The Rockies have signed 27-year old lefty swinging infielder Tug Hulett to a minor league deal. Hulett played in 105 games in AAA-ball last season and he was 78 of 350 (.223 avg, .710 OPS) with 49 runs scored, 7 homers, 41 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. Hulett last played in the majors in 2009 with the Royals. He has played in 45 games in his first two years in the majors and he is 13 of 67 (.194 avg, .524 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 1 homer, 3 RBIs and an amazing 23 whiffs. Hulett will get a chance to win a bench job for the Rockies next spring.

The Rockies have signed 28-year old righty swinging infielder Matt Macri to a minor league deal. Macri played in 98 games in AAA-ball last season and he was 85 of 338 (.251 avg, .727 OPS) with 46 runs scored, 9 homers, 36 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. He got a cup of coffee with the Twins in 2008 when he played in 18 games in which he was 11 of 34 (.324 avg, .802 OPS) with 3 runs scored, 1 homer, 4 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Macri will get a chance next spring to win a job on the Rockies’ bench.

The Rockies have signed 30-year old lefty swinging outfielder Jeff Salazar to a minor league deal. Salazar played in 117 games in AAA-ball last season and he was 110 of 436 (.252 avg, .724 OPS) with 59 runs scored, 16 homers, 55 RBIs and 26 stolen bases. He last played in the majors in 2009 with the Pirates. Salazar has played in 168 games in his first four years in the majors and he is 69 of 298 (.232 avg, .684 OPS) with 44 runs scored, 4 homers, 31 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. The Rockies will stash Salazar in AAA-ball for depth purposes when the 2011 season starts.

The Rockies have acquired 30-year old righty reliever Matt Lindstrom from the Astros for 24-year old righty reliever/starter Jonnathan Aristil and 23-year old lefty starting pitcher Wes Musick. Lindstrom pitched in 58 games (0 starts) for the Astros last season and he was 2-5 with 23 saves, a 4.39 ERA and a 1.65 WHIP. He has now pitched in 249 games (0 starts) in his first four years in the majors and he is 10-13 with 43 saves, a 4.00 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP. Lindstrom will likely serve as a set-up man for the Rockies and he will also be an insurance policy should Huston Street get injured again in 2011.

Jonnathan Aristil pitched in 33 games (4 starts) in A+AA+AAA-ball last season and he was 2-5 with a 5.90 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP. Wes Musick pitched in 23 games (all starts) in A-ball last season and he was 8-7 with a 4.05 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. Neither of these guys were considered top prospects by the Rockies so I like this deal for them.

The Rockies have signed 27-year old righty starting pitcher Billy Buckner to a minor league deal. Buckner pitched in 3 games (all starts) for the D-Backs last season and he was 0-3 with a 11.08 ERA and a 2.39 WHIP. He has now pitched in 36 games (21 starts) in his first four years in the majors and he is 6-11 with a 6.25 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP. The Rockies will be in trouble if they need Buckner at any point in 2011 because he throws extended batting practice for opposing teams.