Deal Capuano to make room for Gallardo

[nikegolf6]

I pointed out, for those of you citing cappy's poor second half numbers, that he has pitched 40 fewer innings in this seasons first half, than in the previous 2. So, he could be less likely to wear down...

[Team Canada]

Not to mention he could be developing even further down in AAA if he's just going to sit in the Crew's pen and waste.

 

What's it going to take for people to finally grasp the concept of limiting innings? I can't believe this hasn't sunk in yet.

[Roscoe Chill]

Saying that Capuano should be traded for junk, or cut, is putting words in people's mouths. Sure, I'd love to be wrong about Capuano, but I don't really want to watch him struggle terribly anymore. Surprisingly, Ned Yost alluded to a change as well after the latest debacle on Friday.

[DrWood]

the only way trading capuano makes sense to me is if it is in a deal to get another LH starter. So, as part of a Buerhle trade makes sense. Maybe as part of a trade to get a TOP bat that could make the lineup able to outscore everyone. Definitely not for a reliever, which the brewers don't need; they can dip down to nashville for balfour, thatcher, or parra (don't know if his promotion is official or whether it will be permanent).

[UWRyan428]

Why does everyone have a fascination with having a southpaw in the rotation? The BoSox have stormed to the top of the standings by putting the best arms on the rubber (though Gabbard and Tavarez...that's debateable over the southie Lester, but that's neither here nor there in a debate about HOW they got to where they were).

[brewcrew00]

I don't recall seeing this mentioned anywhere, but the quest to move Cappy from the rotation for an outside player might not even be necessary. Wouldn't it make sense to add Cappy as our left handed bullpen arm while Gallardo makes Cappys starts? Worst case scenario is Cappy falters in the pen as he has been doing in the rotation. If Cappy works out the struggles, look at the left handed arm that was added right from within. I don't know, I just haven't seen this mentioned anywhere else, I think the solution to a couple of these "problems" could be right in front of everyone's eyes.

[UWRyan428]

We already had a Cappy in our bullpen and we all know how that ended... But honestly how could you justify having an All-Star from last year pitching out of the bullpen while Claudio Vargas continues to get starts?

[brewcrew00]

Who cares what he was last season, look at his numbers from July 1 last year through now. The team is something like 12-20 in his starts, he's lasted 6 innings just 9 times, and he is giving up boatloads of earned runs. Vargas somehow wiggles off the hook, and while he's not here as a long term solution, in my eyes, he offers more right now than what Cappy does. Give your team a chance to win, that's what it's all about right? Over the past year, wether people want to admit it or not, Cappy hasn't exactally done that on a regular basis.

[hauser42]

So after last nights performance are people still on the bus that wants to move Cappy out of town?? Seems to me him and Suppan will be the keys to keeping this lead.

[monty57]

With Sheets out for a month or two, I don't see any way we trade any of our starters during the season. I would imagine that Capuano, Vargas, Bush and Suppan will be marketed pretty heavily during the offseason, as Villy and Yo should be in the starting rotation next year. Due to contract status and the fact that they're proven Major League pitchers, any one of these four should bring in a lot in trade.

 

I agree with Al's earlier comment that we need the depth this year, especially considering the innings limitation on Yo. However, without any trades, next year we'll have an even bigger logjam, with the current seven plus more minor leaguers knocking on the door.

[Oldcity]

I thought Capuano was our ace? Why would we trade him?

[Never Outhustled]

Just as I predicted when I started this thread, Capuano has fallen apart again in the 2nd half. He better be gone before the 2nd half next year.

[UWRyan428]

Considering his record right now (which most people would tie directly to his trade value), he is by all accounts our least valuable trade chip in the rotation. Ship out Vargas!!!

[JohnBriggs12]

The time to trade Capuano was last winter. In order to trade him this offseason, the Brewers would need to offer him arbitration. Despite his woeful season, the arbitration system still will reward him with a decent contract and make him that much harder to trade.

 

Last year you could have packaged Capuano and Mench or Jenkins and got a real nice return. Now they are better off in my opinion keeping Capuano and turning him into a Terry Mulholland type. Have him eat innings out of the pen, be available for spot start or emergency option.

[PeaveyFury]

Despite his woeful season, the arbitration system still will reward him with a decent contract and make him that much harder to trade.

 

Actually, I think it's pretty likely that his numbers will keep his salary roughly the same, if not down a bit.

[recte44]

They COULD simply non-tender him, couldn't they?

[recte44]

The time to trade Capuano was last winter. In order to trade him this offseason, the Brewers would need to offer him arbitration. Despite his woeful season, the arbitration system still will reward him with a decent contract and make him that much harder to trade.

 

Last year you could have packaged Capuano and Mench or Jenkins and got a real nice return. Now they are better off in my opinion keeping Capuano and turning him into a Terry Mulholland type. Have him eat innings out of the pen, be available for spot start or emergency option.

Smart comments above. I agree with everything JB12 said here.

 

[MNBrew]

Granted, I couldn't watch Capuano's start on Sunday, but I got to listen to most all of it on the radio (long driving day). Based on Powell's & Uecker's descriptions, it sure sounded like Cappy had most of his act together. The bad-location pitches hit for homers came back and bit him, and the killer instinct in the form of hardly shakeable composure that he showed such a knack for his first couple years is clearly not there like it needs to be. But Sunday he sure pitched a lot closer to how they need him to pitch, putting several guys away via the K when he needed to.

 

I'm not convinced he's over the hump. But I think this time coming up in the bullpen could well help him regain more of that confidence.

 

I think Cappy could net a decent return this off-season, especially if paired with someone like Mench . . . and all the more so if he returns to form for the last 6 weeks. If he does that, however, I also don't think he's necessarily so likely to be prime trade fodder because the Crew will see the potential re-surfacing via some results again, too. The problem also is that everyone knows how he hasn't pulled it together and often has fallen apart this year. In short, I don't think this would turn out to be the best possible off-season to try to trade Cappy.

 

What I do like, especially if Cappy can get it back together, is the fact that the Brewers have 8 potentially average-or-better starting pitchers at this point as they look ahead to next year. And there doesn't have to be a rush to move the young guys into the rotation because they can still contribute well out of the bullpen (btw, nice work tonight, CV jr.). Not that anything's a given, but it is worth noting that it wasn't until halfway through Johan Santana's 4th season that he became a permanent starting pitcher. The more strong arms we have in the bullpen, the better for this team!

 

All that said, Gallardo has acquitted himself very well in all but 2 of his starts this year. So it well could be that he pretty much forces his way into the rotation, which would be great for the team, and would also mean someone would have to leave the rotation. Crappy as Cappy has been the past 3 months, in the long run I'm not sure he's the best candidate to be moved, whether to the bullpen or another team.

[BrewCrewForever]

Im not sure Im quite ready to give up on Cappy. He has been pretty bad this season. But I think he is a much better pitcher. And he is still fairly young. But if they can get good value in a trade for him that is fine to I guess.

[Invader3K]

I think the move to the bullpen might actually be the perfect thing for him...it seems like he is usually good for about four innings, before he falls apart and loses his command, giving up runs. He could make an ideal middle reliever.

[Team Canada]

The time to trade Capuano was last winter. In order to trade him this offseason, the Brewers would need to offer him arbitration. Despite his woeful season, the arbitration system still will reward him with a decent contract and make him that much harder to trade.

 

Last year you could have packaged Capuano and Mench or Jenkins and got a real nice return. Now they are better off in my opinion keeping Capuano and turning him into a Terry Mulholland type. Have him eat innings out of the pen, be available for spot start or emergency option.

 

Yes, but Yo wasn't ready, and if you're trying to get to the playoffs, you don't go and create holes in your rotation when you don't have anything to fill it with. I don't think they were in any position to trade pitching.

 

 

edit: I supposed you could have plugged in Villy, but he was certainly an invaluable piece of our bullpen in the first half, so I'm not sure how that would've affected things.

 

[dadofandrew]

A LH SP with decent stuff will still have plenty of value, even at $4M. Look what the Doug Davis package brought last year...Cappy has a much higher ceiling, but not as good of recent numbers. Davis, a solid SP, signed a long-term deal for $7M, Cappy at $4M won't make anything but a small market team blink...heck, he may actually be targeted by teams a lot like the Crew after '05 ...who get guys when their value is down a bit.

 

Most teams know they need to look at what a guy is projected to do next year, not what he did in the very recent past.

[Rick Posner]

I agree that dealing Crapuano can only happen during the off season. I like Parra as an insert to the rotation next year. I'd also like to see Estrada packaged to an AL team ( his DH skills recognized). We need a real catcher.

[twobrewers]

( his DH skills recognized).

Being a poor defensive player doesn't make you a good DH.

 

Estrada has a horrible BB rate - and very limited power. I fail to see how anyone would be interested in having him as a DH. He doesn't exactly measure up with the Thome and Ortiz's of the world.

[brewcrew00]

Personally, I don't think Cappy has intimidating "stuff" to where he'll ever fit in somewhere and succeed again. Yes he's a left, but he still gasses out at what seems like 87 now, and his fastball/changeup combo can't hit the plate anymore. He's a finesse pitcher who can't locate, it's a terrible recipe.