The Rockies have completed a deal to acquire Boston infielder Marco Scutaro for pitcher Clayton Mortensen.

The Rockies’ earmarked Scutaro as a target when the offseason began, seeing him as a starting second baseman and potential No. 2 hitter in the lineup. The deal went on life support Friday, but was revived today when the Rockies were able to work through some financial issues to take on Scutaro’s $6 million contract.

Scutaro, 36, batted a career-high .299 with seven home runs, 54 RBIs and .358 on-base percentage last season. He projected as the Red Sox’s starting shortstop, but Boston has been looking to move money to make a run at free agent starter Roy Oswalt, while staying under the luxury tax.

The native of San Felipe, Venezuela hit 26 doubles and scored 59 runs in 2011. A veteran of 10 big league seasons, Scutaro is a career .270 hitter with 214 doubles, 14 triples, 68 home runs, 404 RBI and 538 runs scored.

Scutaro has at least 23 doubles and at least 54 RBI in each of his last four seasons, since 2008.

He owns a .992 career fielding percentage in 324 games at second base. His .992 mark at second is the second-highest for any active Major League player with at least 300 games played at second base.

The Rockies will be Scutaro’s fifth major league team. He also played for the New York Mets (2002-03), Oakland (2004-07), Toronto (2008-09) and Boston (2010-11). Scutaro was originally signed as a non-drafted free agent out Venezuela by Cleveland on July 26, 1994.

Mortensen is an extreme groundball pitcher, relying heavily on a sinker. He went 2-4 with a 3.86 ERA, splitting between between the bullpen and rotation.

With Scutaro in the fold, the Rockies will enter spring training with one of their deepest lineups in franchise history. He will join outfielder Michael Cuddyer and catcher Ramon Hernandez as key acquisitions, completely reshaping the lineup around Carlos Gonzalez and all-star cleanup hitter Troy Tulowitzki.

Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1294 or trenck@denverpost.com

