The departure of Johnson, meanwhile, was expected. The 33-year-old, four-time gold glove winner was not in Colorado’s plans for this season.

Kim missed time with the flu this spring and has allowed four earned runs in 6 2-3 innings during the exhibition season. All the while, he has been bombarded with rumors that Boston would try to unload his $6 million salary, or part of it.

“I heard many stories about the trades this offseason but it’s nothing I can control,” he said last week, “but I know the general manager and manager and all the teammates still trust in me to help out the team.”

Kim, a native of South Korea, was acquired from Arizona on May 29, 2003 in the trade that sent Shea Hillenbrand to the Diamondbacks. He went 6-4 with 16 saves and a 2.28 ERA in 42 outings after being named Boston’s closer July 1. He did not allow an earned run in his final 13 regular season appearances.

But he lost the job in the playoffs after allowing the tying run to reach base in the ninth inning of Boston’s loss in the first-round opener against Oakland. Then, during player introductions for Game 3 of the AL division series in 2003 at Fenway Park, he was booed and made an obscene gesture at the crowd. He later apologized.

Even so, the Red Sox re-signed him. Then he went 2-1 with a 6.73 ERA for Boston and was at Triple-A Pawtucket from May 11 to Sept. 21.

The former Arizona closer blew two ninth-inning saves at Yankee Stadium in the 2001 World Series. But he made the All-Star team with the Diamondbacks in 2002, when he had a career-high 36 saves.

In 299 career appearances, Kim is 31-28 with 86 saves and a 3.37 earned run average. He has allowed 315 hits and 176 runs, 157 of them earned. He has struck out 455 batters and walked 176.

Kim has four saves in 11 postseason appearances with Arizona and Boston.

Narveson was sent from St. Louis to Colorado as a player to be named in the trade last August for Larry Walker. In 98 minor-league games, one as a reliever, he is 27-36 with a 3.32 ERA.

In 27 starts in Double-A last year, he was 5-13 with a 4.02 ERA.

The Rockies were trying to move the 33-year-old Johnson since J.D. Closser replaced him at catcher in September.

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