Looper is Out; Plus More Arbitration News

Ignoring my pleas for an upgrade to the starting rotation, the Pittsburgh Pirates failed to sign Braden Looper. Today Looper agreed to a one-year deal (with an option for 2010) with the Milwaukee Brewers. Though it turned out that Looper is older than I thought (he's 34), I still feel that he would have made a nice addition to the Pirates. I am perfectly okay with keeping Ohlendorf or Karstens in the minors if they're not ready, or sending Duke to the bullpen (or minors, even) if it means a pitcher of Looper's caliber was in the mix. Even if Pittsburgh does sign a veteran starter to a major league contract and the young pitchers exceed expectations, a trade could always be made. But with Spring Training beginning on Saturday, the addition of a veteran starter now seems unlikely.

Also today, Florida Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla won his arbitration hearing. He was awarded $5.35 million, rather than the Marlin's offer of $4.4 million. This might make my prediction that Nate McLouth will lose his arbitration case seem a little shaky. Uggla, though, has been a starter for the Marlins for the past three seasons, and the power he provides is especially great for his position. But I'm afraid Uggla's victory might make McLouth's people a little overconfident. They should also take a look at Rick Ankiel, outfielder for the Cardinals, as well. Ankiel is an odd case, since he began earning major league service time in 2000 as a pitcher, but he has basically been a starting outfielder for just as long as McLouth has. Some of their numbers are actually fairly similar from the past two seasons. Well, Ankiel today avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year deal with St. Louis for $2.825 million, which is just a hair more than the Pirate's offer for McLouth. Nate is a more well-rounded player than Ankiel, so I would think he and the Pirates could reach a settlement of around $3.25 million or so. If that's on the table, McLouth should take it.