"It is often in a loss that a team reveals what it will do to win.

The Rockies were as aggressive as anyone in pursuing free-agent infielder Jamey Carroll?. They wanted him for the clubhouse, for the lineup and for second base. He signed a two-year, $7 million deal with Minnesota where, at 37, he will be the Twins' starting shortstop. What's interesting is how much the Rockies were willing to do.

According to a source with direct knowledge of the Rockies' talks, the team offered Carroll a multiyear deal. Was it one season plus a player or mutual option? A straight two-year contract? That's uncertain, but it provides a glimpse that Colorado has more flexibility than originally believed. It's no secret that the Rockies would have preferred Carroll on a one-year deal given his age.

The market demanded more, and Colorado ditched rigidity. This is a good sign for the remainder of the winter, if more a trend than an aberration. The Rockies quietly did this a year ago, presenting catcher Yorvit Torrealba? with a two-year deal that the Rangers ultimately trumped in dollars, not years.

If there's a lesson to be learned from last offseason, it's to be bolder. They thought that two pedestrian players — Ty Wigginton? and Jose Lopez — would be a better investment than one bat. It proved costly as Wigginton — stuck in the middle of the Ian Stewart can-or-can't-he-play drama — never gained traction, and failed repeatedly with runners in scoring position. And Lopez was a bust."