Rockies acquire Marco Scutaro from Boston for Clayton Mortensen
DENVER – The Colorado Rockies announced today that the club has acquired infielder Marco Scutaro from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for right-handed pitcher Clayton Mortensen.
Scutaro, 36, is coming off a season where he batted a career-high .299 (118-for-395) in 113 games for Boston. The San Felipe, VZ native had 26 doubles, 7 home runs, 54 RBI and 59 runs scored in 2011. A veteran of 10 Major League seasons, Scutaro is a career .270 (1019-for-3768) hitter with 214 doubles, 14 triples, 68 home runs, 404 RBI and 538 runs scored. Scutaro has at least 23 doubles and at least 54 RBI in each of his last four seasons, since 2008. A versatile fielder, Scutaro has played every position in the Major Leagues except pitcher, catcher and center field. He owns a .992 career fielding percentage in 324 games at second base. His .992 mark at second base is the 2nd-highest percentage for any active Major League player with at least 300 games played at second base.
The Rockies will be Scutaro’s fifth Major League team, as he has also played for the New York Mets (2002-03), Oakland (2004-07), Toronto (2008-09) and Boston (2010-11). Scutaro was originally signed as a non-drafted free agent out Venezuela by Cleveland on July 26, 1994.
Mortensen, 26, split the 2011 season between Triple-A Colorado Springs and in the Majors with Colorado. With the Rockies, Mortensen went 2-4 with a 3.86 ERA (95.0 ip, 54 er), 24 walks and 30 strikeouts in 16 games/6 starts. Mortensen has pitched part of three seasons in the Majors with St. Louis (2009), Oakland (2009-10) and Colorado (2011) and owns a career record of 4-8 with a 5.12 ERA (95.0 ip, 54 er) in 24 games/13 starts. Mortensen was originally acquired by the Rockies from Oakland in exchange for RHP Ethan Hollingsworth on January 24, 2011. The Red Sox will be his fourth Major League organization.
The Rockies 40-man roster remains at 40.