Matt Capps

Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has the latest regarding new GM Neal Huntington’s plans for closer Matt Capps and second baseman Freddy Sanchez.

Capps, 24, posted a fine 2007 (2.28 ERA) in his first year as the Pirates’ closer.  He’d be under team control through 2011 anyway if the Pirates went year-to-year with him.  But Huntington has an offer to Capps out for three or four years, buying out most or all of his arbitration years.  Kovacevic notes that this is a strategy Huntington observed under Mark Shapiro in Cleveland.

Huntington appears to have less faith in 30 year-old second baseman Sanchez.  He seems to have developed into a solid .800 OPS guy, and his second half in ’07 showed further upside.  Sanchez has two more years under team control; if the Pirates gave him an extension they’d want it to buy out his first year of free agency in 2010.  Sanchez would probably not be amenable to that, but even going two years would give the Pirates more cost certainty. At any rate, it would make sense for Huntington to entertain offers on Sanchez.

According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the next Pirates GM will approach closer Matt Capps and second baseman Freddy Sanchez about multiyear contracts.

It certainly makes sense to lock up Capps.  The 24 year-old is having a spectacular season, his first as the Bucs’ closer.  He’s got a 2.04 ERA and 3.9 K/BB.  Kovacevic says the plan appears to be to throw him some extra bucks in ’08 in return for a discount covering his three arbitration years.  I wonder whether the Red Sox will consider a similar contract offer for Jonathan Papelbon, who has the same amount of service time.

Sanchez turns 30 in December.  He’s hitting .312/.352/.454 this year in 570 ABs.  Kovacevic believes the goal for him is to cover his final two years before free agency (2008-09).  However it’s not out of the question that the Bucs try to tack on 2010 as well.  His current $2.75MM salary will definitely increase next year through arbitration if a multiyear pact isn’t reached.  I could see an offer something like two years, $10MM or three years, $18MM.