"Zach Duke, the Pirates' All-Star starting pitcher in 2009 and their only player eligible for salary arbitration who remains unsigned, does not appear to be on course for a hearing.

The sides are focused, according to multiple sources, on settling amicably on a one-year contract, a term that tends to streamline the process. Management has not offered Duke any multiyear term and apparently has no intention of doing so.

Moreover, there is no trace of the type of large disagreement about the player's value, as there was between management and closer Matt Capps before his release last month.

Duke, 26, is coming off a season in which he went 11-16 with a 4.06 ERA and three complete games, tying Ross Ohlendorf for the staff lead in victories and topping the staff with 213 innings. His loss total was highest in the National League, but he received a total of 23 runs of support in those 16 games."