The Colorado Rockies' search for starting pitching has them seemingly leaving no stone unturned, as Joel Sherman of the New York Post is reporting that the Rockies have shown interest in New York Mets starting pitcher Jon Niese. Reports have been floating around that the Mets are being aggressive in trade talks with other teams at the Winter Meetings in Dallas, and that would bode with the possibility of trading Niese, one of the team's best young players.
Niese, 25, had a breakout year for New York in 2011, although it wasn't reflected in his ERA. Making 26 starts for the Mets, he posted a very strong 3.36 FIP over 157 innings, improving his strikeout, walk and groundball rates from the previous season. He also saw a slight velocity increase, which likely played into his apparent improvement, too.
It's hard to see the Mets giving up Niese without a strong return, though. He's the team's best starter given the uncertainty concerning Johan Santana, and he's still cost-controlled in 2012 before hitting arbitration in 2013. With four years of team control remaining, the Rockies would likely need to give up significant young pieces in order to get Niese.
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