2012 MLB Free Agents: Dodgers Sign Chris Capuano
By Editorial Staff
The Los Angeles Dodgers continued their busy, early offseason today, as the club has reached an agreement with free agent starter Chris Capuano. The two-year deal will pay Capuano $10 million, and the lefty’s contract is said to include at least $1 million in incentives. With the signing of Capuano, it appears the Dodgers will not be bringing back veteran starting pitcher Hiroki Kuroda.
Capuano was able to provide the Mets with 186 innings last season, maintaining an ERA of 4.55 over his 31 starts. It was the first time since 2006 that Capuano was able to reach the 30 start plateau.
Tommy John surgeries removed Capuano from baseball altogether during the 2008-09 seasons. In 2010, Capuano returned for the Brewers primarily as a reliever. Over his 24 appearance and nine starts, Capuano logged 66 innings while holding an ERA of 3.95.
This resurgence earned the left-hander a one-year deal with the Mets last January. His ability to once again make at least 30 starts earned him his new deal with the Dodgers.
In LA, Capuano will join a projected rotation that includes 2011 Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw, Ted Lilly, Chad Billingsley and Nathan Eovaldi.
At the beginning of the offseason it was clear that the Dodgers had several holes in their starting rotation that they needed to fill this winter. John Garland and Hiroki Kuroda hit the free agent market, leaving behind a pair of voids in LA’s starting staff. One of those spots figured to be filled by a youngster, and Eovaldi is the early favorite in that department.
The Dodgers were expected to fill their other hole via free agency. Capuano, Kuroda, Jeff Francis and Aaron Harang were all rumored to be on the Dodgers radar, and the club ultimately went with Capuano over Kuroda. MLB.com’s Lyle Spencer indicated that money was likely a major factor in their decision, as the Dodgers get two years of Capuano for less than what it would have cost them for one of Kuroda.
Of course you often get what you pay for, so it’s TBD how this skimping, if that’s really what’s going on here, will work out for the Dodgers.
For more on the Dodgers, be sure to check out Lasorda’s Lair.
You can check out all of the available free agents by position below.