DENVER - Starters Jason Jennings and Joe Kennedy, two
of the keys to the future of the Colorado Rockies, Tuesday
avoided arbitration with the club by agreeing to terms on new
contracts.
Jennings, the Rockies' ace, signed a two-year deal with a club
option for 2007. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed
for the 26-year-old Jennings, who made $340,000 in 2004.
Kennedy, a 25-year-old lefthander, signed a one-year deal. He
made $320,000 last season.
Jennings was 11-12 with a 5.51 ERA in 33 starts last season, his
third straight year with at least 10 wins. The 2002 National
League Rookie of the Year, Jennings has a lifetime mark of 43-34
with a 5.03 ERA in 104 games - all starts.
Kennedy is coming off a season in which he set a number career
highs, going 9-7 with a 3.66 ERA in 27 starts for the Rockies.
He was 6-1 with a 3.59 ERA at Coors Field and has a lifetime
mark of 27-38 with a 4.63 ERA in 109 appearances.
The Rockies lone arbitration-eligible player is righthander
Shawn Chacon.