Matt Holliday and the Rockies say that the back stiffness that forced him to miss his third game in a week on Friday and will result in him most likely not playing Saturday or Sunday is just a minor irritation. It could, however, add to problems the Rockies have in finding a way to work out a long-term deal with Holliday.
Manager Clint Hurdle said Holliday, who missed two games against Arizona at Coors Field last weekend because of back stiffness, felt fine all day Friday, but "tweaked" the back during pre-game stretching. Trainer Keith Dugger said Holliday will be re-evaluated Saturday, but Hurdle admitted that "at the point we are in the season, it is not worth" Holliday playing Saturday or Sunday. There may be nothing more involved with Holliday's back stiffness than in-season fatigue, but it does add to the considerations for the Rockies as they weigh their options on the future of Holliday and the franchise.
Signed to a $13.5 million contract for next year, Holliday is eligible for free agency after 2009.
The Rockies will consider three options with Holliday during the off-season. They could trade him to add quality arms, and put Seth Smith in left field. They could keep him under his current deal, gamble that he can help the Rockies return to the postseason, and then lose him for two draft picks as a free agent a year from now. They also could try and revisit talks on a long-term deal.
The two sides have been at odds about the length of an extension. Holliday said earlier this month that, during the spring, the Rockies offered him an extension that would have covered his first four years of free agency, well short of what agent Scott Boras considers proper for a premiere free agent.
And while Holliday is an avowed fitness freak, the Rockies are reluctant to provide too long of a guarantee because of the way that has backfired on them not only with pitchers, such as Mike Hampton, but also with position players, the latest of which is first baseman Todd Helton.
Helton, who is guaranteed $56.4 million over the next three seasons, including a $4.1 million buyout on an option for 2012, went on the disabled list with lower back problems on July 3, and this week the decision was made for him to undergo surgery on Tuesday to relieve pressure a bulging disk is putting on a nerve.
Dr. Robert Watkins is confident that Helton will be at full speed by the start of spring training, but Helton admitted the back problem has affected him over the last three years, although he was able to play through the pain until this year, when the nerve irritation created numbness and pain in his left leg.
DIAMONDBACKS 6, ROCKIES 4: Reliever Jason Grilli, unscored upon in 15 of his 16 previous appearances, pitched a scoreless seventh inning and retired the first two Arizona batters in the eighth, but couldn't get another out, and gave up the game-deciding two-run double to pinch-hitter Jim Tracy.
