Kirk Saarloos

Saarloos was given a shot at a starting job when injuries to Esteban Loaiza and Rich Harden beset the A's rotation and he spit the bit. He'll compete for the 5th starter spot in spring with the departure of Barry Zito, but will likely settle into a long-relief role or a starter at Triple-A. There's nothing here unless you're in a very deep AL-only league.

Saarloos was the A's fifth starter in 2005, but showed no strikeout ability. Following the acquisition of Esteban Loaiza, he figures to start the year as the long man out of the bullpen unless Barry Zito is dealt for an outfield bat.

Late season elbow problems resulted in him being dropped from the 40-man roster. He'll need to regain his health before entertaining ideas of returning to the majors.

The Astros have struggled to decide how to use Saarloos since he made his major league debut last season. He was drafted as a starter and has pitched well as a starter in the minors, but struggled as a starter in the majors. In 2003, his ERA in four starts was 10.38, but just 2.97 in 32 relief appearances.

Saarloos rapidly climbed the organizational ladder in 2002 as a starter after pitching as a short reliever in 2001 in Low-A ball. Saarloos posted great K/BB numbers in addition to the obvious strong ERA and WHIP numbers in Double-A and Triple-A. His 2002 workload was significantly higher than he had pitched previously. Saarloos doesn't throw especially hard, but instead thrives on fooling opposing hitters. This seems to work the first time he faces them, perhaps even the second time through the batting order, but he's had trouble working deeper into games.