[Fantasy Skipper]

"It's 'Mile High Mike' O'Connell here, and the phones are ringing off the hook! The Rockies' offseason is in full swing, and GM Caleb Thorne has been making moves. We've got some new faces, some old faces back, and a couple of tough goodbyes that are sparking a lot of debate. Let's dive in!"

"Mile High Mike" O'Connell: "All right, Denver, you're listening to the Mile High Sports Report! And man, oh man, has Caleb Thorne been busy! We just wrapped up talking about the big signing of Ozzie Guillen - a Gold Glover, folks! That's a huge pickup for our infield! And he's not alone! We've also brought in Jerry DiPoto for the bullpen, a veteran bat in Jerry Browne for the outfield, and a solid defensive infielder in Craig Counsell!

"Not only that, but Thorne convinced two of our own, Shawon Dunston and B.J. Surhoff, to come back! These guys were heart and soul of our inaugural team, and getting them back through free agency, after they initially walked? That's a masterstroke by Thorne! It shows these guys believe in what we're building here!

"But, and there's always a 'but,' isn't there? We've also had to say goodbye to a couple of key guys from last year. And the phone lines are absolutely it up on this! Let's go to the lines! First up, we've got Dave from Denver. Dave, you're on the air, what's on your mind?"

Dave from Denver (caller agitated): "Mike, I love what Thorne's doing with Ozzie and bringing back Dunston, but what about Blauser?! The guy hit two homers in our home opener! He was a key bat! And now I hear he's signed with the Toronto Blue Jays?! We just let a guy like that walk?! How do you explain that, Mike?!"

Mike: "Dave, I hear your frustration, believe me! Blauser was a fan favorite, a clutch hitter, no doubt about it. It hurts to see a guy like that go. He signed a nice deal with the Blue Jays, and sometimes, you just can't match it, or the player wants a change of scenery. It's the nature of free agency, especially for an expansion team trying to find its financial footing. You can't keep everyone, even the good ones."

Brittany from Colorado Springs (caller slightly disappointed): "Mike, Brittany from the Springs. I'm with Dave. And what about Terry Mulholland? He had some really strong starts for us, kept us in a lot of games. Now he's with the Texas Rangers? It just feels like we're losing some of the guys who actually performed well last year."

Mike: "Susan, another tough one, absolutely. Mulholland was a workhorse, no denying it. These are the growing pains of a new franchise, having to make tough decisions. Thorne and his crew, they're looking at the long game, the big picture. It's never easy to part ways with players who gave their all for the purple and black in year one. But here's the kicker, folks, and this is the bright side that not everyone is talking about! Because we lost high-value players like Blauser and Mulholland in free agency, the Rockies have been awarded two supplemental first-round pics in the upcoming 1994 Amateur Draft!"

Mike (continuing, his voice rising with excitement)" "Did you hear that?! That's HUGE! We've already got our regular first-round pick, and now we've got two more from losing Blauser and Mulholland! That means we're going into the 1994 draft with three first round pics! THREE! That's three opportunities to draft more Alex Rodriguez or Scott Rolen type talents! That's how you build a franchise, folks! That's how you inject massive amounts of high-end talent into your farm system! It softens the blow of losing some of those veterans, doesn't it? Thorne's playing chess, not checkers! It's a tough pill to swallow now, but that draft class could be absolutely loaded for the Rockies' future!"

Mike: "So, while we say goodbye to Blauser and Mulholland, we've brought in some solid new players and, more importantly, we've dramatically beefed up our draft capital for next year! It's an exciting time to be a Rockies fan, folks! Stay tuned, because the offseason isn't over yet!"