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DENVER -- The Colorado Rockies are close to bringing Vinny Castilla back to Denver.

The third baseman was expected to cut short a winter-league appearance in his native Mexico to take a physical this week. A deal could be finalized as early as Wednesday.

"He did not get offered arbitration by Atlanta, and that was an important step," Rockies general manager Dan O'Dowd said Tuesday. "We're working through some issues and are going to continue to work through them."

Castilla was a member of the inaugural Rockies team in 1993 and became one of the cornerstones of Colorado's "Blake Street Bombers." He went to the All-Star Game in 1995 and 1998, and hit .309 with 32 homers and 90 RBIs in 1995 -- Colorado's only playoff appearance.

Castilla had some of the best numbers in baseball from 1995-99, averaging 38 homers, 112 RBIs and hitting .302.

He went to Tampa Bay as part of a four-team deal in 1999 and spent most of the 2000 season with Houston. He played the past two years in Atlanta, where he hit .277 with 22 home runs and 76 RBIs last season.

Castilla's children still attend school in the Denver area, and he has said he would like to return to Colorado.

The Rockies also are working on a one-year deal with right-hander Scott Elarton and are negotiating with catcher Brent Mayne, who played in Colorado from 2000-01.

Elarton did not play in 2002 due to shoulder surgery and had an up and down season last year. He spent most of the year at Triple-A Colorado Springs and was 4-4 with a 6.27 ERA in two stints with the Rockies.

Elarton won 17 games with Houston in 2000 and showed signs of getting his stuff back in a start late last season, when he held San Diego to one run and three hits in six innings.

Mayne, who would back up Charles Johnson, hit .301 with Colorado in 2000 and was hitting .331 the following season when the Rockies traded him to Kansas City after 49 games in a salary-cutting move.

Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press