Masumi Kuwata

I'm happy that Kuwata has worked out well so far. Really, I am. But it's very depressing to me that the best pitcher in our bullpen recently has been a washed up 39-year old former starter from the Japanese leagues. It would be great if he'd come and done a good job as a middle/long relief guy, but he's seriously the only person that can get outs reliably right now.

I guess the thing that scares me the most about Kuwata is that this is what a lot of people predicted for him this year, early success while people were figuring him out, followed by him getting pounded. We are in phase 1 right now, and I have to wonder how far behind phase 2 really is. Maybe it's not coming, but in that case, what good does the guy do for us? He's almost 40 and he certainly won't get better. Could we actually trade him to a contender? I'd say chances are pretty slim there. I suppose where I'm going with this is that Kuwata is a nice story and it's good to see him succeed and all, but I don't see how any of it is particularly relative to the Pirates outside of the here and now.

That being said, the story about his rainbow curve in the PG today is an amusing one and worth a read if you've got the time.