Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post reports that the Colorado Rockies will offer salary arbitration to pitchers Jorge De La Rosa and Octavio Dotel. Both players have until Nov. 30 to accept or decline the offer.
It comes as no surprise that the Rockies would offer De La Rosa salary arbitration, because De La Rosa, a Type A free agent, would return two draft picks to the Rockies when he signs elsewhere.
The signing team would surrender its first- or second-round pick in the 2011 draft to the Rockies, who would receive a choice in the supplemental first round too. As the offseason has taken shape, the Colorado Rockies are not willing to offer a four-year contract to De La Rosa--a deal breaker for De La Rosa. With several other teams apparently offering four-year contracts, this offer of arbitration is necessary to receive draft pick compensation.
Offering Dotel arbitration is a bit of a surprise because the Rockies declined his $4.5 million option a couple weeks ago. However, the Type B free agent would yield the Rockies a second supplemental first-round pick in the June draft. While there is no indication such an agreement took place, it's possible the offer of arbitration is a gentlemen's agreement that has the pitcher decline the offer of arbitration. The Yankees and Javier Vazquez have such an agreement.