... The Bad...

I'm a little late here with this, but anyway...

The White Sox signed RP Dustin Hermanson to a two-year, $5 million dollar contract. The contract is $2 million for 2005, $3 million for 2006, and a team option of $3.5 million for 2007. My only question is why are we paying him so much money?

Here's his stats from last season:

IP	ERA	RAA	FIP	G/F	K/9	BB/9	HR/9
131.0	4.53	-3	4.12	1.05	7.0	3.2	1.0

My biggest problem with this signing is that Hermanson is, at best, a slightly above average relief pitcher. His 4.12 FIP is better than the 2004 NL average of 4.31, so there's a glimmer of hope. He commanded the dollars he got this off-season because he became the defacto closer with the Giants last season, after Robb Nen couldn't return from injuries and Matt Herges couldn't close a game to save his life. Hermanson did convert 17 of 20 save opportunities, but became expendable when SF signed Armando Benitez. His ERA as a reliever over the past 3 years is 5.67.

Kenny Williams must love his versatility as a reliever and a starter, because nothing I see with his stats lead me to believe he is worth more than $2mil per, and I'm stretching with that number. I honestly believe a pitcher like Kevin Walker could have just as productive a season as Dustin Hermanson, and for a lot less money.

I sometimes think a GM struggles most with the bullpen, since those pitchers are the guys that aren't good enough to be starters or closers, and are basically a crapshoot every year. Putting figures on that must be difficult, and as such I feel the Hermanson signing will turn out poorly for the White Sox. But, at least the Sox recognized that they have holes in their bullpen that need filling. I just wish it was somebody else they filled the hole with, like Shawn Chacon...