Rockies show Helton respect with new deal

TUCSON, Ariz.

Funny thing about Todd Helton is that the day of the draft, back in 1995, he was ready to join the Oakland A’s. A deal was pretty much in place before the draft even began.

Then, when it came time for Oakland to make the fifth selection in the draft, the scouting department was overruled, and the A’s selected Cuban defector Ariel Prieto, a right-handed pitcher they thought would provide quick help at the big-league level.

Colorado, drafting sixth, landed Helton, who admitted he didn’t know much about the history of the Rockies, who were in their third season of existence at the time.

Helton not only knows the Rockies' history now, he has written most of it.

And on Thursday, it became clear that the final chapter has not been written.

Helton agreed to not only defer the bulk of his salary for 2011, but also accepted a two-year extension through 2013 that will allow him to finish his playing career where it began, with the Rockies, and also opens the way for him to remain with the organization once his playing days are over.

It is a deal that shows the respect the Rockies have for Helton.

``We view him in the same way as a Cal Ripken, George Brett and Tony Gwynn,’’ Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd said. ``He's a Rockie, and a Hall of Famer, we believe. We felt like a player of this caliber and what he means to us, that this is something we didn't want to take to the end. And he was so open-minded working with us. It was something that made sense, and it's great for the fans to be able to celebrate him and know he will be here."

Most of all, the new deal underscores what Helton has said all along — he has never, since signing back in 1995, wanted to play for any team other than the Rockies.

The extension:

— Wipes out a club option on a $23 million salary for 2012;

— Provides for Helton to receive a $4.6 million signing bonus in 2011 (which happens to be the amount of the buyout on the option);

— Calls for Helton to defer $13.1 million of his $19.1 million salary in 2011 for 10 years, beginning in 2014;

— And provides salaries of $4.9 million in 2012 and $5 million in 2013.

``We started talking in December, and I was ready to get something done,’’ said Helton. ``I’ve talked to other players. The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. We’ve got a good thing going here, and I want to be part of it.’’

In the last three seasons, Helton and Rockies fans have begun to have tangible evidence that the build-from-within plan created by O’Dowd would work. The Rockies have been the NL wild card two of the last three years, advancing to the World Series in 2007. And last year, the Rockies' Opening Day lineup was the only one in baseball in which every player was originally signed by the organization.

In fact, when the Rockies clinched a postseason berth in late September, each of the 10 players who appeared in that game was an original Rockies signee.

In recent years the Rockies have emphasized that they want to keep their nucleus together, but the players have to show a desire to remain in Colorado, which means long-term contracts have to be negotiated that provide the team cost-certainty.

When players have balked, the Rockies have moved on, including trading Matt Holliday prior to 2009 to Oakland, and non-tendering Garrett Atkins this past offseason. In general, however, the players have responded, and in the last three years the list of Rockies home-growns to sign multi-year deals includes Chris Iannetta, Troy Tulowitzki, Ryan Spilborghs, Brad Hawpe, Aaron Cook, Ubaldo Jimenez, Jeff Francis, and Manuel Corpas.

And with Helton reaffirming his commitment to the Rockies, the feeling is he will allow the front office to keep the nucleus in place past this season. By deferring $13.1 million of the $23.7 million he would have received in 2011 — including the $4.6 million buyout on the 2012 option — Helton gives O’Dowd payroll room to exercise options on the likes of Hawpe, whose salary would be $10 million in 2011, and Francis, who would make $7 million, and also puts the Rockies in a position to retain potential free-agent left-hander Jorge De La Rosa.

``This is a win-win,’’ said Helton. ``It gives us a chance to keep a championship-caliber club together, and puts me in position to end my career where I started.’’

It’s the way it should be. It will make it easier to have No. 17, the one he wears, the first number in franchise history to be retired.

The stats should support the case. Consider that his .328 career average is third among active players, behind only Alberto Pujols (.334) and Ichiro Suzuki (.333). What’s more, he ranks first among active players with a .427 on-base percentage, sixth in doubles with 509, 10th in walks with 1,130, 14th in RBI with 1,202, 16th in home runs with 325, and 15th in hits with 2,134.

And every one of those has come wearing a Rockies uniform.

There were a couple of recent bumps in the road. With the Rockies looking to free payroll prior to the 2007 season, Helton did give them a one-time-only waiver of his no-trade clause for a possible deal to Boston which fell through, and then his 2008 season was cut short by back surgery.

He, however, was back in the lineup last year. While the five-time All-Star’s power numbers were down (15 home runs), he did hit .325 and drove in 86 runs. He admitted he wore down during the season, but feels stronger this season, one year removed from the surgery, and has come to grips with the idea he might have to take a day or two a month off.

Most of all, though, he knows that his career will continue for at least three more years in a Rockies uniform.