The San Francisco Giants' search for a middle infielder will have to look beyond the Bay Bridge.
The Oakland Athletics traded infielder Mark Ellis to the Colorado Rockies for pitcher Bruce Billings and a player to be named later.
Ellis has been one the leaders of the A's clubhouse and has established a reputation as one of the better fielding infielders in the game.
The San Francisco Giants were thought by many, including respected San Francisco Chronicle sports writer Susan Slusser, to be the next team for Ellis.
It could be that Ellis' $6 million price tag was too much for the Giants to digest or the A's did not want to see its longest-tenured player cross the bay and help its Bay Area rivals compete for another championship.
The Giants will get to see more of Ellis than they have in recent years. He will be suiting up for the team's divisional rivals in Colorado.
San Francisco won't see the Rockies until September, but the two teams play seven times that month, including the final series of the season in San Francisco.
