"Minutes before a scheduled arbitration hearing Friday afternoon in St. Petersburg, Fla., the Milwaukee Brewers and right-hander Shaun Marcum reached agreement on a one-year deal for $7,725,000 - the midpoint of figures filed in mid-January.

So, why didn't the sides settle at the midpoint without going all the way to Florida?

"Sometimes there are things out of your control," said Teddy Werner, the Brewers' vice president for business operations. "Sometimes the process has to play out."

In other words, the arbitration process is all about comparables when working out a contract figure. The best comparables in terms of service time and production for Marcum were Chicago Cubs right-hander Matt Garza and Miami right-hander Anibal Sanchez, both of whom had hearings scheduled for Friday, also.

Garza, already ahead of Marcum in terms of salary, settled in the morning for $9.5 million. Sanchez and the Marlins went to their hearing, leaving that salary to be determined.

Thus, the Brewers and Marcum's agent, Rex Gary - who had cordial negotiations throughout the process - were able to settle at the midpoint without a hearing. Marcum, in his final year of arbitration eligibility, had filed for $8.7 million and the Brewers originally came in at $6.75 million.

Marcum made $3.95 million last season, his first with the Brewers. In 33 starts, he went 13-7 with a 3.54 earned run average, holding opponents to a .232 batting average before stumbling badly in the postseason (0-3, 14.90 ERA in three starts)."