The Associated Press

DENVER – The Colorado Rockies sent pitchers Jeff Taglienti and Justin Carter to Cincinnati on Wednesday, completing a Nov.

Thursday, December 21, 2000

DENVER – The Colorado Rockies sent pitchers Jeff Taglienti and Justin Carter to Cincinnati on Wednesday, completing a Nov. 8 trade for left-hander Ron Villone.

Taglienti, 25, came to the Rockies as part of a seven-player deal with the Boston Red Sox on July 27. The right-hander went 1-1 with a 1.46 ERA in 10 relief appearances at Double-A Carolina.

Carter, 23, spent last season at Class A Salem, going 5-8 with a 4.13 ERA in 17 games as a starter. Drafted by Colorado in the ninth round in 1998, the left-hander was 19-15 in three minor league seasons.

Also Wednesday, the Rockies announced they would not offer contracts to outfielder Butch Huskey or right-hander Kevin Jarvis. Both can become free agents.

Jarvis, who was 3-4 with a 5.95 ERA last season, was the victim of a crowded pitching staff. Colorado’s tentative starting rotation includes Villone, Mike Hampton, Denny Neagle, Pedro Astacio and Brian Bohanon, with Masato Yoshii and John Wasdin also vying for the No. 5 spot.

Huskey was designated for assignment last week after the Rockies signed Ron Gant. Acquired from Minnesota in July, he hit .348 in 45 games with Colorado and .261 overall.

Also, the Cleveland Indians signed former Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Marty Cordova and four other players to minor league contracts on Wednesday and invited them to spring training.

Cordova, 31, hit .245 for Toronto last year with four home runs and 18 RBIs in 62 games.

In 1995, he was named the American League Rookie of the Year after hitting .277 with 24 homers and 84 RBIs for Minnesota.