Four baseball officials were surprised that the Todd Helton trade talks between the Rockies and Red Sox broke down. The majority expect talks to resume during Spring Training. "Manny Delcarmen [one of the players Colorado asked for] has a very good arm and he could be a very good middle reliever, but you take your chances there. You don't have very many chances to obtain a hitter like Helton," said one National League GM. An American League West GM said, "The last thing you want is for that Red Sox lineup to get better. I was crossing my fingers that it wouldn't get done. Thank God." And an AL Central manager said, "Boston had their reasons for not giving up a prospect and I respect that. That shows restraint and AL East teams don't have much of it. But having said that, Helton is one of the best in the game. Helton at Fenway. Are you kidding?" One NL Central manager thought the Sox did the right thing. "Helton is still very good. I wouldn't want to face him, but who knows about that back problem and how it will play down the road."