It seems to me that in all the talk of Zito or Kotsay being traded or signed long term, we've overlooked how valuable Justin Duchscherer is to the A's. So, I was just wondering about his contract status.
He is arby eligible for a few years to come, but I was wondering, why not do as we did with Crosby and lock him up for a couple of years so those arbitration numbers won't skyrocket.
Just think about what he's been to us over the past two years:
- Effective long reliever
- Effective setup man
- Effective stopgap closer
- Most consistent of any A's pitcher for the past two years
- This year, he's learned how to get a K (nearly 1 per inning)
On the other hand, as ColoradoFan points out (thanks CoFan), he is not FA eligible until 2010. Also, Haren may be a priority to be locked up first. Plus relievers don't get paid as much as starters and everyday players. So, locking him up past arbitration years may not save much money.