Headlines

  • Major League Baseball Rules That Permanent Ineligibility Ends At Death
  • Rangers Place Corey Seager On Injured List
  • Cubs Promote Moises Ballesteros
  • Evan Longoria To Sign One-Day Contract, Retire As Member Of Rays
  • Diamondbacks To Promote Jordan Lawlar
  • Rockies Fire Bud Black
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Guardians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Oakland Athletics
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2024-25 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2024-25 Top 50 MLB Free Agents With Predictions
    • Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2025
    • Free Agent Contest Leaderboard
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Agency Database
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Carter Capps To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

By Jeff Todd | March 8, 2016 at 8:58am CDT

High-powered Marlins reliever Carter Capps will undergo Tommy John surgery today, the club has announced. The 25-year-old right-hander will have his UCL replaced by surgeon James Andrews.

Both team and player had been holding out hope for a better outcome from yesterday’s visit with Andrews. It would appear that the famed elbow repairman advised in favor of the procedure, which will knock Capps out for the entirety of the 2016 season and — depending upon his recovery timeline — a piece of 2017 as well.

The news is enormously disappointing for all involved. It’s hard to overstate just how good Capps was last year — when he was healthy — and Miami surely had visions of him forming a high-quality 1-2 punch with A.J. Ramos. Indeed, there was some talk of sliding Capps into the closer role, in part to help manage his usage but also in reflection of the fact that he led all of baseball with a 0.87 SIERA on the strength of an absurd strikeout-to-walk ratio (16.8 K/9 vs. 2.0 BB/9).

It’s perhaps even more disappointing for Capps himself, who had only just reached arbitration eligibility. Despite his dominance last year, his relatively low innings count in 2015 and underwhelming prior results held him to a $988K salary. Another big season — especially if utilized in the 9th — would have set Capps up for a major raise.

Instead, he’ll enter next winter with expectations of receiving a repeat of his current-year earnings. The Marlins will surely feel that price is worth the risk, and will also control Capps for a final arb-eligible season in 2018 before he qualifies for the open market.

It remains to be seen what Miami will do to address this loss. Surely, a replacement that would match Capps in quality won’t be available (at least, for anything less than an exorbitant rate). The club still has plenty of big fastballs in the pen, but will likely be looking to add depth. Whether or not an immediate move is explored, there ought to be plenty of options as camp battles are won and lost late in the spring.

It’s worth noting that Capps landed as the tenth most likely Tommy John patient in all of baseball in the recent statistical study undertaken by MLBTR contributor Bradley Woodrum. As Woodrum has explained in that post and in his appearance on last week’s MLBTR Podcast, the bottom-line predictive value of his work is relatively low (although still surprisingly powerful), so the placement of Capps and other higher-risk arms shouldn’t be viewed as an expectation of surgery so much as an indication that such pitchers may be worthy of increased attention and caution by their respective teams.

Share 33 Retweet 16 Send via email0

Miami Marlins Newsstand Carter Capps

Astros, A.J. Hinch Have Agreed To “Revised” Contract
Main
NL West Notes: D-Backs, Padres, Inciarte, Lincecum, Blash, Reyes
View Comments (21)
Post a Comment

21 Comments

  1. User 4245925809

    9 years ago

    There is no such thing as a sprained UCL, it is a tear. They do not heal, the inflamation goes down and they try various other treatments to heal the tear, but it is in no way, shape, or form a tear and that term should be removed.

    Whenever you see it? Figure a waste of a year, maybe 6 months on the DL before the player ends up with TJ anyway 50%+ of the time. I despise it when teams play around trying to avoid the surgery wil guys and “sprains” and minor tears. Brandon Workman is another, who Boston has been horsing around with since actually early 2014 and his FB gone since the S of 2013 with the tear. It’s nonsense.

    Reply
    • A'sfaninUK

      9 years ago

      I agree with all of this, and think Tanaka’s arm will definitely explode at some point this year too.

      Reply
    • MB923

      9 years ago

      Surgeons only recommend TJS when necessary. There is also no guarantee a pitcher returns to his old form once he gets it also. That’s why many pitchers have had multiple TJS.

      People act as if TJS is a magic cure. That is the farthest thing from the truth

      Look at Adam Wainwright who had a partially torn URL in high school that cured, followed by another when he was in the minors. He did not get TJS until 2011 at the age of 30

      Read this hear about what he says about Tanaka – newsday.com/sports/columnists/david-lennon/masahir…

      Reply
      • chesteraarthur

        9 years ago

        Not returning to form is not why pitchers have multiple tjs. The replacement ligament has a finite lifespan.

        Reply
        • MB923

          9 years ago

          I worded it poorly. When I meant return to form, I meant return to being effective. You’re right about the ligament

          My main point was surgeons have said TJS should be only done when necessary.

          Autocorrect put URL above in my other post. I meant UCL

          Reply
    • James F

      9 years ago

      Players have no patience nowadays. Sprains don’t heal in a week-month like most players wait unless it’s pain from throwing for the first time after a couple months off. I was out for a little over half a year with an ucl sprain and not a complete tear. I couldn’t even throw a baseball the first couple of weeks. That was 5 years ago. I’m still throwing to this day and have had little to no issues with my elbow. The Wainwright story that MB923 is a great example.

      Reply
  2. cxcx

    9 years ago

    “the bottom-line predictive value of his work is relatively low”

    Relative to what?

    Reply
    • Jeff Todd

      9 years ago

      Not sure what angle you are taking with this question — genuine curiosity, linguistic clarity, or statistical imprecision — but I meant only to continue to emphasize that Brad doesn’t claim he’s found guys who are, say, more likely than not to require TJ.

      Regardless, I guess, I’d say that the predictive value is low relative to the world of factors/luck/decisionmaking that might account for a given UCL injury ultimately requiring TJ surgery. As you can further explore in the linked post and podcast, Brad says: “this model can only explain — at most — 22% of the variation we find in the TJS population.”

      Reply
  3. A'sfaninUK

    9 years ago

    Karma for that ludicrous cheating pitching action. Big surprise both Walden and Capps have been riddled with injuries – the human arm is not supposed to be used like this! STOP DOING THIS! Pitch naturally this won’t happen.

    Reply
    • stl_cards16 2

      9 years ago

      Pitching is an unnatural motion, anyway. Jordan Walden has made millions of dollars pitching like that, I really doubt he has any regrets because of a couple injuries.

      Reply
      • A'sfaninUK

        9 years ago

        1. He doesn’t need you stick up for him.

        2. He’s a cheater, Capps is too. I hope they both keep getting hurt as a warning to not hop, skip and jump towards to hitter and throw off the rubber like a real man.

        Reply
        • georgemckeever

          9 years ago

          ” and throw off the rubber like a real man.”
          Last time I did that she got pregnant!

          Reply
        • baines03

          9 years ago

          Watch any pitcher, none of them are touching the rubber. These guys are just more pronounced.

          Reply
        • Sidd Finch

          9 years ago

          Haha

          Reply
        • stymeedone

          9 years ago

          As it is allowed, it is not cheating.

          Reply
      • Jizz Chasholm

        9 years ago

        And how does jumping effect his arm? You’re honestly such a troll, you just haven’t reached restinpeacebraves level yet

        Reply
        • jtt11 2

          9 years ago

          JF. Is rest in peace braves level higher or lower than cgh18 and trademiester?

          Reply
        • Jizz Chasholm

          9 years ago

          Idk who cgh18 is, but at least trademeister just made far fetched trades. Restinpeacebraves is a complete racist. This guys something though, i think he’s not being serious in almost all his posts and is just trolling, but then he always defends them and backs them up like he actually believes what he’s saying

          Reply
    • Jizz Chasholm

      9 years ago

      It’s not against the rules so your point is irrelevant

      Reply
  4. Cam

    9 years ago

    I guess this gives the MLB another 12 or so months to figure out what rule changes need to be made.

    And yes, IMO something needs to be done about the massive jump off the rubber he employs.

    Reply
  5. Jason G

    9 years ago

    So glad you linked to the great article by Bradley Woodrum — somehow I missed it. Very interesting!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please login to leave a reply.

Log in Register

ad: 300x250_1_MLB

    Top Stories

    Major League Baseball Rules That Permanent Ineligibility Ends At Death

    Rangers Place Corey Seager On Injured List

    Cubs Promote Moises Ballesteros

    Evan Longoria To Sign One-Day Contract, Retire As Member Of Rays

    Diamondbacks To Promote Jordan Lawlar

    Rockies Fire Bud Black

    Cubs Promote Cade Horton

    Rafael Devers Unwilling To Play First Base

    Pirates Fire Manager Derek Shelton

    Mariners Claim Leody Taveras

    Rangers Hire Bret Boone As Hitting Coach

    A.J. Minter To Undergo Season-Ending Lat Surgery

    Blue Jays Sign Spencer Turnbull

    Blue Jays Sign José Ureña

    Ross Stripling Retires

    Rangers Place Leody Taveras On Outright Waivers

    Triston Casas Likely To Miss Entire 2025 Season Due To Knee Surgery

    Orioles Recall Coby Mayo

    Dodgers Recall Hyeseong Kim

    Triston Casas Suffers “Significant Knee Injury”

    Recent

    Major League Baseball Rules That Permanent Ineligibility Ends At Death

    Phillies Sign Seth Beer To Minor League Deal

    Guardians Place Ben Lively On Injured List With Flexor Strain

    Dodgers Place Roki Sasaki On Injured List

    Jordan Luplow Signs With Atlantic League’s High Point Rockers

    Dodgers To Activate Clayton Kershaw On Saturday

    Yankees Sign Anthony DeSclafani To Minor League Deal

    Rangers Place Corey Seager On Injured List

    Cubs Promote Moises Ballesteros

    Jake Bloss To Undergo UCL Surgery

    ad: 300x250_5_side_mlb

    MLBTR Newsletter - Hot stove highlights in your inbox, five days a week

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • 2024-25 Top 50 MLB Free Agents With Predictions
    • Nolan Arenado Rumors
    • Dylan Cease Rumors
    • Luis Robert Rumors
    • Marcus Stroman Rumors

     

    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Remove Ads, Support Our Writers
    • Front Office Originals
    • Front Office Fantasy Baseball
    • MLBTR Podcast
    • 2024-25 Offseason Outlook Series
    • 2025 Arbitration Projections
    • 2024-25 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Guardians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    ad: 160x600_MLB

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • RSS/Twitter Feeds By Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    hide arrows scroll to top

    Register

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version