The White Sox signed Billy Koch to a two-year, $10.625M contract last week. I disapproved of the trade that brought Koch to Chicago, and at first I was inclined to dislike this deal as well. Koch's 2002 win and save totals should not be viewed as a reflection of his value to the White Sox in 2003. There are multiple pitchers in baseball who could have accomplished the same or probably more had they received the Koch's opportunities. While the shortsighted view his workload as an indication of durability, it should denote significant injury risk, meaning he could break down before the 2004 season.

However an arbitration board would have ruled in favor of Koch's $5.9M request for the 2003 season rather than the White Sox's $4.25M offer. Consequently, Chicago would have been committed to paying him almost as much if they'd gone with a single year contract as with this deal. Unless they non-tender him after the season, the White Sox cannot cut his salary more than 20%, and he almost certainly would have received a raise, meaning they would owe him more than they do now. Under the current deal, he'll reportedly receive $4.25M in 2003 and $6.375M in 2004. The fact that there was virtually no way to avoid overpaying Koch again emphasizes what a poor idea it was for the White Sox to trade for him.

Koch's signing was over shadowed by the White Sox decision to sell the Comiskey Park naming rights to U.S. Cellular. For a mere $68M, the stadium will be know as U.S. Cellular Field through 2025. All proceeds from the deal are to go to stadium renovations. I'm generally unopposed to teams seeking additional funding through the sale of a ballpark's name, but I think it is much more appropriate when a stadium is first built. Discarding an established name with almost a century of history behind it should cost considerably more than Chicago received. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that the reason the White Sox are accepting the deal is that they feel the need to make renovations to a the stadium which has only been in use for a dozen seasons. If they'd made better decisions when the park was originally built, none of this would be necessary now and they could have enjoyed the benefits for the past decade.

Oakland agreed to terms with the arbitration-eligible Erubiel Durazo last week. Durazo signed a one-year, $1.065M contract for the 2003 season. Provided he can remain healthy, Durazo should provide the A's with a strong, patient left-handed power bat at DH. I also think his contact rate should improve with more consistent playing time. This salary is fully in line with those of several other 1B/DH players received this off-season.

In mid-January, the A's signed both Ed Yarnall and John Halama to one-year contracts. Yarnall will reportedly receive $600,000 and have the opportunity to earn up to $335,000 in additional incentives, while Halama's salary is unknown. I like Billy Beane's 2003 left-handed acquisitions considerably more than those he picked up for the 2002 season.

If Cincinnati hadn't sold Yarnall to Japan early in the 2001 season, he likely would have established himself as a part of their rotation last season. He's experienced some control problems in the past and likely still will post at least a 3.5 BB/9 in the majors if starting, but that should be within range of acceptable considering his strikeout rate. I suspect he'll work out of the pen given the number of establish starters the A's possess, and considering his upside as a starter, the 27-year-old could provide Oakland with a very strong reliever.

I have mixed feelings about the Halama signing, particularly given the lack of an announced salary. Oakland's rotation is overflowing and they have some of the best left-handed starters in baseball. Their bullpen is equally full with Ricardo Rincon as a top of the line left-handed reliever and now Yarnall. While they're discussing the possibility of putting either Yarnall or Halama in the rotation behind Barry Zito, Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder, and Ted Lilly, I can't imagine them running four left-handed starters. Consequently, I don't know where the A's are going to fit Halama. However, he's a quite competent pitcher and likely didn't cost much, so I understand why they added him to the staff. Perhaps they are anticipating an injury to one of the core rotation members.

Elsewhere in the AL West, Seattle settled on a $3.3M one-year contract with Randy Winn. This salary seems in line with what Winn offers the Mariners. The 28-year-old needs to improve his plate discipline to take his game to the next level, but he's a solid starting outfielder. Hopefully, Safeco won't neutralize all of his power gains, while the move away from Tampa's turf should help his legs remain healthier, so he can retain his speed longer.

The Mariners signed the arbitration-eligible Carlos Guillen to a one-year, $2.5M contract, which I think is a bit more than he deserves. The 27-year-old seems to be growing into some additional power, but he hasn't demonstrated the kind of strike zone judgment that would make him a truly impressive offensive player.

Ben Davis agreed to a one-year, $1M contract. Compared to Henry Blanco, Davis looks like a bargain. While he hasn't yet lived up to the expectations of a second overall draft pick, he's still only 25 and as he matures Davis is showing more power, though his plate discipline needs work.

Seattle also signed Oakland free agent John Mabry to a one-year, $850,000 contract that includes a $250,000 buyout on a $1.5M option for 2004. Mabry managed a decent season for the A's after joining Oakland in the insane Jeremy Giambi trade. However, the Mariners need not have spent even this much money on the 32-year-old considering the inexpensive talent available on the market this off-season. I expect Seattle to negate all of his power growth, and although his contact rate improved last season, I don't think he'll maintain a BA above the .250's.

The Mariners have added 1B-L Calvin Pickering and RHP Jamey Wright to the list of players they've signed to minor league deals. Pickering missed last season following surgery to repair a torn quadriceps and is still experiencing difficulties in his recovery. I don't expect him to be available as an injury replacement until at least the second half. When healthy, the 26-year-old offers moderate power upside, but his contact rate needs improvement if he's to hold a regular bench job.

Wright will receive the opportunity to compete for the fifth starter's job in Spring Training, but he's not displayed desirable skills. The 28-year-old suffers from serious control problems and should be used sparingly as a starter. Nevertheless, Seattle is thin on starting pitching so he could spend considerable portions of the season in the rotation.