Catcher Javy Lopez, who had been competing to make Colorado's opening-day roster, was released Monday by the Rockies. Lopez, MVP of the 1996 NL championship series with Atlanta, had agreed in January to a $750,000, one-year contract that wasn't guaranteed. He will receive 30 days' termination pay: $122,951. Rockies spokesman Jay Alves said the team wanted to release Lopez early enough in spring training to give him an opportunity to catch on somewhere else. Lopez said last month he preferred not to become a DH in the AL.