Bartolo Colon is a Red Sox, but does it matter?

Fat Piece of Insurance

The Boston Red Sox and former Cy Young winner Bartolo Colon have agreed to a minor league contract. The Red Sox feel that Colon may be ready to pitch in two weeks, but they did not indicate whether it would be for the major league club or in the minors. Colon is coming off an injury-plagued season, and he missed the playoffs with an inflamed shoulder. Watch for Colon to be a spot starter and middle reliever with the Sox. If Clay Buchholz and Julian Tavares have a rough start to the year, watch for Colon to make into the rotation. Stay far away from Colon unless he proves he is worth a fantasy roster spot.

Desperation

Now that Mark DeRosa may be out for a while, the Cubs need to find a starting second baseman to fill in for the ailing DeRosa. The talks with the Orioles for Brian Roberts have heated up lately. The Orioles are in the middle of a rebuilding phase and want lots of young talent. The Cubs may have to give up coveted prospects Jose Ceda or Donald Veal in the deal, both of whom the Cubs had deemed untouchable before the DeRosa situation. This deal is still weeks away from happening, but if Brian Roberts end up in Wrigley, he will be a good add to NL-only fantasy rosters.

One Deal Done, Another Crushed

On a positive note, the Colorado Rockies gave closer Manny Corpas a four-year, $8 million contract extension. The deal has club options and bonuses that could bring the total to $22.775 million. After taking over for the former All-Star Brian Fuentes last July, Corpas saved 19 games and had a stellar ERA of 2.08. Corpas was also very good in the playoffs where he went 1-0 with a 0.87 ERA in nine appearances. Watch for Corpas to save between 30-40 games. His save total is completely dependant on the offense. If the offense scores like it did last year down the stretch then Corpas may not have many chances. Corpas is one of the top closers in the NL and would be a solid fantasy closer.

The Rockies have decided not to bring back veteran second baseman Neifi Perez. The two sides had a minor league contract in place but the Rockies do not feel that Perez is a good fit for the team. Perez still has 18 games remaining on his 80-game suspension for violating the league substance abuse policy. Since Perez left the Rockies in 2000, has traveled from team to team looking for a good fit.

The Rumor Mill

• Freddy Garcia has received interest from a few teams, but he remains unsigned. The Red Sox and Mets are among the teams interested in Garcia. Garcia is recovering from season ending rotator cuff surgery, and will likely miss the first half of the season. If the Mets are to sign Garcia, they will try to find a place to dump Orlando Hernandez. The Red Sox would like to add some depth to their rotation for the second half. If the Sox can add Garcia, they will have eight or nine starters for the playoff run.

• Kyle Lohse is still a free agent and there has not been much interest in him recently. Lohse is one of the only healthy starting pitchers left on the market but his asking price is too high for any team to take a chance on a mediocre pitcher. The Mets have shown interest, but they are only willing to offer a one-year deal, and Lohse will have nothing to do with that. The Cards and Orioles are slightly interested but the Cards have said they have enough starting pitching in camp already, and the O’s are rebuilding.

• Early reports from Monday and Tuesday were that the Tampa Bay Rays were interested in bringing controversial slugger Barry Bonds to the Bay. Later on in the week, the Rays shot down the idea, and Bonds is still looking for work.

Noteworthy News

• The St. Louis Cardinals have released utility infielder Scott Spiezio after a warrant for his arrest was issued earlier this week. Spiezio missed more than a month last season while he participated in the leagues substance abuse program.

• The Kansas City Royals have shot down all rumors concerning the clubs interest in slugger Sammy Sosa. The Royals general manager Dayton Moore says, “We’re very comfortable with the current group of players we have in camp competing for spots on our 25-man roster.”