Reliever Justin Duchscherer avoided arbitration, agreeing to a $1.2 million, one-year deal with the Oakland Athletics, according to the Associated Press.
This is excellent news for both the team, as well as Duke. The A's get to hang on to one of their top pitchers from the last few years - Justin made the All-Star game in 2005 - and Duke gets a year to show the organization and the rest of baseball that he can be a starter. Pending any more trades (and injuries), a rotation with Joe Blanton, Rich Harden, Cahad Gaudin, and Duke could bode well for a team in rebuilding mode.
Before he can be successful as a starter, Duke has to stay healthy. He missed most of last season with a strained right hip but was an All-Star in 2005, going 7-4 with a 2.21 ERA in 65 games. Duchscherer appeared in 17 games last season, going 3-3 with a 4.96 ERA before going on the disabled list in the middle of May and having hip surgery on July 11.
Duchscherer's signing reduces the arbitration-eligible players on the Oakland roster down to three. The rest are Joe Blanton, Chad Gaudin and reliever Huston Street.
Duchscherer has spent parts of six seasons in the majors, including the last five with Oakland. He has a career record of 21-16 with 14 saves and a 3.44 ERA in 197 games, and has pitched only in relief since 2004.
Keywords: All-Star, Oakland Athletics, Rich Harden, Stomper
