12/08/2007 11:40 AM ET
By Thomas Harding / MLB.com
Rockies deal Carroll to Indians
DENVER --
The Rockies agreed Friday to a trade that sends infielder Jamey Carroll
to the Indians for a player to be named. The deal was announced on Saturday.
Dealing Carroll, who hit .300 in 2006 as the Rockies' primary second
baseman, but dipped to .225 last year and finished in a late-innings defensive
role, helps free money for a free-agent second baseman. The Rockies also
are trying to re-sign veteran reliever LaTroy Hawkins or replace him if
he signs elsewhere.
Tadahito Iguchi is at the top of the Rockies' list of targets as the
starter at second base, where the club neeeds to replace Kazuo Matsui,
who signed with the Astros. Mark Loretta has the lucrative fallback of
accepting arbitration from Houston. David Eckstein also has emerged as
a possibility.
For the Indians, Carroll, who turns 34 on Feb. 18 and is guaranteed
$2.3 million next season, could satisfy one of the club's biggest holes
-- a utility infielder. Carroll is a career .272 hitter with Montreal/Washington
(2002-05) and Colorado (2006-07).
When Matsui left, Carroll said he wasn't sure at first if he was in
the Rockies' plans as a starter, but following the Winter Meetings and
seeing that the Rockies were heavily in the free-agent market convinced
him he would be leaving. Carroll said he never asked to be traded; nevertheless,
it was encouraging to him that teams were interested.
"This is an exciting opportunity for me, and it's good to know that
teams see value in me," said Carroll, who said he discussed his role with
Indians general manager Mark Shapiro on Friday. "I'm going to a team that
finished one game away from the World Series and playing against the Rockies.
"I'm going to play a utility role and I'm good with that. I'm always
prepared. I'm ready to do anything to help the Indians."
Carroll's versatility -- he plays second, shortstop and third, and
has been used in the outfield -- has made him a favorite among his managers.
Rockies fans also took to his all-out style of play.
"I just feel blessed to have played here for two years," Carroll said.
"I had the opportunity to play, then I had the opportunity to play in a
World Series, even though we lost [to the Red Sox]. I wouldn't trade the
time I shared with the Rockies in the clubhouse and with the fans for anything."
Dealing Carroll leaves Colorado with a group of younger players who
would compete for the starting job if a free agent isn't signed or for
playing time if one is obtained.
True middle infielders are Clint Barmes(Vincennes, IN), who also has
attracted trade interest and has played a utility role after losing the
shortstop job to Troy Tulowitzki, Omar Quintanilla, who has seen utility
duty the last two years, and Jayson Nix, who stated his case during a strong
2007 at Triple-A Colorado Springs and a Most Valuable Player performance
for gold medal-winning Team USA in the World Cup.
A source on Friday confirmed other reports that the Rockies discussed
Indians right-hander Sean Smith, but he will not come Colorado's way.
This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball
or its clubs.
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MLB.com
10/22/2007 5:00 PM ET
By Owen Perkins / Special to MLB.com
Heart of the Order: Jamey Carroll
It's typical of Jamey Carroll that he can't remember a thing about his
first T-ball game, but he vividly remembers practicing in the front yard
with his two brothers before that game, hitting off the tee, in full uniform,
getting ready.
Carroll has always focused on being ready, but his mother's sudden
passing during the offseason before he came to Colorado hammered home the
lesson to "live in the moment."
Carroll's work ethic comes from his parents, whom he describes as "blue
collar people that worked hard and set the example for us as kids that
to be successful in life, you have to get after whatever it is that you
want to do."
With the World Series approaching, MLB.com explores the people behind
the numbers on the NL champion Rockies.
He especially remembers what his mother would tell scouts who were
concerned about Carroll's 5-foot-9 stature.
"She said, 'You know, he's not that tall, but he's an infielder, and
I think it helps him, because it makes him that much closer to a ground
ball,'" Carroll recalled. "I was like, 'Oh, Mom, perfectly said!'"
It was Carroll's dedication to preparation and maximum effort that
won him over to scouts and later to managers, teammates and fans who claim
him as a favorite. As Carroll explains, he was drafted on the basis of
his effort running out a pair of grounders to shortstop and the pitcher.
"You can have a bad day of hitting, or a bad day of fielding, but you
can never have a bad day of trying as hard as you possibly can," Carroll
said.
Coming up through the Minors, Carroll supplemented his salary by substitute
teaching K-12 classes, and whether in his teaching days, working with his
charitable foundation, or simply talking to kids as a big league hero,
Carroll shares his experience of flipping the chorus of "can'ts" he heard
on the way up into something positive.
"I was told growing up in the game, 'You can't do these things,' and
now I've turned those can'ts around," Carroll tells kids. "Now people say,
'I can't believe you're playing there,' and, 'I can't believe you're living
your dream.'"
This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball
or its clubs.
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