Jason Giambi may indeed be coming to Colorado Springs, but nobody has informed the Sky Sox.

Reports began circulating Saturday afternoon that the former Athletics and Yankees slugger is on the verge of signing a minor-league deal with the Rockies and reporting to the Sky Sox. The San Francisco Chronicle apparently broke the story, with Hall of Fame writer Tracy Ringolsby adding details on the site InsidetheRockies.com.

Sky Sox assistant general manager and director of public relations Michael Hobson said he first heard of the news when reporters started calling him to confirm the story. Hobson is typically among the first to know about pending transactions, though he said a free-agent signing like this is often kept quiet.

For example, Hobson didn’t know the Sky Sox signed Matt Herges last month until he saw Herges in the clubhouse.

Ringolsby is reporting that Giambi will see regular duty with the Sky Sox until joining the Rockies when rosters expand on Sept. 1. He would fill a need for a left-handed bat off the bench — a need amplified Friday night when the Rockies, albeit shorthanded, sent Omar Quintanilla to the plate representing the tying run in the ninth inning against San Francisco.

Giambi, 38, hit .193 with 11 home runs and 40 RBIs in 83 games with Oakland before being released Aug. 7. The 2000 AL MVP still displayed a keen eye, drawing 50 walks. His 1,255 career walks place him behind just five active players — Jim Thome, Gary Sheffield, Chipper Jones, Ken Griffey Jr, and Manny Ramirez.

A reserve role would be new for Giambi, who has just 59 plate appearances as a pinch hitter (3 HR, 9 RBI, .253).

Giambi, who has been linked to performanc-enhancing drugs, has played in 11 minor-league games in a couple of rehab stops since breaking in with Oakland in 1995.

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