Arquimedes Caminero to sign with Japanese team

Arquimedes Caminero appears set to sign with the Yomiuri Giants in Japan, where he’ll likely make more than he would have here in the states.

The Pirates, you’ll remember, traded Caminero to the Mariners in August for two young pitchers. It appears the Mariners have seen enough. Caminero is out of options, and the Mariners have a bunch of right-handed bullpen options, so it looks like they’re going to sell his contract, even though he isn’t yet eligible for arbitration.

Velocity isn’t everything, as it turns out. Pirates fans were long tantalized by Caminero’s fastball, but he has persistent issues with walks and didn’t have much in the way of secondary stuff. His fate was probably close to sealed back in May, when he hit two Diamondbacks hitters in the head and then got placed on the DL in what was, by all appearances, a fake assignment designed to get him some time in the minors.