Primary Offseason Task Accomplished: Bolling Resigns
11/5/2081
Al Vincent
Staff Writer
With another season come and gone, it was time for Denver GM John Mounts to begin making decisions on what free agency eligible players to retain and which to say goodbye to. First and foremost among them was 33 year old first-baseman Ellis Bolling. The two time Silver Slugger had been making $9.5 million. Denver announced today that he agreed to resign with the Broncos on a three year, $10.5 million contract- an increase of $1 million. Mounts was pleased at the terms of the deal, saying that "like John Dear was, I want Ellis to be a Bronco for life." Bolling said that he "couldn't imagine playing for a team other than Denver."
In other news, 37 year old DH Mark Bakke agreed to resign for $1 million for one year. This is a decrease by $1.5 million from his previous contract. Also, 31 year old reliever Leo Salguero agreed to a 3 year deal worth $2.5 million. This was the first year Salguero could have been eligible for free agency, and the contract is a sizable increase from his ~$600,000 one. Mounts said that keeping Salguero was "important to maintaining the stability of the bullpen", and that he was confident that Bakke has "at least another good year left in him."
Denver's only remaining free agents are Michael Grace, Patrick Chason, Norman Cadet, Johnnie Sermons, Ronald Matamoros, Christopher Hosler, Levi Twigg, and David Pasco. None, except perhaps Chason, are likely to be retained, though it always possible that Mounts will seek them out once free agency begins.