Rockies make arbitration offers to Betancourt, Marquis

DENVER –The Colorado Rockies announced today that the club has offered salary arbitration to two of its free agents: right-handed pitchers Rafael Betancourt and Jason Marquis. Additionally, the club has declined to offer arbitration to two other free agents: left-handed pitcher Joe Beimel and catcher Yorvit Torrealba.

Both Betancourt and Marquis have until Monday to accept or reject the Rockies offer of salary arbitration. If a player accepts, he is considered a signed player and the parties can either negotiate a new contract or ultimately allow an arbitration panel to determine the salary. If a player rejects arbitration, the Rockies can continue to negotiate with the player, and there is no longer a deadline in which both parties have to reach an agreement. If either Betancourt or Marquis declines the salary arbitration offer and subsequently signs with another club, the Rockies would receive compensatory draft selections in the June 2010 draft for each player.

Betancourt, 34, went 4-3 with a 2.73 ERA (56.0 ip, 17 er) in 61 games while splitting his time with Colorado and Cleveland in 2009. He posted 61 strikeouts and 20 walks while holding opponents to a .209 (42-for-201) batting average. The Rockies acquired Betancourt from the Indians in exchange for Minor League right-handed pitcher Connor Graham on July 23. Betancourt made 32 appearances in a Rockies uniform, going 3-1 with a 1.78 ERA (25.1 ip, 5 er). A veteran of seven major league seasons, Betancourt has made 403 appearances with Colorado (2009) and Cleveland (2003-09) since his debut in 2003. He has 18 career saves and 96 holds. The Venezuelan native pitched for his home country during the 2006 World Baseball Classic.

Marquis, 31, was 15-13 with a 4.04 ERA (216.0 ip, 97 er) in 33 starts for the Rockies last season. The 15 wins for Marquis matched his career high, while his 216 innings pitched also represent a career season high for the right-hander. He was named a National League All-Star for the first time after earning 11 first-half victories. A veteran of 10 major league seasons with Colorado (2009), the Chicago Cubs (2007-08), St. Louis (2004-06) and Atlanta (2000-03), Marquis has a record of 94-83 with a 4.48 ERA (1,485 ip, 739 er). He has the third-most National League wins (80) since 2004 and has logged at least 167 innings pitched for six consecutive seasons since 2004. Marquis was acquired by the Rockies from the Cubs in exchange for right-handed pitcher Luis Vizcaino on Jan. 6, 2009.

Beimel, 32, went 0-1 with a 4.02 ERA (15.2 ip, 7 er) in 26 games after being acquired by the Rockies from Washington on July 31, 2009. The left-hander has pitched in at least 60 games in each of the past four seasons (2006-09), including a career-high 83 appearances for the Dodgers in 2007.

The 31-year-old Torrealba hit .291 (62-for-213) with two home runs and 31 RBIs in 64 games for the Rockies in 2009. He has caught more games for Colorado than any other player since 2006 and his 306 games as a catcher rank second all-time in franchise history. Since his major league debut in 2001, Torrealba has played in 574 career games with Colorado (2006-09), Seattle (2005) and San Francisco (2001-05).