Ellis, a 9 year veteran who has spent his entire career with the A’s, has struggled offensively this season to the tune of a .217/.253/.290 line with just one HR and 16 RBI in 233 plate appearances. Oakland’s starting second baseman for the past few seasons, Ellis’s season was interrupted by a hamstring injury. By the time he returned from the DL his starting spot had been comfortably taken over by rookie Jemile Weeks who is batting .309/.349/.469 through his first 160 career at bats. Ellis, who steadfastly believes he is still capable of being a starting second baseman, welcomed the trade in quotes passed along by the Associate Press (via ESPN):

I’ve been proud to have been a part of it for 10 years. It’s going to be tough. There’s a time in everybody’s life where this stuff happens. This just happens to be my time to move on. ….. I still see myself as an everyday second baseman and this is an opportunity to do that.

For the A’s the move makes sense, despite Ellis’s tenure with the organization. He no longer fit into their starting lineup and playing time would be limited. He will be a free agent at season’s end. He does make a manageable salary and provides clubhouse leadership, while valuable to Oakland, would be valuable to another team which potentially stood a better chance at reaching the postseason. Colorado was willing to part with Billings and a PTBNL for him to help solve one of their chief lineup concerns.

Billings has spent most of the season at Triple-A where he has pitched to a 6-2 record with a 4.47 ERA in 29 appearances (50.1 innings) out of the bullpen. He did make his Major League debut on May 27 against the St. Louis Cardinals, allowing one run over two innings of work. Presumably he’ll be assigned to Oakland’s Triple-A team initially.

Joining the Rockies should allow Ellis to step back into such a starting role despite his struggles at the plate this year, as the team has struggled to stop the revolving door they’ve had to use through the season’s first half. To date the team has used Jose Lopez, Chris Nelson, Eric Young Jr., Alfredo Amezega, Jose Morales, and Jonathan Herrera at second base. Collectively they have batted a combined .236/.291/.319 with 5 HR, 22 RBI, 8 2B, and a 2:1 K:BB ratio in 361 plate appearances.

Herrera has received the bulk of playing time at second. He got off to a strong start to the season, hitting for average and showing good speed on the basepaths. Nelson and Young have also seen time at third base and center field, in addition to second. Neither has hit consistently enough to stay in the lineup but have the potential to be solid contact hitters. Morales is a catcher by trade and only played a total of 3.0 innings at second over his two appearances. Amezega found himself back in Triple-A where he is swinging the bat well but he’s never truly impressed at any one thing over his journeyman career. Lopez started at second on Opening Day, played 38 games for the Rockies, and then was released. He is now coming off the bench for the Marlins but still struggling at the plate.

Colorado will also receive about $2 Million from the A’s, leaving them with just a $1 Million cost for Ellis’s services the remainder of the season. The deal gives them an additional veteran presence in the clubhouse and hopefully stabilizes a lineup for a team still potentially in the playoff hunt in the NL West. But, should the team falter, could the move to acquire Ellis be detrimental to the team longterm?

If the Rockies fall out of contention before mid July and subsequently trade Ellis to a contender then this is a moot point. But if the team is out of it, and they continue to start Ellis over the young options then could this stunt their development? Also, could this prevent the team from taking a serious look at this group of players – namely Herrera, Nelson, and Young – in terms of what their respective future is with the organization? Each possess certain tools that make them valuable, but none of the three have been able to produce in any capacity on a consistent basis and the organization can’t keep all three on the roster without production. These evaluations will go a long way towards determining if they are part of the 2012 team or potential trade bait this offseason in any efforts to improve going forward.

Amidst the ups and downs of playing for a small-medium market club for your

On July 22, Todd Helton became the fastest MLB player to reach 500 doubles in a career.  There have only been 49 players to previously reach the mark and 46 of them are in the Hall of Fame.  Craig Biggio, Edgar Martinez and Pete Rose are the only players from the 500 Double club to not currently be in the Hall.  Both Biggio and Martinez are not eligible yet and Rose of course is ineligible at this time.  To me this makes this club one of the most prestigious in baseball history and to be the fastest player to reach it in history is a remarkable feat. All the numbers prove that Helton should be the first Colorado Rockies player to be enshrined into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

In the era we are in today with all the acquisitions of performance enhancing drugs being used, Helton has managed to by pass all of them.  Although some remarks were made of Helton in 2007, nothing was proven.  Sure his power numbers dipped a little bit throughout the years but he also was sidelined with a pretty serious back injury which could have contributed to the decline of those stats.

The Rockies made a remarkable run in 2007 and are in the hunt for the wild card this year.  Todd has provided this team and franchise with much needed leadership and has proved to be the greatest Colorado Rockies player to date.

Throughout the years in town Helton has battled many trade rumors and skeptics.  And although the owners have managed to rid themselves of high priced players throughout the years Helton has never bad mouthed the organization.  The team has been known to lose more than win throughout Helton’s playing career and he has still played hard throughout.

Helton has been a staple for the team since 1997 at the plate and at first base.  Tallying three gold gloves and providing leadership to the organization on and off the field, Helton has helped Colorado gain notoriety as a MLB franchise.  We can only hope the baseball writers out there see it the same way. So I can only say as a fan, we hope for many more years with Helton at first, and we thank him for his contributions to date.

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Coming off a June record of 21-7 and finishing with a 10 game home

For once in this young franchise the Rockies could potentially be buyers at the trading deadline.  They are looking to move Garrett Atkins and add some back end bullpen depth to assist setting up closer Huston Street.  Many fans would love to see the Rockies make a run at Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Roy Halladay, an Arvada West alumn, they just don’t have what Toronto is looking for in the farm system in an everyday shortstop and a potential front of the rotation starter in years to come.

I can only hope that the Rockies experiment with Carlos Gonzalez as an everyday outfielder is put to rest.  While I can’t argue the team’s wins and losses while he is in the lineup, he has struggled at the plate and the Rockies have not found a solid left fielder to replace Matt Holliday.  Seth Smith and Ryan Spilborghs have played well at times. Smith has proven that he can be a good pinch hitter and provide the Rockies with a spot start.  And Spilborghs has done nothing spectacular at the plate especially against right handed pitchers.

The Rockies pitching staff has done just about everything right in the last 6 weeks.  Jim Tracy has instilled a lot of confidence in his group by allowing many of his pitchers to continue throwing late into games.  This has provided rest to much of the bullpen and has made their bullpen very strong late in games. It will be interesting to see what the Rockies do with the 5th spot in the rotation.  While De la Rosa has looked good at times, he also has been hit very hard in others. Tracy moved De la Rosa to the bullpen here in the last home-stand before the break but let’s see if he stays there.  The Rockies now have Josh Fogg and Franklin Morales in the bullpen too. Both played key roles in the franchises only World Series appearance in 2007.

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

The Rockies are looking forward to not having to match up with the Dodgers until August.  So far this year the team is 2-10 against their divisional opponent.  Although the last series in L.A. resulted in the Rockies losing 2 of 3, there were signs that the team is closer to the Dodgers than many expected.  They were shut down offensively with strong outings from the Dodgers pitching staff but their staff matched up competitively and kept them in games.  The Dodgers are going to calm down a little bit and creep back to the pack but don’t’ look for anyone to catch them in the NL West. The Giants on the other had have stayed steady during all of this.  With pitchers Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain at the front of their rotation they will battle Colorado all year for that wild card spot and currently lead by 2 games at the break.

Colorado looks to be a team that will be battling for a Wild Card spot for the rest of the year.  If their starting pitching continues to give them quality starts and their mid to bottom of their lineup guys can continue to creep up in batting average to provide more run support, this team could really do some damage.  It looks to be another run into October for this young franchise.

Looking at the 2009 Rockies is a lot like looking at the 2008 Rockies. Only with a bit more urgency attached.

Urgency in that if these Rockies don’t get off to a solid start, Clint Hurdle may not be in charge for long.

This is Hurdle’s eighth season, and for the first time, he is managing in the last year of his contract. That, plus the fact that former Dodgers/Pirates skipper Jim Tracy is part of the coaching staff, should tell you all you need to know.

The problem for Hurdle is that urgency wasn’t necessarily felt in the front office this off-season. As you may have noticed, the Rockies traded their best player – Matt Holliday – and didn’t offer their All-Star closer – Brian Fuentes – enough money to keep him from leaving through free agency for the Los Angeles Angels.

Throw in the loss of Jeff Francis to shoulder surgery, and missing are three key performers in the Rockies’ surprising run to the 2007 NL pennant. Seems longer than 17 months ago, doesn’t it?

And other than the return package for Holliday – Huston Street, Greg Smith and Carlos Gonzalez (who will start the season in Triple-A) — improvement will have to come from within.

At least much more is expected from Troy Tulowitzki and Todd Helton, both of whom suffered through injury-interrupted 2008 seasons – and the Rockies’ offense showed it.

What had been the league-leading offense in terms of on-base percentage in 2007 turned into a just-above-average, fifth-best mark in 2008. But it took more than the wide swaths of time missed by Tulo (61 games) and Helton (79 games) for the offense to fall from grace.

Garrett Atkins had a relatively down year, Willy Taveras stole 68 bases but otherwise remained miscast in Coors Field, and the revolving-door second-base situation couldn’t match Kaz Matsui’s 2007 production.

So here’s what six weeks of spring training are telling us about the 2009 season:

The good news is Helton, after working his way in slowly, has been terrific at the plate, displaying much of his old power.

Seth Smith has convinced club officials that he’s going to hit enough – nothing near Holliday-esque, but enough – to play regularly in left field.

Chris Iannetta cemented his place among the game’s top catchers with a strong World Baseball Classic showing.

Ian Stewart is forcing Hurdle to figure out ways to work him into the lineup – left field, third base, even second base. But that means there will be no room for Jeff Baker, who likely will be traded.

And Dexter Fowler’s exciting combination of skills are making the idea of him opening the season in Colorado more of a possibility (although still not likely).

The tease is this: With Fowler leading off and playing center field, the Rockies vastly upgrade their defense and speed, and deepen the bench, with Ryan Spilborghs becoming a high-quality fourth outfielder.

The risk is exposing Fowler too soon, and then having to send him back to Triple-A if he struggles at the big-league level. But at some point very soon, you’re going to see the start of the Fowler era in Coors Field.

But here’s what’s not going right, and if you think it sounds familiar, you’re correct:

Jason Marquis is the No. 3 starter behind dependable ace Aaron Cook and budding star Ubaldo Jimenez, and the Angels lit up Marquis for 10 runs in three innings the other day.

Nobody has stepped up and grabbed the fourth and fifth spots. The Rockies are counting on Jorge De La Rosa continuing to show he finally has it figured out. But the spring results haven’t been great.

Greg Smith probably will get the other spot on the strength of allowing 169 hits in 190 innings with Oakland last season, but has been slowed by two bouts of the flu this spring.

Image via Wikipedia

And we’re still waiting for Franklin Morales (inconsistent), Jason Hirsh (injured again) and Greg Reynolds, who was sent back to minor-league camp early.

The loss of Taylor Buchholz, who emerged in a setup role last season, takes away a quality late-inning option – no matter how the closer role duel between Street and Manuel Corpas turns out. Buchholz (strained elbow ligament) is expected back in mid-May.

And the April schedule does Hurdle no favors, as the Rockies will play 11 of their first 14 games on the road.

At least there isn’t much expectation for a contending club here; and that could buy Hurdle a bit more time. Then again, another sub-.500 season isn’t exactly resume-building stuff for Hurdle or GM Dan O’Dowd, who also is in the final year of his contract, but apparently under less fire.

Projected Opening Day lineup: CF Ryan Spilborghs, LF Seth Smith, 1B Todd Helton, 3B Garrett Atkins, RF Brad Hawpe, SS Troy Tulowitzki, C Chris Iannetta, 2B Clint Barmes, P Aaron Cook

UPDATE:

The late-spring roster decisions went this way:

The fourth and fifth spots in the rotation went to Jorge De La Rosa and Franklin Morales, the latter of whom won out over Greg Smith, who is a bit behind schedule due to two spring bouts with the flu.

Dexter Fowler was kept on the Opening Day roster, and the assumption has to be that the 23-year-old will get regular at-bats. Veteran Scott Podsednik and Carlos Gonzalez, part of the Holliday trade, didn’t make the club.

Ian Stewart won a reserve spot, and at least for now, so did Jeff Baker — even though both play the same set of positions: first base, second base, third base and the corner-outfield spots. They do hit from opposite sides of the plate, and figure to be key pinch hitters.

Hard-throwing rookie Juan Morillo — out of options — will be part of the bullpen.

For more from Tony, please check him out at The Examiner and NBC Sports

Like most of the NL West, the Rockies had a disappointing 2008 season going 74 and 88 after being in the World Series the previous October. On top of that, they lost second year SS Troy Tulowitzki to injury for a big part of the year, missing 61 games and 1B Todd Helton missed half the season. Unfortunately for Rox fans, 2009 doesn’t look much better after trading away All Star LF Matt Holliday to Oakland.

Holes to Fill

The bat of Holliday will need to be filled and it may not happen from any one player unless they sign Manny Ramirez and that hasn’t even been mentioned in the rumor mills as far as I can tell. They will also need to fill a hole in the OF after the signing of Taveras by the Reds. Both the infield and the bullpen look to be in better shape after the trade and a few new aquisitions.

Free Agents

The Rox have 8 players in free agency this off season. They are: RP Brian Fuentes (33, type A Free Agent) has just signed with the Los Angelas Angels of Anaheim for 2 years at $17,5K; RP Matt Herges (38); SP Livan Hernandez (33); 2B Jon Herrera (24); C Adam Melhuse (36); CF Scott Podsednik (32); RP Glendon Rusch (34); CF Willy Taveras (26) signed with Cincinnati for 2 years at $6,250K. Of those remaining unsigned, they should try to retain Herges, Melhuse and Podsednik. The rest they can afford to let go.

The Outlook

If healthy, they should have no problem improving upon their 74 wins last year, but they will probably fall short of the playoffs once again without the bat of a player like Holliday even with an improved bullpen from a year ago. The rotation could still use help, but it isn’t terrible either. I’m just not sure that it’s Coors field proof. It will probably take them 3/4 years before they recover from loosing Holliday and become a post-season threat once again.

Off Season Moves Made So Far
The Rox acquired RHP Huston Street, LHP Greg Smith and OF Carlos Gonzalez from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for OF Matt Holliday in November. Not enough if you ask me. Then in December, they signed LHP Alan Embree to a one-year contract with a mutual option for 2010, re-signed INF Jonathan Herrera to a Minor League contract and invited him to Spring Training after previously non-tendering him earlier in the month.

This is a tight division overall and anyone can easily pull ahead of the pack, but they will need to improve without costing them security in another spot on the roster (see the D’backs with trading Jose Valverde). 

1.      Diamondbacks : The difference makers here are the departure of SP Livan Hernandez and the addition of SP Dan Haren via trade from the A’s; a healthier Randy Johnson at the top of the rotation with Webb; the addition of RF Justin Upton from the minors for a full season; and the full time play of 1B Conor Jackson, no longer platooning with the veteran Tony Clark (one of the most classy guys in MLB). They may take a hit from trading their closer Jose Valverde to Houston and being replaced by either Lyon or Pena. Also, you might see improved play from C Chris Snyder in 2008 and that will only help. Chris Young needs to get on base more if they are to score more runs this year, or else move him to the # 3 spot in the line-up. Extra: Personally, what I am eager to see is if pitcher Micah Owings can continue his dominance over all other pitchers at the plate in ’08. Last year, he hit better than some position players. He may even see some time as a DH in his non-starts against the AL. 2.      Rockies : With the exception of 2B and maybe C, this is the best line-up in the NL West. What they need to dominate is a solid rotation. The bullpen, unlike most other NL bullpens, is solid. It’s what got them to the world series back in October. Holliday will be the same, which is an All Star/MVP like performance in 2008, but look also for a better year from Helton (production numbers) and Atkins who had a subpar 2007 due to his early slump and was not as productive away from Coors. 

3.      Padres : Their whole pitching staff is solid, one of the best in baseball! What they lack is power in the OF. To compete, they need another bat in the OF and Jim Edmonds to play like his old self and not like the player that he seems to be, a broken down shell of his former self. Sorry Jim, but you should be a corner OF’er at this point in your career.  

4.      Dodgers : Will Joe Torre make an immediate impact or will his superior managerial ability take time to show fruit in LA? Only time will tell. The big question mark here is who will play 3B. Short term, it looks like Tony Abreu, but the Dodger’s long term goal might not be Nomar nor LaRoche. Look for them to shop around at the deadline for a permanent replacement there. Then there’s the question of when they will trade Juan Pierre to make room for the youngster Andre Either in the OF. They will loose the speed of Pierre, but will gain a much more desirable bat in Either. Their pitching looks good if it can stay healthy, but the bullpen, outside of Saito and Broxton, could be improved upon.   5.      Giants : Although the distraction that was Barry Bonds is no longer a concern of the Giants, they still have a mountain to climb in the NL West. Yes, they added CF Aaron Rowand, but last season’s numbers where not the norm for this hard-nosed CF’er. They still need to improve at 3B and in the bullpen as well as 4/5 starters. They don’t even have a legitimate closer yet (no disrespect to Brian Wilson, he just hasn’t done this job before)! They’re also getting old, even without Bonds. They have 6 out of their starting 8 position players over the age of 33 and 4 of those are over 35. They need to find understudies at 1B, 2B, SS and the OF. Although Rajia Davis is an option, but he’s more like a CF’er (speedster) than a corner outfielder that’s a power producing hitter. On the up side, their top three pitchers are very good (Zito, Cain and Lincecum). Until something drastic changes, they will remain last in this division for the foreseeable remainder of Rowand’s contract. But, we shall see.