Relative to what exactly? What closers make in FA? It's not fair to compare the Arby process to FA, more so it's fair to compare similar players at a similar juncture of the career. If he pitches like last year it's a horrible investment. I'm not suggesting they should have non-tendered him, this kind of money was inevitable, but I don't see much "bargain" in the signing. He got market value and there's no way that market values ever equals a bargain. From a value standpoint 5M for < 70 innings isn't all that intriguing, closer, setup man, or otherwise. Yes, relative to FA, and this is part of a bigger point that I was making in another thread. Find and develop relievers from within your system, because it's much cheaper than going through FA. I also see no reason at all to extend Axford beyond his FA years. I like Axford, but I just don't see any need to pay what he will command in FA, and they will need to find someone else at that time or perhaps sooner. I'm all for recycling relievers from within the system once the current relievers become too expensive.