The Rockies have lost 25-year old righty swinging shortstop Thomas Field on waivers to the Twins. Field played in 2 games for the Rockies last year and he as 0 for 2 (.000 avg, .333 OPS). He also played in 121 games in AAA-ball for the Rockies last year and he was 107 of 435 (.246 avg, .715 OPS) with 74 runs scored, 8 homers, 49 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Field played in 18 games in his two years with the Rockies and he was 13 of 50 (.260 avg, .575 OPS) with 4 runs scored, 0 homers and 3 RBIs. The Rockies are loaded at shortstop, so they likely won’t miss Field too much down the road.

The Rockies have lost 25-year old righty reliever Zach Putnam on waivers to the Cubs. Putnam pitched in 2 games out of the pen for the Rockies last year and he was 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA and a 2.00 WHIP. He also pitched in 49 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball last year and he was 3-4 with 12 saves, a 4.15 ERA and a 1.65 WHIP. Putnam has now pitched in 10 games (0 starts) in his first two years in the majors and he is 1-1 with a 4.82 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. This isn’t much of a loss for the Rockies moving forward.

The Colorado Rockies have a trio of free agents heading into this winter. This is who I see staying and leaving out of this bunch:

Jason Giambi: 41-year old lefty swinging 1B Jason Giambi played in 60 games for the Rockies last year in which he was 20 for 89 (.225 avg, .675 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 1 homer and 8 RBIs. Giambi has already been interviewed for the Rockies’ open spot at manager. VERDICT: STAYING AS MANAGER OR RETIRING AS A PLAYER

Jeff Francis: 31-year old lefty starting pitcher Jeff Francis pitched in 24 games (all starts) for the Rockies last year and he was 6-7 with a 5.58 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. The Rockies front office wants Francis back for some reason. VERDICT: STAYING

Jonathan Sanchez: 29-year old lefty starting pitcher Jonathan Sanchez was a complete bust last year. He pitched in 3 games (all starts) for the Rockies last year and he was 0-3 with a 9.53 ERA and a 2.29 WHIP. Sanchez pitched in 15 games (all starts) overall for the Royals and Rockies last year and he was 1-9 with a 8.07 ERA and a 2.09 WHIP. VERDICT: LEAVING

31-year old lefty starting pitcher Jorge De La Rosa has exercised his 2013 player option worth $11 million bucks. De La Rosa only pitched in 3 games (all starts) for the Rockies last year and he was 0-2 with a 9.28 ERA and a 1.78 WHIP. He missed most of last season while he was rehabbing from Tommy John Surgery. De La Rosa has now pitched in 94 games (88 starts) in his first five years with the Rockies and he is 39-28 with a 4.48 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. De La Rosa is #9 in games started (88), tied for #6 in wins (39) and he is #6 in strikeouts (492) in Colorado Rockies’ history. The Rockies need all of the help that they can get in the starting rotation for 2013, so they hope that De La Rosa can stay healthy.

56-year old manager Jim Tracy has resigned from his post as the Rockies’ manager. The Rockies were only 64-98 this year as they were in last place inn the N.L. West, 30 games behind the San Francisco Giants. The Rockies had a lot of injuries this year, but they could never get anything going. It certainly wasn’t all Tracy’s fault. Tracy was 294-308 (48.8%) during the regular season and he was 1-3 in the post-season in his four years with the Rockies.

29-year old righty reliever Mike Ekstrom has elected to leave the Rockies as a free agent. Ekstrom pitched in 15 games (0 starts) for the Rockies last year and he was 0-0 with a 6.32 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP. He has pitched in 51 games (0 starts) in his first five years in the majors and he is 0-3 with a 5.61 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP. The Rockies won’t miss Ekstrom too much.

The Rockies have designated 28-year old righty reliever Mike Ekstrom for assignment. Ekstrom pitched in 15 games (0 starts) for the Rockies this year and he was 0-0 with a 6.32 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP. He has now pitched in 51 games (0 starts) in his first five years in the majors and he is 0-3 with a 5.61 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP. This won’t hurt the Rockies at all moving forward, as Ekstrom just isn’t that good.

UPDATE: The Rockies have outrighted Mike Ekstrom to AAA.

The Rockies have signed 28-year old righty starter/reliever Jeff Marquez to a minor league deal. He pitched in 17 games (14 starts) in AAA-ball for the Mariners earlier this year and he was 4-8 with a 6.69 ERA and a 1.85 WHIP. Marquez gave up 108 hits and he walked 34 batters in only 76 2/3 innings in the minors while whiffing 45 batters. He he pitched in 4 games (0 starts) in parts of two years in the majors and he was 0-0 with a 5.40 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. Marquez is unlikely to help the Rockies much in 2012.

The Colorado Rockies have signed 25-year old righty reliever/starter Brett Jacobson to a minor league deal. He pitched in 18 games (6 starts) in AA-ball for the Minnesota Twins this year and he was 0-3 with a 7.50 ERA and a 2.12 WHIP. He has given up 44 hits and walked 45 hitters in only 42 innings this year while whiffing 25 batters….and those are not very impressive numbers. He has now pitched in 153 games (19 starts) in his first five years in the minors and he is 17-17 with 9 saves, a 4.17 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP.

The Rockies have signed 35-year old righty starter/reliever Eric Junge to a minor league deal. Junge pitched in 19 games (18 starts) earlier this year in AAA-ball for the Braves and he was 6-8 with a 4.66 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP. He last pitched in the majors way back in 2003 with the Philadelphia Phillies. He has pitched in 10 games (1 start) in two years in the majors and he is 2-0 with a 2.21 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. It doesn’t hurt to give Junge a shot in the minors.