Capuano talking to Mariners...

[DMVol]

It's 2am and the video store is just about cleaned out....I guess Blanton and Shoemaker really are Plan B (if there is a Plan).....Yikes....

 

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2014/02/mariners-in-talks-with-chris-capuano.html

 

 

 

[Second Base]

Everyone's talking to the Mariners these days.

[DMVol]

You rarely see a significant trade in the spring (usually smaller deals, role type guys are moved) so I don't know what the Plan B is....the odds of everything falling into place, everybody healthy and the young guys progressing, are slim and none so I suspect Blanton really is Plan B....I guess somebody might have an extra starter they need to move, near the end of spring training after you've had time to evaluate the health and effectiveness of your rotation, but that just doesn't seem to happen much in the spring...

[Inside Pitch]

You rarely see a significant trade in the spring (usually smaller deals, role type guys are moved) so I don't know what the Plan B is....the odds of everything falling into place, everybody healthy and the young guys progressing, are slim and none so I suspect Blanton really is Plan B....I guess somebody might have an extra starter they need to move, near the end of spring training after you've had time to evaluate the health and effectiveness of your rotation, but that just doesn't seem to happen much in the spring...

 

 

One thing I am curious to see is how all those guys getting signed to minor league deals plays out.  Unless all of those teams have roster spots available, teams will end up having to make a roster move or two to put them on the roster.  We might also see a veteran who does well and loses a spot to a younger player opt out of his deal to try to get a spot somewhere else.   But right now it looks like Blanton, Shoemaker, and a bunch of cast offs are the "depth"

[Ohtaniland]

You rarely see a significant trade in the spring (usually smaller deals, role type guys are moved) so I don't know what the Plan B is....the odds of everything falling into place, everybody healthy and the young guys progressing, are slim and none so I suspect Blanton really is Plan B....I guess somebody might have an extra starter they need to move, near the end of spring training after you've had time to evaluate the health and effectiveness of your rotation, but that just doesn't seem to happen much in the spring...

Dipoto invested a lot of money in Blanton so it is what it is. He's going to be in the mix somehow.

[OregonLAA]

Last year everyone complained we didn't go after Edwin Jackson, Brandon McCarthy and Joe Saunders. Look how all those deals turned out. I trust our GM more than most of our fans

[jshep]

Last year everyone complained we didn't go after Edwin Jackson, Brandon McCarthy and Joe Saunders. Look how all those deals turned out. I trust our GM more than most of our fans

 

Yeah, thank god we signed Joe Blanton instead.

[DMVol]

Last year everyone complained we didn't go after Edwin Jackson, Brandon McCarthy and Joe Saunders. Look how all those deals turned out. I trust our GM more than most of our fans

I am not necessarily advocating anybody in particular and none of the FA's left, with the exception of Santana, are going to cost much....with me, it's purely a numbers issue...we just don't have enough depth....you can't start the season as thin as we are in the rotation...bad things happen and we don't have anybody to fall back on, unless you think Blanton and Shoemaker really qualify as depth...and even those two aren't enough depth....simply have to add a couple of more starters, whoever they may be...and DiPoto realizes that....we'll see what he does...

Edited February 18, 2014 by DMVol

[ettin]

Last year everyone complained we didn't go after Edwin Jackson, Brandon McCarthy and Joe Saunders. Look how all those deals turned out. I trust our GM more than most of our fans

I agree about Dipoto's overall judgement. However he has been unlucky with certain players. For instance La Troy Hawkins didn't do particularly well in his time here but the following season in 2013 he did VERY well for the Mets and now he was signed as a potential closer for the Rockies.

Jerry's analytic systems are solid it is just a matter of timing and luck for some of his decisions. Blanton was clearly the outlier out of Jerry's entire set of decisions however he also has had success with a player like Frieri for instance.

I hope he is retained as our GM moving forward.

[jshep]

Sorry, I can't accept the premise that Dipoto's failures are a matter of bad timing and luck.

 

I really want to like him, but if the pitching depth chart on Opening Day resembles the current one, I'm not going to waste my breath arguing against his eventual firing.

[fan_since79]

Anyone else looking forward to Spring Training 2015?

 

I can't wait.

[Hubs]

Capuano is not any better than Blanton. 

 

I advocated strongly for guys like Dan Haren, Tim Hudson, Bronson Arroyo, etc. They were better options early in the offseason. I'd also have kept Jerome Williams because a) arbitration salaries are not guaranteed until the first day of the regular season. They could have retained him, and cut him if they signed better starter. While he wasn't excellent last year, he is at least depth.

[robblin17]

This season will be a lot easier to swallow considering I am prepared for failure unlike the last few seasons. Any success is just gravy and I am excited to see how the young guys perform (Trout, Calhoun, Santiago, Skaggs) and how maybe the old guys bounce back (Freese, Pujols, Hamilton) with absolutely zero expectations. 

[tdawg87]

Last year everyone complained we didn't go after Edwin Jackson, Brandon McCarthy and Joe Saunders. Look how all those deals turned out. I trust our GM more than most of our fans

 

Our GM literally went on to sign Joe Blanton and trade for Tommy Hanson. Brandon McCarthy is so much better it isn't even funny and he basically got the same contract.

[tdawg87]

If Capuano ends up signing a minor league deal with incentives then I really just won't know what to say about this front office.

[Brent Maguire]

They have to have a move up their sleeve. They just can't possibly be satisfied with the depth this team has.

[fan_since79]

This season will be a lot easier to swallow considering I am prepared for failure unlike the last few seasons. Any success is just gravy and I am excited to see how the young guys perform (Trout, Calhoun, Santiago, Skaggs) and how maybe the old guys bounce back (Freese, Pujols, Hamilton) with absolutely zero expectations. 

 

My thoughts exactly!

[OregonLAA]

Blanton had better seasons than the guys I listed sans McCarthy who missed a ton of time due to injury per usual

[tdawg87]

How do you figure? Jackson and Saunders each had more IP, a better ERA (and ERA+) and WHIP and least importantly, a better record. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad we didn't sign those guys either, but Blanton was worse than them in pretty much every way. The only thing Blanton has over those guys is his K rate and BB rate, and as we all know that didn't mean jack for him in 2013.

[OregonLAA]

Last year when I checked, Blanton's was better, but I guess it didn't end up that way. Point being is that people want to freak out about Blanton, but their own choices were just as bad. Jackson was definitely worse because of that hideous contract

[fan_since79]

Will someone please name me a starting pitcher (at least 100 innings) with a worse 2013 ERA than Blanton's (6.04), a worse WHIP (1.613), and a worse winning percentage (.125)? 

 

Oh, and someone who allowed more than 12.2 hits per 9 innings.

 

I'm trying, but can't think of any names.

[tdawg87]

Last year when I checked, Blanton's was better, but I guess it didn't end up that way. Point being is that people want to freak out about Blanton, but their own choices were just as bad. Jackson was definitely worse because of that hideous contract

 

Well yeah, anyone who wanted Jackson or Saunders.

 

I think most here wanted Sanchez though (after Greinke signed with the Dodgers). While we don't know for sure if the Angels were interested in him or not, or whether he would have signed with them at all, it was still a mistake not making an aggressive push for him when pitching was the biggest concern.

[xboom28x]

Ok, let's say DiPoto signs Capuano to a minor league deal. Then, Skaggs, Santiago and Richards all outperform him during spring training. Do you think Capuano, a pitcher with 10+ years major league experience will accept a AAA assignment? Capuano would have to outperform Blanton by a huge margin to make the major league roster, as a long relief guy. The Angels already have to keep Moran on the roster due to the Rule V guidelines. Options are limited on this team in terms of who can go down to AAA.

 

So players with the experience that Capuano has in the Majors aren't going to come here and take a AAA assignment in hopes that at some point someone in the rotation gets injured or completely tanks.

[fan_since79]

Ok, let's say DiPoto signs Capuano to a minor league deal. Then, Skaggs, Santiago and Richards all outperform him during spring training. Do you think Capuano, a pitcher with 10+ years major league experience will accept a AAA assignment? Capuano would have to outperform Blanton by a huge margin to make the major league roster, as a long relief guy. The Angels already have to keep Moran on the roster due to the Rule V guidelines. Options are limited on this team in terms of who can go down to AAA.

 

So players with the experience that Capuano has in the Majors aren't going to come here and take a AAA assignment in hopes that at some point someone in the rotation gets injured or completely tanks.

 

 

That's a big "if" right there.

 

Realistically, what are the odds of all three of them outperforming him?

[DMVol]

Ok, let's say DiPoto signs Capuano to a minor league deal. Then, Skaggs, Santiago and Richards all outperform him during spring training. Do you think Capuano, a pitcher with 10+ years major league experience will accept a AAA assignment? Capuano would have to outperform Blanton by a huge margin to make the major league roster, as a long relief guy. The Angels already have to keep Moran on the roster due to the Rule V guidelines. Options are limited on this team in terms of who can go down to AAA.

 

So players with the experience that Capuano has in the Majors aren't going to come here and take a AAA assignment in hopes that at some point someone in the rotation gets injured or completely tanks.

You give Capuano an out in his deal....if it's obvious by mid-March that he's not going to make the team, he can get his release....