[Sawman]

According to the LA Times, the Angels and Rockies have continued their discussions regarding a trade for Todd Helton.

According to industry sources, Rockies General Manager Dan O'Dowd contacted Angels GM Bill Stoneman a week after the winter meetings to revive talks, offering to pay a bigger chunk of the $90 million remaining on Helton's nine-year, $141-million contract and to take less talent in return.

The original deal called for the Angels to send first baseman Casey Kotchman, catcher Jeff Mathis and triple-A shortstop Erick Aybar to Colorado for Helton, and for the Rockies to pick up an undisclosed portion of Helton's contract.

O'Dowd offered to replace Mathis in the package with a lesser prospect and to assume more of Helton's contract, but talks appear to have hit another snag over the financial terms of the deal, which are not available.


Even if the Rockies offered to pay half of the contract, the Angels believe five years and $45 million may be too much to commit to a 33-year-old whose power numbers are in decline. And they don't want to be saddled with a huge financial commitment to a player who may not be productive — or even able to play — in 2011.