear deal in the range of $5 million per year.

Others on the Rockies radar are Alan Embree, most recently with the A's, who made a name for himself when he helped the Red Sox break the Curse of the Bambino by winning the World Series.

Embree is a journeyman to say the least.  He has been with nine different teams since his career started in 1992 with the Indians.

The 38 year-old has a career 37-43 record with a 4.55 ERA in 749-1/3 innings. 

Embree would definitely be a veteran leader in the bullpen, something the Rockies will be missing with the absence of Fuentes.

Also in the mix is Brewer's free agent Brian Shouse. 

Shouse had a great year in 2008 going 5-1 with a 2.81 ERA in 51-1/3 innings pitched.  He also struck out 33 batters, while walking only 14, four of which were intentional.

The 40 year-old will be entering his ninth Major League season.

Another intriguing possibility for the Rockies is local Will Ohman. 

Ohman graduated from nearby Ponderosa High School and went on to pitch for Pepperdine University before being drafted in the eighth round of the 1998 draft by the Cubs.

After pitching for the Cubs through the 2007 season, Ohman was most recently pitching for the Braves where he posted a 4-1 record with a 3.68 ERA in 58-2/3 innings pitched, the second most of his big league career.

Of the four potential lefties that the Rockies are pursuing, Ohman may be the best option. 

Beimel may be out of the budget for the Rockies, not to mention that they are not looking to take on another reliever for multiple years after the failed signing of Luis Vizcaino.  Vizcaino signed with the Rockies last winter for a team record two-year seven-million dollar deal. 

Embree and Shouse are essentially the same pitcher.  Both journeymen who have spent time with many teams, and are either 40 years old, or closing in on it soon. 

The question has to be asked if their performance will be declining with their age.

Ohman, fits into the same basic mold, but is nearly 10 years younger, and is coming off his best year in the big leagues.  The idea of playing closer to home may be an added benefit, as well as a good bargaining chip in order to get him for somewhat less than he may get somewhere else.