San Francisco signed Kirk Rueter to a two-year, $12M contract extension on Wednesday. Rueter will reportedly receive a $3M signing bonus in addition to a $4M salary in 2004 and $5M in 2005. Under the terms of his previous contract, he'll receive a $4.75M salary in 2003.

I think the Giants have made a significant mistake with this contract extension. The 32-year-old may possess solid control skills that allow him to be a decent innings eater despite striking out less than four batters every nine innings, however there's little likelihood of growth and a substantial possibility of sudden decline. Additionally, San Francisco acquired Damian Moss this off-season, so they wouldn't have been short a left-hander if they'd let Rueter leave as a free agent after the year.

Given the current market trends, the price seems a bit high, though if he maintains his current production levels probably acceptable. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean they'll be able to trade him for help in another area when they need the rotation spot for a younger, less expensive but likely more effective pitcher. Sometime in the next year Rueter should gain his five and ten rights, allowing him to block any deal San Francisco negotiates. He's already been with the Giants for more than six years, but he's spent some time in the minors since his debut in July of 1993 so he doesn't quite have ten years in the majors. San Francisco is looking to return to the World Series in 2003, therefore I doubt they'll deal him this year.

Rueter joined the Giants mid-season 1996 when the Expos, who drafted him out of Murray State University with their 18th round pick of the 1991 draft, traded him with Tim Scott to San Francisco for Mark Leiter. The Illinois native has enjoyed his time with the Giants and pursued this contract extension, so it is unlikely he would accept a trade.

Elsewhere in the state, San Diego signed the arbitration-eligible Kevin Walker to a one-year, $450,000 contract in mid-January. Walker spent last season recovering from Tommy John surgery, which he underwent in August of 2001. He rejoined the team briefly at the end of the year before a minor problem sent him back to the DL. Walker is expected to serve as the Padres primary lefty reliever in 2003. Prior to his injury he'd experienced some control difficulties in that role, however he had skipped AAA and was showing improvement. Consequently, I think he'll at least provide San Diego with adequate relief work from the south side of the pen.

The Padres have signed RHP Courtney Duncan, LHP Randy Keisler, and IF-L Keith Lockhart to minor league deals. Duncan is capable of striking out a batter per inning as a major league reliever. However the Cubs, who drafted him out of Grambling State University with their 20th round pick in 1996, weren't willing to overlook his mild control problems. If he finds a spot with San Diego at some point during the season, I think the 28-year-old could provide them with very solid relief work.

Randy Keisler missed last season due to the combination of a rattlesnake bite on the pinky finger of his left-hand and undergoing shoulder surgery in October of 2001. Prior to his health problems, Keisler displayed a strong strikeout rate as a starter but did not have sufficient control to deserve a rotation spot in the majors, particularly with the Yankees, who drafted him out of Louisiana State University with their second round pick of the 1998 draft. The 26-year-old was rushed through the minors and might be able to salvage a starting career if a team would give him the development time he needs at the lower levels. However at this point, I suspect he'll turn to relief work and still need to spend most of this season rehabbing at AAA, so I don't expect him to make an impact on the major league team given the number of other pitchers that the Padres possess.

Lockhart's plate discipline could be much worse and he possesses mild power skills. Nevertheless, the 38-year-old shouldn't spend significant time on the Padres roster this year as they have superior options for the bench and he offers very little offensively.

Meanwhile, CR-R Ron Coomer, RHP Masao Kida, and RHP Bill Simas have signed minor league contract with the Dodgers. I don't expect Coomer to spend much if any time on the Dodgers' major league roster given their alternatives, but he'll provide them with some depth at AAA. The 36-year-old's plate discipline would need to improve for him to deserve consistent playing time, though he offers moderate power skills.

Detroit purchased Masao Kida's contract from Japan in 1998 but released him during the 2000 season. He returned to Japan and played there through 2001, but I have no record of him playing in 2002. The 34-year-old held a solid strikeout rate during his time as a reliever in the majors but had some control difficulties. He should spend most of the season in AAA, however the Dodgers don't have a ton of relief depth so he could receive a call-up if he performs well enough to catch someone's eye.

Bill Simas missed 2001 following Tommy John surgery, but he appeared fully recovered at the White Sox's AAA affiliate Charlotte last season. The 31-year-old wasn't a great reliever prior to the injury, and I don't think he'll break camp with the team. However, I think he can perform acceptably if needed and gives them depth at AAA.

Derek Thompson, who the Cubs took from the Indians in the Rule 5 draft and traded to LA for cash, will miss the season as he needs to undergo Tommy John surgery. Cleveland drafted Thompson out of high school with the 37th overall pick in the first round of the 2000 draft. The 22-year-old left-handed pitcher spent the rest of the 2000 season at Burlington in the Rookie-level Appalachian League and then advanced to A Columbus in the South Atlantic League for the 2001 season, though he only made two starts all year, presumably due to injury. Last year he split the season between Columbus and A+ Kinston in the Carolina League, struggling with his command at both levels.

I highly doubt the Dodgers would have bothered keeping him on the roster all year if he weren't injured. Additionally, while he'll be able to spend this year on the DL, Thompson will need to spend time on the roster in 2004 if LA intends to keep him, though I'm not sure the Indians would bother paying the $25,000 to reclaim him at this point.