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The Colorado Rockies have moved on from their pursuit of catcher Carlos Ruiz and have shifted their focus elsewhere, according to FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal. The team is currently pursuing relief pitchers and first basemen, meaning that their search for catching help is currently on the backburner.
As reported earlier in the week, Rockies made a two-year, $15 million offer to Ruiz, but refused to match the two-year, $20 million offer that he has from another team.
The Red Sox, Blue Jays and Phillies are also involved in the Ruiz sweepstakes, and it is likely that other teams are involved in the bidding.
A source confirmed that Ruiz had multiple offfers as of Monday, and that he expected to receive more this week.
With their pursuit of Ruiz coming to an end, the Rockies are scoping out the first base market in an attempt to replace Todd Helton, who retired at the end of last season. According to Troy Renck of the Denver Post, Colorado has inquired on free agent first baseman James Loney, Justin Morneau and Mike Napoli, and may also pursue Michael Morse for the position. The Rockies have also been one of the teams to check in with the Mets on Ike Davis, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Davis is drawing interest from many teams, and is expected to be traded this winter.
Rosenthal notes that the Rockies are prioritizing adding a closer, which aligns with reports from last week that they were interested in Brian Wilson, Jose Veras, Joe Smith and Grant Balfour. The team has committed to spending on their bullpen this winter, and is widely expected to add a big-name closer before the beginning of spring training.