Neagle, Rockies are close to agreement

DENVER - Signs are pointing toward the Colorado Rockies formally announcing Monday that left-handed pitcher Denny Neagle has agreed to a five-year contract with an option for a sixth year at $9 million to $10 million a year.

Rockies assistant general manager Josh Byrnes said Saturday that the sides don't yet have an "agreement in principle" - a deferred payment schedule has yet to be solidified.

"It's close; we've gotten through some of the major issues," Byrnes said. "We're optimistic."

Neagle, 15-9 with the Cincinnati Reds and the New York Yankees, lives in Morrison, and has been angling to pitch for the Rockies, despite Coors Field's pitcher-unfriendly history. Boston, Los Angeles and the New York Mets have made efforts to sign Neagle but the Rockies had a head start.

Word that Neagle, 105-69 with a 3.92 ERA in nine-plus seasons, is close to locked could help the Rockies in their pursuit of another left-hander, Mike Hampton, who helped the Mets to the World Series against Neagle and the Yankees.

Successful pitchers have avoided the Rockies throughout their existence, and some have been vocal about it.

The one top-line pitcher who accepted the challenge, Darryl Kile, arrived with fanfare in 1998 and struggled for two seasons before being traded after the 1999 season to St. Louis - where he immediately became a 20-game winner.

The opinion around baseball was Kile's experience would scare off any established and successful pitcher.

"It's something we don't like hearing all the time, so if we sign him it can help," Byrnes said.

Last season was up-and-down for Neagle, 32, but it was enough to suggest to teams that he still has productive years.

Neagle struggled through a shoulder problem in 1999, but finished that season 9-5 and nearly lifted Cincinnati to a surprising playoff berth. His slow finish - 7-7, 5.81 with the Yankees - could be cause for concern. But his 209 total innings for the Reds and Yankees are a welcome sign for a pitcher who averaged 16 wins and just under 219 innings per season 1995-98 for Pittsburgh and Atlanta.

If he signs, the three solid starters would be Neagle; right- hander Pedro Astacio, the Rockies' best pitcher since arriving from Los Angeles in a 1997 trade for second baseman Eric Young; and left- hander Brian Bohanon, who has won 24 games over past two seasons.

Other potential starters, all of whom have mixed success in the majors, are right-handers Kevin Jarvis, Brian Rose, John Thomson, John Wasdin and Masato Yoshii, and left-hander Ron Villone, recently acquired from Cincinnati.

There is still a prime spot for Hampton, who also is being hotly pursued by the Mets, Atlanta, Chicago Cubs and St. Louis.

- Thomas Harding may be reached at tharding@gazette.com

Copyright 2000
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.