Lance Berkman said earlier this week that several teams had been in contact with him and he wasn't kidding. Just a day after the slugger met with the Oakland A's, the Denver Post reported that the Rockies are "aggressively pursuing" the former Astros' first baseman to help fill their needs in the corner outfield spots and to give Todd Helton some time off at first base, when necessary.

Berkman is coming off of the worst season of his 12-year career, split between the Astros and New York Yankees. He finished 2010 with an OPS under .800 for the first time in a career that saw him dip below .900 only once in a full season before in the 11 years prior.

Some of his struggles can probably be attributed to the diminished playing time he saw with the Yankees after being traded across leagues, though, and the Rockies are no doubt hoping that a return to the National League, regular playing time,and the thin air of Coors Field will all help revitalize the Big Puma's career.

The Rockies are also apparently hoping that being in the National League and thus able to offer him playing time in the field makes them a more attractive suitor than the A's, who likely want Berkman to DH.

He hasn't regularly played in the outfield since 2005, though, the Rockies must not be all that worried about how he'd fare in the outfield, because his poor showing from the right side of the plate against lefties indicates (just a .517 OPS in 2010) that he'd be a pretty poor platoon partner for Helton at first base.