Not Another Post on Salary Arbitration - Oh, Yes - Brian Bruney

The Washington Nationals went to a hearing yesterday with Brian Bruney, the relief pitcher that they acquired from the New York Yankees in December. Bruney hopes to compete for the closer role with Matt Capps, another new acquisition for the Nationals, although the former closer for the Pirates certainly has more experience in that role.

The Nationals, a team that seems to enjoy going to hearings and may have another before the end of the week with Sean Burnett, offered Bruney $1,500,000. That figure is a modest increase over the $1,250,000 that Bruney made with the Yankees last year. Bruney is seeking $1,850,000 leaving a midpoint of $1,675,000. The panel that heard the case was Dan Brent, Sylvia Skratek, and Steven Wolf. The panel might be inclined to look at Bruney’s numbers last year, a 5-0 won-loss record and a 3.92 ERA in his role as setup man, and feel that he should receive more than a modest increase. However, an early season injury and the fact that he was not on the Yankees' roster for both the Twins or the Angels playoff series and turned in a poor single game performance in the World Series might well be used favorably by his new team. This must have been an interesting hearing for the Bruney side of the table that listened to a presentation by a team he has never pitched for. Will Bruney get his number on his birthday? I will add more in the comments as usual this year.