The San Francisco Giants have announced that they have signed relief pitcher Vinnie Chulk to a one-year, $837,500 deal for next season. Chulk, 29, finished 5-4 with a 3.57 ERA in 57 games last year. He was tied for the team lead in appearances when a circulatory ailment caused numbness in his right middle finger and forced him to miss the season’s final month.

Vinnie was definitely one of our better relievers last year and we desperately needed to sign him to get some bodies in the pen. I’m still not convinced however, that the guys we have from last year are the answer to our relief problems. As you all know, our bullpen was one of the worst in the majors last season. It was a glaring need, staring us in the face when the season closed. Yet we have done nothing to improve it.

It is clear that the Giants want to give their youngsters a chance to prove themselves. We will see how the season pans out, but my guess is that we will be changing our tune a bit in the off season next year. We need to bring some big names to this club or people will lose interest.