Butter? Parque!

Welcome to last place, Mr. Jim Parque. A soft-tossing lefty with a career ERA of 5.42, Parque is the newest flyer taken by Brainiac from Planet Brainiac, a.k.a. Bill Bavasi.

At least this one's just a minor-league deal.

Parque hasn't had a major-league ERA below E I G H T since the year 2000. For his career, his K/9 numbers are weak (a shade over 5.5), reflecting his mediocre stuff. But he's left handed, and he's only 31, and there are even rumors that his fastball is clear back up in the high 80s, so...why not?

Tacoma just got a new pitcher.

Like the other offseason shenanigans pulled by Bavasi's administration, this one just irritates me. Why? Oh, it's a fine move all by itself--indeed, this might be the second- or third-smartest thing the M's have done all winter. THAT's why it irritates me.