Jorge De La Rosa, the Colorado Rockies' premier left-handed pitcher is on the verge of entering free agency. The southpaw has experienced a career renaissance in Colorado, under the tutelage of pitching coach Bob Apodaca, and is now considered one of the top starting pitchers entering the market this offseason, after Cliff Lee and Ted Lilly.
De La Rosa went 8-7 with a 4.22 ERA this past season, though a finger injury limited him to 121 2/3 innings pitched. He has expressed an interest in returning to Colorado with a new contract next season, and Rockies' General Manager Dan O'Dowd has publicly stated his re-signing is a priority for the club this offseason.
Jeff Francis was the only other starting left-handed pitcher on the staff this past season and he has a$7 million option for next season that the club is unlikely to pick up, thus making a De La Rosa signing far more important.