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Chris Capuano

Non-Tendered Players

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2:01am: MLB.com has the official list.

10:05pm: Here is a list of players who were non-tendered today, and therefore became free agents.

Angels In Need Of Another Arm?

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At the end of his most recent column Ken Rosenthal posits a nightmare scenario for the Angles, going back to 2001 when the Mariners cracked out to a 20-4 start to seize the AL West crown before May Day. With John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar on the shelf for at least 4-6 weeks, should the Angels be concerned going into 2008? Is a move to pick up an extra starter in order?

The team is looking at filling 14-16 starts. With a surplus of outfielders the Angels are certainly in position to make a move. They could opt for a back of rotation innings eater like the Brewers Chris Capuano or the Reds’ Matt Belisle. Or, the team could really make a splash and dive head first into the Joe Blanton sweepstakes. David Bush might fill out the rotation nicely, through April and beyond.

Another possibility is a move toward the scrap heap, which got a slight upgrade this past week with the addition of Horacio Ramirez. Think Horacio might like a shot at the April 11 contest up at Safeco? How about reuniting brothers Jeff and Jared Weaver for one last sentimental run? And then there’s always the possibility of getting Southern Cali comfort David Wells off the couch for a month or two of solid work.

The LA Times sees General Manager Tony Reagins looking in-house to try and bridge the gap. Lefty Joe Saunders and righty Ervin Santana become your No. 3 and 4 starters, and Dustin Moseley, who made eight starts for the team in 2007, becomes your No. 5. Pencil in young gun Nick Adenhart for an outside shot at getting some innings, if not as a starter possibly as a long-reliever.

Aaron Shinsano writes for East Windup Chronicle.

Red Sox Not Interested In Chris Capuano

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Tom Haudricourt and Anthony Witrado of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel asked Brewers’ GM Doug Melvin about an Internet rumor: possible interest from Boston in Chris Capuano.  Melvin shot it down, saying he hadn’t talked to the Red Sox.  I think I’m slipping – I’ve been chronicling rumors all week and hadn’t heard a whisper of this one.  And I’m on the Internet!

Anyway, Melvin admitted that he might trade some of his pitching surplus before the season begins.  I agree with MLBTR readers that Capuano is the most likely to go.  Just seems like he needs a change of scenery.  Salary comparison: Capuano makes $3.75MM, Claudio Vargas makes $3.6MM, and Dave Bush makes $2.55MM.  Bush has a year less service time than the other two.  The Cardinals would be a great match for any of these guys if they weren’t in the Brewers’ division.  One fit could be the Rangers, who have an ailing rotation right now.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Crisp, Capuano, Lohse

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Does anybody else think that Brian Roberts’ agent fuels 90% of these rumors just so his client’s name is kept in the news? Me neither…Now that we have gotten the obligatory Roberts reference out of the way, let’s move on to some trades/signings that might actually happen in the near future. The biggest of course is the recent news that talks may be heating up with the Red Sox to move Coco Crisp. So far we know that the Sox are not interested in Jason Marquis or Sam Fuld and the Padres may only be having internal discussions at this point (although one writer does not see the Padres as serious suitors). Let’s take a look at what is being written about Crisp and a few others in the Blogosphere…

If there is a topic you would like to see covered in "Baseball Blogs Weigh In" please let me know HERE.

  • Red Sox News doesn’t like the rumored offer of Jason Marquis and Sam Fuld for Crisp. More likely they believe a package of Josh Donaldson and either Bobby Howry or Carmen Pignatiello could be accepted by the Sox.
  • Boston Sports Buzz sees Crisp as a nice solution for the Padres, since they currently employ one utility player and two injuries-waiting-to-happen in the outfield while lacking a legitimate leadoff hitter.
  • El Guapo’s Ghost also sees the Padres as the logical destination for Crisp, noting that prospect Kyle Blanks may be expendable for the Pads and fill the vacancy of power-hitting prospects in the Red Sox organization.
  • Hire Jim Essian is not too keen on Crisp, so they are rooting hard for Felix Pie to play well and keep "punching the baseball in its stupid face."
  • Goat Riders is not crazy about Crisp playing center for the Cubbies, but prefer him to the alternatives.
  • Right Field Bleachers notes that the Brewers may trade Chris Capuano before Opening Day as he needs a change of scenery and he still has some value on the market. They do not see the Red Sox as a good match since the Brew Crew does not need a center fielder (i.e. Crisp).
  • Rockin’ the Red laments the loss of another starting pitcher and acknowledges that it is time to look outside the organization for help. They would rather the Cardinals sign Kyle Lohse as opposed to Jeff Weaver.
  • Viva El Birdos would also prefer Lohse to any other outside options, and would opt for in-house options if Lohse is not signed.

Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.

Brewers Not Interested In Feliz

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The Brewers have no interest in Pedro Feliz, according to Tom Haudricourt.  Not a big surprise; why would they trade Bill Hall to sign Feliz?  Hall seems likely to stay put, though it’d be surprising if Dave Bush, Claudio Vargas, and Chris Capuano all do.

Speaking of which, let’s bust out an MLBTR survey!  Choose which of those three Brewer starters is most likely to be traded before the season begins.  You can see the results of the poll here.

Mailbag: Roberts, Teixeira, Johan, Nathan, And More

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Time for this week’s mailbag.  You can hit it up at mlbtrmailbag@gmail.com to get in your question for next week.

Do you see the Twins signing a big name middle of the order bopper or trading for one before the opening of the new stadium in 2010? – Jordan

Funny you ask this.  I recently asked LEN3 whether the Twins would have a $100MM payroll for the 2010 season, and he said, "I don’t see it."  So I’ll go with his wisdom and say business as usual for the Twins despite the stadium.

Why are the White Sox not aggressively pursuing any pitching? Do they realistically think that Gavin Floyd and John Danks can hold down the #4 and #5 spots in the rotation on a contender? I believe we need to fill the holes with some veteran pitching such as Livan Hernandez who can eat up innings and possibly add Corey Patterson at center field. – Joel

I was just discussing this with a former coworker of mine.  I can’t see the White Sox sneaking into a Wild Card berth with this rotation, but what’s the alternative?  I don’t like the Livan idea.  I would consider signing a couple of swingmen/injury risk types such as Brett Tomko or Bartolo Colon if he looks decent.  Just a few low risk/OK reward guys with good stuff who could pay off.  There’s no place for Patterson in the current Chicago outfield, I wouldn’t do that.

Were the Cubs holding off on the Brian Roberts trade until they got Lieber? – Bryant

The Cubs/Roberts thing still seems possible, and trading both Sean Marshall and Sean Gallagher is slightly easier to stomach with Lieber on board.  If I were Jim Hendry I would let the whole Roberts idea go though.

What is the likelihood of the Braves signing Mark Teixeira long-term? – Matthew

I’ll put it at a 10% chance.  This is a $100MM+ contract and he’s represented by Scott Boras.  He’ll probably want to test the open market, and there could be some ridiculous bids.

When, just when will this Santana situation be over?!  It’s just killing me! – Dan

We all feel your pain Dan.  Most folks seem sick of reading similar rehashed rumors about this.  I would be surprised if we don’t know Santana’s fate one month from now.  Of course if his fate is to start the season with the Twins, then the rumors will restart in June.

Are there any trade rumors involving Joe Nathan? – Justin

C’mon Justin, you know I’d never hold out rumors on you.  If Bill Smith is shopping Nathan around or getting inquiries, all parties are running very tight ships.  Desperation for closers seems to kick in midseason, when certain bullpens are established as clearly crappy.  So guys like Nathan and Huston Street may be more likely to be moved in June or July.

Why did the Josh Beckett/Mike Lowell for Hank Blalock/John Danks deal fall through back in November of ’05? – Oliver

The Rangers believed the deal was done, and hoped to avoid any leaks before it was official.  However, a source tipped off the Palm Beach Post.  The Post and a Texas newspaper ran with it.  It was at that point the Boston front office found out, swooped in, and beat the Rangers’ offer.  Those reporters altered history.

What do you see the Milwaukee Brewers doing with their pitching surplus?  Do you see them maybe using some of their excess pitchers like Capuano and Bush to acquire a young catcher with some upside? – Tyler

We’ve seen it a million times – these winter pitching surpluses turn into deficits by May.  There is certainly a case to be made for the Brewers to just stand pat, though all those arms would be tough to squeeze in given the bullpen acquisitions.  MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy expects some of the surplus to be traded before Spring Training.  I like the catcher idea – Jeff Clement (Mariners), Bryan Anderson (Cardinals), or Taylor Teagarden/Gerald Laird (Rangers) seem like possible matches.

Do the Yankees sign Bobby Abreu after the 2008 season? – Andrew

Andrew notes that the Yanks have some money coming off the books after the ’08 season.  The right field alternatives are weak, so Abreu could make sense.  If he’d take a two or three-year extension midseason I could see Cashman doing it.

Did you ever sell your place in Lombard? – Steve

Thankfully I did.  I tried selling by owner for a month and barely got any bites.  Then I hired an agent and she sold it in three days.

Brewers Rumors: Street, Iguchi, Riske

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UPDATE, 12-5-07 at 7:52pm: Not so fast – Doug Melvin isn’t at the offer stage with Iguchi.

UPDATE, 12-5-07 at 2:54pm: Iguchi’s agent expects a two-year offer from the Brewers sometime today.  Iguchi is willing to play third base and is looking for a two-year deal with an option.

FROM 12-4-07 at 10:59pm:

MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy runs down the Brewers’ day.

  • As you know, the Brewers are out of the running for Scott Rolen.  This is due to a number of factors.  McCalvy quotes an ESPN rumor of Chris Capuano and Bill Hall for Rolen, which I somehow missed. I thought it was just Capuano.
  • Earlier today we wrote about many other third base options the Brewers are considering.  Add Tadahito Iguchi to that list, since he’s declared he’s willing to play third base.  The Giants, Rockies, Padres, and Phillies also like Iguchi.
  • David Riske took a physical in Milwaukee today, though his agent says other teams are still in play. 
  • The Brewers apparently called the A’s to discuss Huston Street’s availability.

Cardinals Rumors: Rolen, Fogg, Lee, Millwood

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UPDATE, 12-5-07 at 1:55pm: Heyman says the impasse between the Cards and Brewers in the Rolen talks was the second player coming over with Chris Capuano.  He thinks the two teams will revisit these discussions in the future.

FROM 12-5-07 at 7:29am:

As usual, Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has all the insight into the Cardinals’ situation.

  • It doesn’t look like Scott Rolen is going anywhere before the Meetings end, and GM John Mozeliak may have to start the season with him.  The talks with the Brewers were disheartening, apparently.  The Cards don’t think there should be a discount.  There is a glimmer of hope in that Mozeliak may talk again with the Dodgers about Rolen today.
  • On the starting pitching front, the Cardinals are being realistic.  That means they’re looking into signing Josh Fogg.  Fogg will probably get a three-year, $21MM deal or so.  Other starters on the radar include Cliff Lee and a new name, Kevin Millwood.  Millwood will earn $8.5MM in ’08, $11MM in ’09, and $12MM in ’10.  He has a limited no-trade clause, and the club may be able to void the deal after ’09 if he misses certain innings targets.
  • Seems odd that the Cards are pursuing guys like the above but are willing to deal Anthony Reyes.  As we learned yesterday, the Indians and Padres like the young hurler.  The Phillies have coveted him for a while as well.

Brewers Rolen Talks Cool

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UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 4:18pm: Haudricourt says the Brewers-Rolen deal croaked over something, but not the intra-division part.  Didn’t make sense in the first place.  Also, Doug Melvin expressed his disinterest in Pedro Feliz.

FROM 12-4-07 at 2:45pm:

You don’t need Insider to read this one.  ESPN’s Jayson Stark says the Brewers talks with the Cards about Scott Rolen have cooled.  The Cards are hesitant about trading Rolen within the division.  It’s weird because it’s not like that’s a new development, the intra-division factor.

The Brewers had already worked who was paying what and agreed to send Chris Capuano and a "top prospect" over.  Stark’s source says that most likely, the deal won’t happen. 

The Giants and Dodgers are in on Rolen, however.

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