Astros sign Doug Brocail

This is what passes for news. Brocail is going back for $2.5 million, even though he's coming off a surprisingly respectable season into a market where loads of teams with money need relief pitching. I'm assuming there's a personal factor here for Brocail, because you'd think that even in the NL the Mets would cough up enough money to make it worth considering. Last year actually marked a regression from 2007, where he put up a 3.05 ERA despite having a considerably lower strikeout rate. That number was likely influenced by BABIP and a large number of unearned runs (in 2007, 7 of the 33 runs he allowed were unearned).

In 2008, he fell off with a 3.93 ERA and a higher WHIP, but he still had a decent season and showed a spike in his strikeout rate (.93 K/IP as opposed to a career .71 K/IP before 2008).

All in all, it's a respectable enough signing that fills a need in the Astros' bullpen, but it's not going to be a difference-making move.


The Astros also signed Mike Hampton, pending a physical, yesterday, but I didn't bother to say anything about it. Why? Well, because saying that the Astros signed Mike Hampton pending a physical is kind of like saying the Indians have signed Trevor Hoffman, pending a contract offer being extended and agreed upon. Hampton is a good signing solely because he's cheap and if he pitches, he'll pitch better than Brandon Backe did in 2007. Since the Astros seem to have backed off signing Randy Wolf and declined to offer him arbitration, Hampton can theoretically fill that role if he can stay healthy.