Morning Links: Rockies News 1/21

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Colorado Rockies are not in on Masahiro Tanaka. They never were. But that doesn’t mean they won’t be paying attention when he signs with a Major League team this week. Nervously they will wait and see if Tanaka lands in the NL West with either the Los Angeles Dodgers or the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Here’s what else is happening with the Rockies and around the rest of the league:

From Justin Millar: Coors rejuvenation: The bright future of the Colorado Rockies (MLB Daily Dish)

"Luckily for Colorado, it appears that their ‘pitching curse’ has begun to wear off over the past year. The 2013 Rockies had three pitchers start at least 20 games with a sub-3.50 ERA, something which hadn’t been done in the entirety of the team’s 20 year existence.”"

From Jay Jaffe: Winter Report Card: Colorado Rockies (SI.com)

"The outfield will see a major change nonetheless with the trade of Dexter Fowler to the Astros. The move generated an unimpressive return for the 27-year-old centerfielder in the form of light-hitting Brandon Barnes (.240/.289/.346 in 445 PA), who is bench material, and 23-year-old righty Jordan Lyles, a former supplemental first-round pick who’s had enough trouble keeping the ball and his ERA down closer to sea level.”"

From Jacob Misener: In the home stretch: Masahiro Tanaka decision to come soon (Cubbies Crib)

"Our very own Garrett Filsonreports agents in the industry say that the big question mark for the Cubs is Tanaka’s family. We reported last week that his wife prefers the West Coast to any other destination, and frankly, geographic location is something the team has no control over.“According to Cubs beat writer Bruce Levine, “the Cubs will outbid the field on money and years.” He also added that no teams know the bids of others in the running for the pitcher’s services.”"