Rockies rumors: Brandon Webb still on short list

The Colorado Rockies are still keen on the prospect of signing right-hander Brandon Webb, who is expected to throw a bullpen session for several teams in the coming weeks, reports Troy Renck of the Denver Post:

Also #Rockies remain interested in free agent Brandon Webb, who's moving closer to setting a date to throw for teams

— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) January 14, 2013

Webb, 33, has not thrown a baseball at the MLB level since Opening Day 2009, when he went down with the first of what would be several shoulder injuries. The right-hander has endured procedures to repair tears in his labrum and rotator cuff over the last four years, so it is unclear what kind of "stuff" he has left in the tank.

When Webb was healthy, he was one of the best pitchers in baseball. The right-hander took home the NL Cy Young award in 2006 and was the runner-up the following two seasons. A severe ground-ball pitcher, Webb owns a career 3.27 ERA, 7.3 K/9 rate, and 0.6 HR/9 rate in his seven years of big-league ball.

It is very unlikely any team will offer Webb a major-league contract, but he should receive offers for a minor-league deal with incentives included in the case that he does find his way back onto a big-league roster.