Capuano agrees to a one-year contract

Chris Capuano signed a one-year deal worth $3.75M today. The process of arbitration has certain great aspects about it, don't get me wrong, but it also has its obvious shortcomings. The fact that Chris Capuano can get a $500,000 raise after losing his last 22 appearances last year makes very little sense.

Capuano is obviously a skilled pitcher, and he has pitched many quality innings for the Milwaukee Brewers. Nobody is doubting that in the least bit. The fact is that he's being rewarded in a sense for posting a 5-12 record with a 5.10 ERA. The argument is that arbitration is simply attempting to account for what the pitcher would make on the open market, and this holds much credence. Mediocre pitchers are now getting paid much more than $3.75M a year.

With all that said, I believe that Chris can bounce back nicely this year if he can get his pitch-count down. He tends to get a little stubborn and nibble a little too much when he gets ahead in the count. Capuano still has one of the best change-ups in the game, and he has a good enough fastball to compliment it when he's placing it on the corner. Last year, that did not happen enough for Chris. He also possesses a slider, but it is more of a change-up with a little tilt. It needs work, and he doesn't throw it very often.

Tom Haudricourt acknowledges that there will be a starting pitcher or two that will be traded before the season starts, barring any injuries. Unless Parra is lights out in Spring Training, he may be sent back to the minors for a little more seasoning. This is not ideal, since Parra would be a nice addition to the back-end of our rotation, but what Yost and Melving have to do, they have to do. More updates to come on that front, I'm sure.