Utility infielder Reid Brignac is now back in the AL East, joining the Yankees in a trade this afternoon. (Image Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)

Utility infielder Reid Brignac has been acquired by the New York Yankees from the Colorado Rockies. Colorado will receive cash considerations totaling $75,000 from New York, according to CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman. Brignac had been designated for assignment by the Rockies on Thursday.

Having never been known for his bat, Brignac, 27, has hit just .228/.270/.321 for his career in 769 PA. A 2nd Round pick in the 2004 Draft, Brignac spent the first five seasons in the Major Leagues with the Tampa Bay Rays before being acquired by the Rockies at the onset of Spring Training. His value has primarily lied in his defensive versatility as he’s played three infield positions and has even seen some limited time in the outfield corners. His best position is likely shortstop, which is part of why he’ll provide an upgrade to the Yankees bench given the mounting series of injuries that the organization has been forced to overcome on the season to date.

Brignac is the second infielder this month to be designated for assignment by the Rockies, only to then be dealt to New York for cash considerations. Chris Nelson made a similar move on May 1st, before being DFA’d by the Yankees earlier this week to make room for Alberto Gonzalez. Gonzalez has been DFA’d in order to make room on the active roster for Brignac.

Roy Oswalt might not have much left in the tank, but the veteran has signed a minor league deal with the Rockies and will try to pitch his way back to the Majors. (Image Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports)

Having spent the offseason deflecting questions about his own future in baseball, Roy Oswalt entered the 2013 season without a contract and without any certainty that he’d pitch again. While the possibility remained on the table, it was believed that Oswalt would only sign with a contender if he were to continue his career. The 35 year old has finally put an end to some of those questions, signing a minor league deal with the Colorado Rockies late Thursday afternoon, according to the team’s official Twitter account.

He’ll report to the team’s extended spring training facilities initially, according to Troy Renck of The Denver Post, and will be monitored closely. There is no certainty that Oswalt will end up seeing any time in Colorado, as a promotion will entirely depend on how he performs in the minor leagues first. Oswalt is slated to make 2-3 starts before potentially heading to the team’s Double-A affiliate for continued work.

Colorado has faced plenty of questions of their own this season on the mound, but appeared to have a number of options already in house. The team’s current rotation consists of Jorge De La Rosa, Jeff Francis, Juan Nicasio, Jon Garland, and Tyler Chatwood. Jhoulys Chacin could return from the DL before the end of the coming weekend and the team still has Drew Pomeranz in the minor leagues. Oswalt has long preferred to start, but it’s unclear if the organization will look to use him in that role should they elect to bring him to the Major Leagues.

A 12 year MLB veteran, Oswalt holds a 163-96 career record and 3.28 ERA in 2,213.0 IP. He spent the first nine and a half seasons of his career with the Houston Astros before spending some time with the Philadelphia Phillies and Texas Rangers.

Chris Nelson could offer some defensive depth for the Yankees after being acquired via trade from the Rockies. (Image Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports)

Already coping with multiple injuries to their Major League roster and in search of some much-needed depth in the infield, the New York Yankees have acquired Chris Nelson from the Colorado Rockies. Colorado will receive cash considerations or a player to be named later, according to Zach Links at MLBTR.

Nelson has spent the better part of his career at third base, but does have some experience at both shortstop and second base as well. He was hitting .242/.282/.318 in 71 PA for the Rockies prior to being designated for assignment when the team elected to call up top prospect Nolan Arenado. It was expected that Colorado would end up moving Nelson when they made that decision, as numerous teams have expressed interest in him in the past and the chances that he’d clear waivers appeared slim. The Yankees were one of those teams who’ve expressed interest in the past, leading many to believe that the two sides would ultimately end up agreeing to a deal sooner rather than later.

New York recently placed Kevin Youkilis, who’s received most of their playing time at third base, on the DL. Jayson Nix had been expected to receive most of the starts at the position prior to this deal, but he will presumably share that playing time with Nelson in the short term. No roster move has been officially made as of yet, but rookie Corban Joseph could be the most logical candidate to be sent down in order to make room for Nelson on the active roster.

Colorado Rockies pitcher Jhoulys Chacin (middle right) is walked off the field by a manager Walt Weiss (middle left), pitching coach Jim Wright (far left) and a team trainer after being injured during the seventh inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Coors Field. (Image Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports)

Talk in the National League has largely centered on the hot start that the Atlanta Braves have gotten off to, but it’s worth noting that the Colorado Rockies have an identical 13-5 record through Sunday’s games. The Rockies hopes to maintain that early success took a blow Sunday afternoon, however, when they were forced to place right-hander Jhoulys Chacin on the disabled list. A lower back strain will force Chacin to miss at least his next two starts, but the initial fears were much worse when he was forced to leave his start early on Friday.

Chacin has been the best pitcher on the Rockies roster this season, having made four starts including taking the ball on Opening Day. He’s posted a 3-0 record, 1.46 ERA, and 0.892 WHIP through his first 24.2 IP on the year. Friday he’d pitched extremely well against the division-rival Arizona Diamondbacks, allowing just three hits over 6.1 scoreless innings. Chacin winced after throwing his 100th pitch of the night and would leave the game following a visit from manager Walt Weiss and the team’s trainers. Initial fears were that he’d strained an oblique, an injury that may have potentially taken him out of the rotation until the All Star Break, but the Rockies appear to be lucky that it will only be a handful of starts.

Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post suggests that the team will likely look to either right-hander Tyler Chatwood or left-hander Drew Pomeranz to fill the void while Chacin is sidelined. Both are decent options, though neither has had much success at the Major League level to date and their futures remain unclear. The two have followed similar paths, however, having both been acquired via trade (Chatwood from the Los Angeles Angels for Chris Iannetta; Pomeranz from the Cleveland Indians as part of the Ubaldo Jimenez haul) and having split their time since between the Major and Minor Leagues. Chatwood is still just 23 and has looked strong in his first three starts at Triple-A this season (1-0, 1.84 ERA, 10.4 K/9). Pomeranz, 24, has impressed as well in three starts of his own (2-0, 3.31 ERA, 11.6 K/9).

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Shortly after acquiring Harang, the Rockies designated the 34-year-old starter-turned-reliever for assignment, and they viewed him as future trade bait from the very start. The Rockies have been talking to teams interested in acquiring the pitcher set to make $7 million in 2013 (money the Rockies will most likely have to partially eat up), and we now know who those three teams are.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported yesterday that the Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins, and Houston Astros are interested in trading for Aaron Harang from the Rockies to add to the back of their starting rotation (at least, that’s how I think those teams will use him). Harang’s trade saga is one of the most perplexing in the MLB, because he was basically acquired as trade bait. It leaves fans such as myself wondering, “Why didn’t those three teams just directly trade for Harang from the Dodgers?” Either way, the Dodgers came out OK overall by adding the backup catcher they wanted and getting rid of Harang’s $7 million salary.

Speedy Colorado Rockies center fielder Dexter Fowler has been emerging as a home-run threat, too, in recent play. Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

You can have a good day in the NCAA basketball tournament and it can make your career or reputation. But you can have a good four months in the Major League baseball season and it doesn’t do you a bit of good if the last two months of the season are lousy (Hello 2012 Pittsburgh Pirates).

So with that in mind I have to say that I’m still surprised that the Colorado Rockies were sitting at 5-1 on Sunday night. Unlike the Houston Astros and Miami Marlins (each 1-5) who immediately sunk to the bottom of the standings, the Rockies are acting like a real team. At least their start didn’t plunge their fans into immediate despair.

Could it be that new manager Walt Weiss has created a winning attitude in Denver? Or is it just a coincidence that the Rockies are off to a good start with a new manager? Maybe a little of both. There’s only so much compensating for talent that a manager can do anyway.

Weiss was not a great player, but a solid one during his playing days, with several notable highlights. He was the 1988 American League rookie of the year for the Oakland Athletics and made his only All-Star team that year. In 1989, he hit a home run during the World Series and was part of the A’s championship team.

Generally, Weiss, who recorded a .258 lifetime average, was viewed as a scrappy player and scrappy players often feature traits that help them to become good managers. Of course Weiss needs some players on his roster that are better than he was for the Rockies to succeed long-term.

One of the most encouraging developments Colorado could have hoped for broke out on Saturday. Righty Jon Garland, whose arm had been as useless as hot fudge on spaghetti for most of the last two years started a game, pitched well, and collected the 6-3 victory over the San Diego Padres. Garland, who threw six innings, gave up five hits and two runs, hadn’t pitched since June of 2011. If he can regain his old form consistently then he might win 12 to 15 games this season. That would be a huge boost.

Anyone who enjoys baseball has got to be rooting for Todd Helton to put together one more good year before he retires and not merely limp off into the sunset.  Helton is 39 and has a lifetime average of .320, but he hasn’t been close to fully healthy for a whole season since 2009. It would be nice if the veteran first baseman’s  body functioned at 100 percent for one last go-around, but five games into the 2013 season he was hitting .167, so who knows what is possible anymore.

Causing more excitement in Colorado at the moment is Dexter Fowler. The 27-year-old centerfielder is coming off his best all-around season. For a couple of years Fowler was a top triples man and a solid stolen-base man. But last year he hit .300 and this year he is off to a hotter start (.370 after six games) and seems as if he has added home-run capability to the mix, too. He hit 13 last year and smacked a few right away this year.

The Rockies are not going to maintain an 80 percent win pace this season. The Rockies are not going to win 60 percent of their games this season. But maybe they can win 50 percent of them.

Los Angeles Dodger Clayton Kershaw has become one of the best pitchers in baseball over the last few years and the question is if he can lead his team to a championship. Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Seems as if I’ve twice heard Don Mattingly trying to tamp down expectations for his Los Angeles Dodgers this season, which seeing as how management has spent a gazillion dollars to upgrade the team talent that’s not only hard to do, but foolish to do. Managers frequently say they play the cards they are dealt and it looks to those of us gazing upon LA from a distance that Mattingly has a full house.

Yes, we get it that the San Francisco Giants are the defending World Series champions and have won two titles in three years and that they play in the same National League West Division as the Dodgers, but it’s terribly difficult to repeat and the Dodgers are loaded. It’s not as if Mattingly is blending his freshman class into the frontcourt, the Dodgers are built to win now. It’s not mandatory that they win the division crown during the regular season, but they had better make the playoffs or Mattingly will be fired. They’d also better do some winning in the playoffs or Magic Johnson will stop smiling.

The Dodgers have the goods for success, including the bankrolls of an ownership group including Magic. Clayton Kershaw is the ace of the pitching staff and Matt Kemp would be the ace of anyone’s outfield. Recent additions Adrian Gonzalez, Zach Greinke, Hanley Ramirez, Josh Beckett, and Carl Crawford can add star power and just power to the Dodgers’ lineup. The only problem is they are not all healthy. Greinke just came up with some kind of elbow twinge which could impinge on his early-season pitching. Ramirez is out for weeks following torn thumb-ligament surgery and Crawford spent his entire employment with the Boston Red Sox injured.

While the Dodgers will become the darlings of the Hollywood set and get all kinds of publicity as player fortunes ebb and flow, the Giants will keep up their steady work. No team remains static and San Francisco seemed to get all of the breaks it needed last year in the post-season, too, but overlook them at your peril.

Examining the Giants’ lineup piece by piece it seems the the sum of the whole is more impressive than the individual components. Outside of catcher Buster Posey, who is one of the gems in the sport, the remainder of the lineup doesn’t blow anybody away. Yet guys like Pablo Sandoval, Hunter Pence and Marco Scutaro come through in the clutch. The starting pitching, anchored by Matt Cain, is exceptional. One would think a team that lost its closer, Brian Wilson, would flail around in the bullpen, but manager Bruce Bochy pushed all the right buttons and Wilson wasn’t even missed.

The biggest question for San Francisco is what the deal is with righty Tim Lincecum. Can he regain his Cy Young form? Will he become a spot starter, middle reliever, or just how will he be used?

Whatever I say about the Arizona Diamondbacks will be wrong. Whenever I think they might challenge for the division lead they plummet into mediocrity. Whenever I think they might threaten to finish last, they challenge for the title. This year I am going to predict mediocrity and that’s because I don’t see much hitting to count on in the day-to-day lineup. How much will Adam Eaton help? After a 22-game cameo last year he was supposed to be the next big thing, but he has an elbow problem that is supposed to bench him for weeks. What kind of year will Justin Upton have? Who is Paul Goldschmidt. The Diamondbacks’ pitching should be better than their hitting, but that doesn’t says much.

The main thing the San Diego Padres have going for them besides sunshine is that the Colorado Rockies are in the same division. I think it’s finally too late to re-activate Tony Gwynn so when I look at the projective starting lineup I mostly see a hitting wasteland. Third baseman Chase Headley is the best regular, but he has a broken thumb. Other than that several of San Diego’s regulars may be guys who showed flashes with other teams, but were shipped out of town.  The Padres’ opening-day starter is scheduled to be Edinson Valquez who was the odd man out in the Cincinnati Reds’ rotation.

Then there are the Rockies. It should be a rocky summer for the Rockies. I’d like to see a healthy Todd Helton have one more excellent season before he calls it quits. Troy Tulowitzki anchors shortstop. Carlos Gonzalez is the future of the franchise, but it’s hard to say that about anyone in the pitching rotation. Colorado had the busiest bullpen in the universe in 2012.

This is how things look in the National League West Division for 2013: 1) San Francisco Giants; 2) Los Angeles Dodgers; 3) Arizona Diamondbacks; 4) San Diego Padres; 5) Colorado Rockies.

When informed he wouldn’t make the Mariners rotation, Jon Garland asked for and received his release yesterday. He could have multiple options available if reports are true. (Image Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports)

Veteran right-hander Jon Garland is back on the free agent market, having received his release from the Seattle Mariners yesterday, and multiple teams have already reached out and expressed interest. The Colorado Rockies appear to be the latest team linked to the 33 year old, according to Thomas Harding of MLB.com. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports also suggests that the San Diego Padres and Texas Rangers could be in the mix, given the two team’s apparent desire to add starting pitching.

Garland has missed most of the past season and a half to injury, but has thrown well in four starts this Spring for the Mariners. He’s largely kept the ball down in the zone and has shown signs that he’s healthy once again, despite poor peripheral numbers in his 12.0 innings of work (1.5 HR/9, 3.8 BB/9, 3.0 K/9). Seattle had signed Garland to a minor league deal in mid-February with a provision that a decision be made regarding his roster status no later than yesterday. When it became apparent he wouldn’t make the team’s roster, giving the final spot in their rotation to either Blake Beavan or Erasmo Ramirez, he requested his unconditional release.

Colorado’s interest is not truly surprising. They appear set to enter the season with a rotation fronted by Jhoulys Chacin, Jeff Francis, Jorge De La Rosa, and Juan Nicasio. Barring an outside addition, Drew Pomeranz will likely take the final spot in the rotation. Tyler Chatwood, Chris Volstad, Christian Friedrich, and Daniel Rosenbaum (a Rule 5 pick) could also be starting options. Collectively the group has some limited MLB experience, but none have seen significant success to date. Volstad and Rosenbaum could both find their way into the Rockies bullpen initially, while Chatwood and Friedrich both appear ticketed for Triple-A to begin the season. Pomeranz would presumably join them if he’s bumped from the rotation.

While the Rockies have options, from a numbers standpoint, there is a lack of a true experienced option among the group. Garland could offer a veteran presence that could prove beneficial in the clubhouse, as well as on the field. He’s thrown 2,083 innings in his 12 year career, posting a 132-119 record and 4.32 ERA. His last full season came in 2010 with San Diego, when he went 14-12 with a 3.47 ERA in 33 starts (200.0 IP).

Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The 29-year-old burst onto the scene in 2009 with a very solid rookie campaign that saw him go 13-6 with a 3.94 ERA in the brutal AL East, and although he’s never topped the 2.9 WAR (per FanGraphs) that he posted that season, his peripherals have continued to get better and better all the while.

A season ago, Niemann posted a career high 8.1 K/9 rate and generated a 51.4 percent ground ball rate, both of which may have more to do with a small sample size rather than improved pitching ability. That said, he’s in the prime of his career at age 29, and if fully healthy he has the potential to settle into a solid two or (more likely) three starter, even for a team with a good rotation. For a team like the Rockies, he’d be that much more valuable.

Can’t get enough of Spencer? Check out his work at StanGraphs and follow him on Twitter at @shendricks221.

Colorado had the worst staff ERA in the National League last season. Jhoulys Chacin hopes to help lead a turnaround this season. (Image Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports)

Pitching in Coors Field is something the Colorado Rockies still haven’t been able to truly solve, leading the team to continue to experiment and tinker with their starting rotation makeup to find a solution that works. Offensively the team has built a strong lineup, but there simply isn’t enough pitching to help bring the team back into contention. In an effort to help fortify what was the National League’s worst pitching staff in 2012 – with a staff ERA of 5.49, more than a run worse than the next team on the list – it would appear, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, that the Rockies may pursue adding another starting option and they could look to use their depth in order to facilitate a deal.

Colorado heads into the 2013 season with a group of starting pitchers that includes Jhoulys Chacin, Jeff Francis, Jorge De La Rosa, Drew Pomeranz, and Juan Nicasio. They also have Tyler Chatwood, Christian Friedrich, and Rule 5 Draftee Daniel Rosenbaum as additional options.

Despite having what some would perceive as ample options, Rosenthal suggests that sources have told him the team is searching for someone capable of throwing 150-170 innings with an ERA between 4.50 and 4.75 – a Josh Fogg type.

Positional depth is certainly an area of strength for the Rockies right now. The team arguably has tradable assets at almost every position. Behind the plate there are certainly options when you look at the four catchers that the team has in camp. Wilin Rosario, Ramon Hernandez, and Jordan Pacheco are already on the 40-man roster. Yorvit Torrealba is a non-roster invitee. Hernandez and his $3.2 Million salary is likely the option that the team would most like to deal, but he likely wouldn’t be the first choice of any team that engages the Rockies in talks.

Ben Nicholson-Smith of MLB Trade Rumors speculated that the Los Angeles Dodgers could be a fit, given their abundance of pitching and the likely availability of Aaron Harang and Chris Capuano. The Dodgers will head into the season with A.J. Ellis and Tim Federowicz behind the plate and there might be a match if the teams were comfortable dealing within the division.