Trade talk 'fiction'/ O'Dowd: Rockies aren't trying to make deal for

DENVER - Colorado Rockies general manager Dan O'Dowd dismissed the latest Pedro Astacio trade rumor and insisted he is not shopping the team's best pitcher of the past three-plus seasons.

During the weekend, The Record of Bergen, N.J., and Newsday of Long Island, N.Y., reported that there had been talks about a three- team trade, involving Toronto and the New York Mets.

"That is totally a fiction of someone in New York's imagination," O'Dowd said Monday. "We have not even discussed that."

Before that, reports had Astacio possibly Boston-bound.

Astacio, 30, a right-hander, is the most successful pitcher in the club's history. Astacio went 12-9 with a 5.27 ERA last season, and holds club records for victories (47), strikeouts (624), starts (107) and innings pitched (6,863).

It's not that Astacio trade talks have never occurred.

The Blue Jays had serious talks with the Rockies for Astacio at the in-season trading deadline. Colorado also talked with the Chicago White Sox and other teams about Astacio at the deadline, and the New York Yankees were interested before they signed Mike Mussina. In most cases, the other team backed out because of what the Rockies wanted in return.

But O'Dowd said the talks have only begun because other teams covet Astacio.

"I have not shopped Pedro," O'Dowd said. "That has been more other people and what they're saying, rather than what we're trying to do."

O'Dowd said the club is not trying to unload Astacio's contract, which was signed under former GM Bob Gebhard before the 1998 season. Astacio is due $6.6 million this year to complete a four-year deal, then the club can either pay him $9 million next season or buy him out for $1million.

"We have a player with a club option and we'll deal with that when it's appropriate," O'Dowd said.

In another development, it now seems unlikely Colorado will trade right-handed starter Masato Yoshii (6-15, 5.86) to Texas. The Rangers, instead, are focused on trying to sign free-agent David Cone.

Yoshii, who underwent elbow surgery at the end of the season, will be among several starting pitching candidates. The top four spots are set - Mike Hampton, Denny Neagle, Astacio and Brian Bohanon. Yoshii, Ron Villone (acquired from Cincinnati), Kevin Jarvis, Brian Rose, John Wasdin and John Thomson will bid for the fifth spot, and O'Dowd said that's not necessarily bad.

"In fact, we're probably going to bring as much of our pitching into spring training as we can and sort things out from there, because you never know what can happen," O'Dowd said.

PREPARING FOR ARBITRATION: By Wednesday, the Rockies will tender contracts to Gold Glove shortstop Neifi Perez, 2000 team pitcher of the year Gabe White, second baseman Todd Walker, Villone, Jarvis and Thomson.

If the teams and players can't settle on a contract, the player's 2001 salary will be determined by an arbitrator. Colorado has never gone to an arbitration hearing in its eight-year history.

Assistant GM Josh Byrnes said the team does not like such hearings, since they force management to present negatives about players with them present, but the Rockies won't sign what they view as a bad deal simply to avoid one.

The Rockies are looking to follow a practice that O'Dowd spearheaded when he was Cleveland's assistant GM - identify cornerstones and sign them to multi-year deals that may head off inflated salaries in the future. The Rockies have been discussing a multi-year deal with Perez and are attempting to work out a multi- year deal with White, Byrnes said.

- Thomas Harding may be reached at [email protected]

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