22
2011
Move Capuano To The Bullpen And Promote Schwinden To The Rotation
An article by 
Well, do you ever get the feeling that the story’s
too damn real and in the present tense?
Or that everybody’s on the stage, and it seems like
you’re the only person sitting in the audience? ~ Jethro Tull
Saturday night’s 11-9 defeat was certainly not for the faint of heart, and while most of the rancor was directed at Jason Isringhausen, lets not forget it was starter Chris Capuano who allowed the Brewers’ first seven runs. It was just another atrocious start in a string of ugly starts for the Mets’ southpaw.
When you consider that Capuano only allowed five hits in 5.1 innings of work, you might say “that doesn’t seem so bad”, until you realize three of those hits were crushed for back-breaking home runs. He only walked three batters, but guess what? They all scored!
Capuano is killing this team right now. I’m not gonna hammer him for giving up moon shots to Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, there’s no shame in that, but a 450 footer from Yuniesky Betancourt? Really?
Capuano has now surrendered 21 homers this season, tops on the Mets. He hasn’t won a game since July 28 and has a 6.12 ERA is seven games since than. His fastball, which sits at 87-89mph, isn’t getting by anyone.
Look, we’re not talking about a rookie like Dillon Gee or a sophomore like Jon Niese here, Cappy is 32 and was supposed to be the veteran addition that was going to bolster the rotation this season. He hasn’t, and what’s even worse now are the details of that deal he signed in the offseason.
Capuano signed a one-year contract with a guaranteed $1.5 million base salary in January, but according to ESPN, he is racking up some big bucks in bonus incentives.
Capuano has now secured at least $2.65 million based on having logged 24 starts and 145 1/3 innings. He will continue to earn $75,000 for each of next seven starts. He also gets $175,000 for crossing 150 innings, $175,000 for crossing 160 innings, $200,000 for crossing 170 innings and another $200,000 should he cross 180 innings.
It’s time to move on already and stop wasting money, which is in short supply, as well as wasting valuable starts on someone like Capuano who has no role and no future with this team beyond October 1st.
Decisions must be made about our rotation for next season, and one possible pitcher is right-hander Chris Schwinden who is having a solid season for Triple-A Buffalo.
The 24-year old has made 24 starts and in 133 innings pitched he has allowed 117 hits and 44 walks while striking out 124 batters. He has a 3.52 ERA to go with a 1.21 WHIP and a 8.4 K/9 rate. Our own Nicholas Pugliese spotlighted Schwinden last month and wrote the following:
While Schwinden isn’t the most overpowering pitcher on the planet, I do not like when people refer to him as not having enough “stuff” to get Major League hitters out. He is much like Gee, in that the overall command of his fastball and good off-speed pitch should be enough to keep hitters honest at the next level. In Gee’s case the pitch is a changeup, but for Schwinden it will be good old Uncle Charlie and being a guy who gets a lot of flyballs he could benefit greatly from pitching in Citi Field. He is still just a C prospect, but I don’t think it is out of the realm of possibility for him to have a Gee type of impact at some point this season or next.
Schwinden is slated to be called up in September anyway, so lets stop monkeying around and bring him up now so we can see if he has what it takes to succeed at this level. His manager and pitching coach have been raving about him all season, it’s time to see what this kid is all about.
If the big concern is finding room for him before rosters expand, here’s an idea – cut Igarashi and shift Capuano into the bullpen. There, problem solved.
Look, I’m kind of ticked-off at how this season has disintegrated since we started bailing out in July. Truth be told, I often wonder how far this team could have gone with a little more help this offseason, and a lifesaver or two at the trade deadline. Terry Collins has done a remarkable job of keeping our guys motivated. They’ve had to rely completely on themselves and three-quarters of the Buffalo Bison’s roster for most of this season. I applaud them for their valiant effort.
But now it’s clearly time to move on and stop wasting our time with the Tim Byrdak’s and the Chris Capuano’s of the world.
It turned out this season was a throw-away after all (big surprise, huh?). Can we at least start working toward not making the 2012 season a throw-away too?
Thankfully, I won’t have to hear about how Sandy Alderson’s hands are tied anymore. He’s got $65 million dollars now. let’s see what he’s going to do with it.
About the Author: Joe DeCaro
I'm a lifelong Mets fan who loves writing and talking about the Amazins' 24/7. From the Miracle in 1969 to the magic of 1986, and even the near misses in '73 and '00, I've experienced it all - the highs and the lows. I started Mets Merized Online in 2005 to feed my addiction. Follow me on Twitter @metsmerized.
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Capuano is killing this team right now”
problem is, you can say the same thing about pretty much EVERYONE in the starting rotation… and, have you seen the bullpen?? you wanna put another guy who’s doing just terrible in the bullpen?? isn’t igarashi and co doint enough for you?
Eh, I had no problem with either the off season acquisitions nor not making any gains at the trade deadline once it was determined just where this team was NOT going this year.
Had the majority of the team stayed healthy, well the majority of the year – we had enough horses to be competitive. Much like 2009 and 2010, the starting 8 could not stay healthy. Outside of a bench player or two the only one not to have lost any time was Josh Thole.
Once the injury bug bit again, you could pretty much see the hand writing on the wall. Given that, I didn’t want to give up one prospect last month on the outside/long shot chance of staying in the race. Certainly wasn’t worth it just to finish .500.
If things worked out differently the first half, very real possibility we would have kept Beltran for the stretch run. But then we wouldn’t have acquired Zach Wheeler.
The eye is on 2012 now and beyond. Put Duda in RF now, see what he can do w/o the added pressure of having to win every game. I have no problem with moving Cap to the BP – he certainly can’t make that BP any worse right now. Just not sure Schwinden adds much to the rotation but given the way this season will end, might be a good time to get his feet wet too.
If things worked out differently the first half, very real possibility we would have kept Beltran for the stretch run. But then we wouldn’t have acquired Zach Wheeler.”
yeah, he’s putting up cy young like number in single A right?? jesus ppl, can we calm down a bit please?? this kid is YEARS away from being in the majors and all we hear is nimmo and wheeler this and that?!??!? ppl, CALM DOWN!! i want them to do good, but let’s focus on the kids that may help this team this year and next, harvey, vaughn, duda, tejada, niese etc.. you guys by talking wheeler and nimmo are basicvally conceiting 2012 and 2013 and 2014 maytbe, basically saying ” i know we suck now, but wait till nimmo and wheeler are here, we’ll show them”.. ugh!
Wheeler easily could (should/will) be in AA next year. So being with the mets in 2013 is certainly reasonable, with an outside chance of the end of next year as a call up.
Harvey is a good bet to be up next season.
And once here, you never know what you will get. So they are not conceding thru 2014 by any means, especially since they will fill out the rotation until those guys (hopefully) arrive.
I would almost guarantee you that Matt Harvey or Jeurys Familia will be promoted to Triple-A next season, opening up a rotation spot for Zack Wheeler at Binghamton. I’m looking forward to seeing all three take big steps in 2012 and hopefully one or two could be in the rotation by Opening Day 2013. In a recent conference call, Alderson even said that though it’s remote, the possibility that Harvey could make a debut in mid or late 2012 is not out of the realm.
harvey in the rotation out of ST is certainly remote, but a mid-year call up? That might be odds on for happening!
He isn’t a kid really (23 now?) and pitched a big workload the last few years (and seems to be a horse), so if he has a solid spring and starts the year at AAA dominating, what possible reason is there to keep him longer in the minors?
Thank you for your comment srt.
If you take away that 5-13 start, the Mets reached a point where they went 50-38 from that point until July 29. That was the 4th best mark in the majors. A little support, a reliever or two, could have sustained that 3 month period of of phenominal success which happened without Ike Davis and David Wright for most of it.
the real problem though was the wheels came off the SP at that point.
And not sure what could have been added reliever wise that would have been an improvement (well, other than the obvious of keeping K Rod).
I agree about the move with Cap and Schwinden.
As to the “what could this team have done” question? Yeah, it would have been nice to see with a couple bodies added. The problem is, it was a killer losing Ike for the bulk of the year, wright for so long, and reyes for big chunks.
If those guys had played full years then I expect they would have added some more depth for the playoff push!
any, I left a comment for srt that explained why I felt the Mets were worthy of at least some mid season support. I thought it would apply to your comment too, just so you understand where I was coming from. Back then until July 29th, this team was still very relevant, but now it’s obviously over so I just want to shift into 2012 mode with how the team is managed from here on in. It’s open call for 2012 tryouts, and Byrdak, Izzy, Harris, and Capuano are not invited.
that point in the season was a tough call, trying to decide what was real (and sustainable) and what was a mirage. But, the payroll implications (K Rod) hurt, no doubt about it, but in hindsight while they would have likely won more, it would not have mattered.
beltran was all about adding a high end SP prospect. They would have kept him if the offer wasn’t top talent (IMO)
Schwinden isn’t even on the 40 man roster is he?
They have have an open spot right now, plus a couple of people I spoke to last week who would know told me Schwinden will be the first player called up in September. Satin will also get called up and they will need to make room for him, I suspect by September 1, Ike Davis will be placed on the 60 day DL or they will simply designate Dale Thayer.
they will simply designate Dale Thayer”
yet ANOTHER horrible acquisition by sandy.. the beat goes on as the year ends.. horrible, just horrible OFFSEASON
I may be totally off base here, but I get the distinct feeling that Sandy Alderson is not on your Christmas card list. Please forgive me if I’m being a little bit presumptious.
no you are not.. he is on my ****** list for this year.. imo, the worst offseason EVER by a GM of the new york mets, but as one “executive” said back in march “if they win, sandy was great, if they lose, is omar’s fault”
scout, one scout. Stop lying.
Also, are you 12? Because a real Mets fan of adult age would remember the early 90s
Saying this was the worst off season EVER by a GM of the NY Mets means to me, you know NOTHING about the history of the NY mets and have a very short memory, or possibly selective.
Having a team an out away from the playoffs in 06 what did the GM do? Nothing, but let Bradford and Oliver go, weaken the bullpen by a lot.
Were you a fan in the mid 70′s, do you remember when Frank Caashen took over and how long it took him to fix the mess
Do you read newspapers or watch TV do you have any idea the financial mess this teams owners are in right now.
Do you think, “I want this guy on my team, let me twist my nose, and there you go, he’s on the team”
No one, NO ONE, is handing SA GM of the year, but would you please pay attention to what is actually going on here.
Joe: A lot of answers to your questions you’ll learn will be “No” except he’ll find a way to mention Brad Emaus in his answer instead.
i do remember those teams and thats what scares me,we’re looking at complete irrelevence for a long time. beyond 2014.it took cashen a long time to straghtan things out and when he did he did it by acquiring KEY FREE AGENTS not just homegrown talent.
he built from within first, though. Even Carter was here because we had Hubie Brooks to trade.
It’s a good combination of both free agents and homegrown talent. Just because a guy walks into a mess, has to get acclomated to a sitation and stated he wasn’t going have any big free agents this year (meaning winter 10 going into 11) does not mean he won’t add any on.
People seem to be taking everything as gospel.
Exactly. No one says it has to be one or the other.
the problem is when free agency becomes the go to move.
Having a well developed farm system allows you more options when you have a hole at a position. You can promote if you have someone ready. If you don’t, you can trade with another team from where you are deep.
You still have the option of free agency among the others.
When free agency is your go to move, it ties you to that player and may even cost you picks to replenish your farm.
give it a rest already. he was a MiL invite (aka filler/fodder/a body) just like every team grabs. hell, teams actually picked up Castillo and Ollie this season!
I was just going to tell him that. Adding Thayer was no different than Minaya adding Acosta at the time. These are deals all teams make to add some arms depth to the high minors. Purely minor league fodder.
Cap to the bullpen? Sure. Why not.
Now there is a story about the Mets wanting Mike Pelfrey to audition there.
I read that too. Seriously? They want a guy who’s mental makeup and killer instinct are questioned by about everyone to take over the closer roll? Really? I can see Cap in the BP, for all the reasons stated in the post, but Pelfrey? It’s like they’re throwing everything against the wall and seeing what, if anything, sticks…
that idea screamed of coming from the fringe of the blogsphere, not someone actually connected to the Mets. And if a FO person even mentined it, it would have had to come out of totally off the wall brainstorming session (where you trot out all the absurd ideas just for laughs).
It was mentioned in the News but its from a guy who heard about through some other person
“”Would you be willing to be the closer next year?” Terry Collins asked the pitcher, according to someone who was briefed on, but did not witness or participate in, the conversation.
“Absolutely,” Pelfrey responded.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/2011/08/21/2011-08-21_ra_dickey_again_gets_little_support_as_mets_fall_apart_late_in_62_loss_to_milwau.html#ixzz1Vm1hBWJ1
”
So, ya, grains of salt.
Pelfrey is simply so bad they don’t know what to do with him anymore.
certain people (OK, 1 guy) keep harping on Sandy having “the worst off season ever for a Met GM”.
truly comical, at least the first 500 times posted. But wrong.
the key point being missed is, like with a doctor, the first mission should be “do no harm to the patient”. In the Mets case, that meant dont bury the team under more horrible multi year deals, bogging down the team and killing flexibility.
Sometimes, doing little is better than making big moves that take 3-4 years to recover from!
and if nothing else, everything has to be put in context of money available to send. Remodel your kitchen for 50K? Easy to have spectacular results. Same job with only 5K to spend? Not quite so easy.
Joe,
Very good quoting Jethro Tull! You can never go wrong wit Ian and the boys.
Skating Away On The Thin Ice Of A New Day!
Joe, I get where this makes a lot of sense based on numbers, but I don’t see it happening due to the human element of what Capuano’s trying to do and what Alderson gave him a chance to do. Capuano doesn’t believe his career is over, and he shouldn’t. He’s been a very good 5th starter for most of the season and has hit a wall recently. Remember, it’s been a very long time since he’s pitched this deep into a season and his arm probably feel like it weighs 100 pounds. He wants to prove he can stay healthy for a whole season and give his next employer 180-200 quality innings, and Sandy is going to give him the opportunity to do that, as a thank you for what he brought to the team this year.
There was a lot of talk about guys who “eat innings” earlier this season and how valuable they are. Well, Capuano is one of those innings eaters who actually pitches some decent innings. Whoever signs him next season will probably get a very dependable lefty 5th starter, and there’s no reason the Mets should ruin that for Capuano just to save $1 million in incentives by limiting his value in the bullpen.
At this stage in the season, I’m rooting for Capuano the man a little more than I am Capuano the pitcher. Since Alomar and Vaughn, the Mets have been where players go to die. I hope Cap can get his career back on track and I’d feel good knowing the Mets were able to do that for him.
i’m sick of innings eaters i’d like somebaody to get some damn outs and wins.
First off I have to say that going 5 Innings and giving it up in the 6th is not exactly what you would call an innings eater.
Capuano has showed for the most part that if he doesn’t get rocked in the first 5 innings he will give up that big 6th inning.
What I can’t say is why he does, But the third time through the order he seems to get hit pretty good. Either he needs to work on his pitch selection after the 5th or he is just running out of gas (prob more likely) and his balls are hanging after the 5th.
I don’t know that he would be effective out of the Pen and I’m not sure that anyone is going to be banging down his door at the end of the year to put him into their rotation.
And while it’s nice to do him a favor and let him work his way back into the MLB graces I still think it would have been better for us to try and trade him at the deadline and get something for him if it made any sense to do it for Beltran. No you don’t get a Wheeler for him but maybe you get that Pen Arm we could use right about now!
Rubin just wrote that Schwinden is getting called up to pitch in the doubleheader. You got your wish. I hope he does good! LGM