The Rockies have signed starter Aaron Cook to a three-year, $30 million extension that doesn't begin until 2009.
My initial reaction was that this was a bad move for the Rockies, but upon closer examination, it's probably actually a smart one. Cook's not the sort of pitcher you notice much unless he's killing your fantasy team, but he's quietly put up terrific numbers in the last four years. True, he never strikes anyone out, but with his sinker, he doesn't really need to. Cook had the fifth best grounder/fly ball ratio of any pitcher in the big leagues who threw at least 100 innings, and in Coors Field, that'll win games. Cook is actually perfectly suited to pitch in Colorado.
He's missed a bunch of time with injuries in the last four years, but those weren't arm problems - in 2004 he was diagnosed with blood clots that kept him out of action for much of 2005, and in 2007 he had a rib cage problem. I'm not sure why he can't be as healthy as any 28-year-old pitcher going forward. The only problem is that this deal doesn't kick in until 2009, so the Rockies are taking on a big risk here. If Cook remains effective, though, and if the market stays like it has been the past couple of offseasons, Colorado will be getting a bargain.