Thread: Matt Capps trade value?

The draft pick was not a guarantee. Someone would have needed to give him a major league deal. Was there also a deadline? A few of the closers signed very late in the process.

Best case. He puts up the appearance of success and the Twins get a C level prospect. It could happen.

Originally Posted by lecroy24fan

Somebody will lose their closer and get desperate.

Ask and ye shall receive. Sadly, Mariano Rivera tore his ACL today and is likely done for the year. The Yanks will probably bump Robertson to the 9th inning and Soriano to the 8th inning, but they will need someone to handle the 7th inning. Maybe Capps could be of interest to the Yankees to fill that role.

Capps will not be resigned. Might as well take what they can get...

He could fetch something. Every contending team feels like they need to shore up their bullpen... Bullpens never feel like they are shored up. A vet closer... Even an average vet closer will fetch something.

Some GM's get so desperate for bullpen help when facing the stretch run in contention that they will move good prospects at position they are stocked with. Some teams will give up a high level catching prospect (for example) for a closer of Capps ability.

Matt Capps might not get another save situation for another month or so. Pretty tough to build up value that way.

Really don't see how anyone would want Capps. Not that he's doing horrible, I just don't see any trade value.

Nationals don't need a closer...H-Rod is the ****!

I think the Twins should trade Capps, but not right now. Teams will give up more once they get more desperate. And I doubt the Yankees would want him outside of a middle-relief role, so they probably wouldn't offer much.

Yankees? *crosses fingers* Rivera's career and season is over now that he has a torn ACL.

Originally Posted by lecroy24fan

Somebody will lose their closer and get desperate.

The Giants, Nationals, Blue Jays, Red Sox and now the Yankees have already lost their closer. Only the Twins view a pitcher with a sub 5K/9 as a closer. If the Twins released Capps at this moment meaning they would have to eat all but a portion of the league minimum salary, I bet there would be plenty of teams who have bullpen problems who wouldn't even make a play for him.

see also: the Cubs, who lost their closer Carlos Marmol to being bad at closing. I don't see a Theo Epstein style club going for "A proven Closer" like Capps, though.

Right now, Capps has value as an experienced closer. As stated above, there are several teams that have needs at the back end of their bullpens as either the closer or as one of the set-up men (7th or 8th inning options). I suspect the Twins will listen and I expect Terry Ryan to make a trade for a high end prospect in a low level league. We then need to develop that player, which is a separate topic onto itself.

It would be great if some sucker team would over-value him like the Twins did in 2010...

No sucker would bite at this deal. The Twins traded BA's number 58 prospect for a 26-year-old closer who was at that time pitching with a 2.74 ERA, 7.4 K/9, 26 saves an All-Star birth and a year left on his rookie deal.

The Twins are now shopping a guy currently pitching with a 5.00 ERA, 3.0 K/9, 4 saves who is now 28, getting paid $4.5M while Fangraphs lists his value as negative 700k. He will fetch nothing of significant value especially considering after last year, these numbers look like a trend, not a mirage. Brett Myers is also available and knowing Billy Beane, Grant Balfour can be had at any time. The Twins have no leverage in shopping him.

It was a terrible re-signing, and judging by the fact that about 100% of all fan comments following the signing last winter echoed this sentiment, yes Terry Ryan has appeared to have lost touch with the game.

Originally Posted by jorgenswest

The draft pick was not a guarantee.

This. Supplemental "first round" picks are a misnomer. Coming at around player #31 and lower, they are what used to be called second rounders, and unlike in football the certainty of draft picks after even the first dozen guys is far from 100%, more like 50/50 to ever reach the majors even for a cup of coffee. I'd much rather see a trade for a specific prospect in someone's organization, who has already passed the first few years of winnowing out, than take a chance on a supplemental pick.

It doesn't look good for getting much for Capps right this minute, but sometime between now and the end of July you could have a couple of teams both in need and nervous about the other team acquiring help. That's when a decent prospect might come our way.

And unlike last year, there isn't likely to be indecision about whether the Twins are "buyers" or "sellers" at the deadline. The white flag can already be waved without fear of hurting clubhouse morale. This should give Ryan lots of latitude to time such a trade.