The Rockies had long liked Manny Delcarmen, and the idea of acquiring the reliever from the Red Sox had long been of interest. But when they finally did acquire the right-hander, grabbing him in exchange for Single-A right-hander Chris Balcom-Miller on Aug. 31, the results proved disappointing.

Acquired to solidify the Colorado bullpen in the pennant stretch, Delcarmen instead contributed to its struggles. After posting a 4.70 ERA for the Sox while walking nearly as many (28) as he struck out (32), the right-hander had a 6.48 ERA in nine appearances for the Rockies while permitting nearly two base runners per inning.

That, in turn, reportedly has the Rockies ready to part ways with the right-hander. According to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (via twitter), the Rockies are expected to decline to tender Manny Delcarmen an offer of salary arbitration for the 2011 season. If non-tendered, Delcarmen would become a free agent, able to negotiate with any team.

Renck described Delcarmen as an “interesting experiment that didn’t work out” for the Rockies. In parts of six big league seasons, Delcarmen has a 3.97 ERA and 7.7 strikeouts per nine innings. The Sox took him in the second round of the 2000 draft.

While the Rockies appear ready to walk away from Delcarmen, the Sox have received positive initial returns from Balcom-Miller. The right-hander was 7-7 with a 3.30 ERA in the Single-A South Atlantic League this year, and in two pro seasons, he has a 2.73 ERA and a ridiculous 180-to-29 strikeout-to-walk ratio.