The LoHud Yankees Blog

Most likely, this will be another day of nothing but light speculation.

But!

It was exactly one year ago that the Yankees announced their 2010 coaching staff, bringing everyone back after a World Series championship. It would be barely a blip on the offseason radar, but at least announcing the coaching staff would provide something real to discuss for at a minute or two before everyone goes back to wondering about Freddy Garcia.

We already know Kevin Long is coming back, Dave Eiland is on his way out and Larry Rothschild is taking over the pitching staff.

Are there any other changes you’d like to see?

Coming into spring training on a minor league deal, Mark Prior says he doesn’t expect a big league job to be handed to him. But if he’s healthy, Prior believes he can earn a spot in the Yankees bullpen.

“I still have late life (on the fastball),” Prior told MLB.com. “I still have a good breaking ball — when it’s sharp, it’s got good tilt.”

Prior hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2006, but he said a stint in independent ball let him know he still wanted to play.

“One of the things that happened a long time ago is I stopped asking the question, ‘Why?’” Prior said. “The answer doesn’t really matter. I don’t need to know why I’m getting hurt; I just need to know how to get healthy, and that was the answer I was searching for.”

Some other links and notes from the day.

• Jon Heyman adds Kevin Millwood to the list of pitchers the Yankees might consider for the rotation. He goes on a list with Jeremy Bonderman, Jeff Francis and Freddy Garcia, who we’ve previously heard connected to the Yankees to some extent.

• Does this sound familiar? The Reds are going to keep Aroldis Chapman in the bullpen for now, but they still see him as a starter long term. And so it begins.

• Rebecca Glass makes the case that Bernie Williams’ first year on the Hall of Fame ballot might actually be his best chance for induction.

• Nice story from Tyler Kepner, who asks Hall of Fame voters not to speculate about steroid use, especially in the case of Jeff Bagwell.

The Yankees have claimed right-hander Brian Schlitter off waivers from the Cubs.

Schlitter is a 25 year old who pitched out of the Cubs bullpen seven times last year. He spent most of the season with Triple-A Iowa, going 2-1 with 13 saves and a 3.15 ERA (45.2IP, 16ER) in 37 relief appearances. Not bad numbers in the hitter-friendly PCL.

Schlitter has a career 3.32 ERA in 154 minor league relief outings.

UPDATE, 5:59 p.m.: Just talked to a Major League source who’s seen quite a bit of Schlitter. The basic scouting report is this:

Schlitter is built around a fastball that sits around 92 mph and reaches 94-95 with good sink. He also has a changeup and a slider’s that’s “OK” but could get better with a little work. He’s a good makeup guy, “a good kid.”

The guy I talked to was surprised the Cubs couldn’t find a way to keep Schlitter on their 40-man.

“He’s somebody that could help next year,” he said.

It’s worth noting that the Yankees could use some upper-level relievers. Mark Melancon and Jonathan Albaladejo are gone, Romulo Sanchez is out of options and the only Triple-A reliever on the 40-man roster is Ryan Pope, who hasn’t pitched above Double-A. The roster is pretty wide open at this spot, so adding a guy like Schlitter makes some obvious sense.

For Jorge Posada, the transition away from catcher has always been a matter of time. Even during his remarkable decade-plus stretch of durability, it was clear that at some point — either because of age, production or health — the Yankees were going to have to make a change behind the plate.

That time has come. It’s been three years since Posada started more than 88 games at catcher, and last season he was so banged up that Joe Girardi was understandably hesitant to start him behind the plate more than two days in a row. Posada was an everyday catcher in name only.

In the big picture, the timing of this transition is perfect. Posada got here gradually, and the Yankees have young players ready to take over. Short-term, though, it’s hard to look at the free agent market and not wonder if the Yankees might have been tempted to press their luck one more year.

You could look at the timing Posada’s transition based on two positions: Catcher and designated hitter. Catcher is the long-term positive. DH is the short-term regret.

Passing the torch
The Yankees minor league system is ready to takeover behind the plate. At the very least, it’s ready to give the Yankees options and reason for optimism. Jesus Montero’s second half of 2010 suggested a player growing into his enormous talent, and even if doesn’t prove Major League ready behind the plate, Austin Romine is coming quickly behind him. The Yankees have both talent and depth, and they have each of those things on the cusp of the big leagues.

Two years ago there was unproven talent. One year ago, that talent had shown some results, but it still wasn’t ready for the show. Today, there are catchers on the verge. The past two years, Posada gave the Yankees enough behind the plate that they didn’t feel compelled to rush their young players or aggressively sign a replacement. Posada bridged his own gap, with some space-fillers helping along the way.

As an added bonus, this happened to be the winter Russell Martin became a free agent. Because of their catching depth, and because Posada can still catch occasionally, the Yankees could afford to take a shot on Martin rediscovering his old self. If it works, great. If not, it only gives the young guys a little more development time. In theory, this is what a catcher transition should look like: The old guard is still around and the new talent is eased in.

Filling the hole
With one more year on his contract, Posada isn’t finished just yet. He’s not longer an everyday catcher, but he can be a productive hitter. Even in a down year, when he clearly played hurt a lot of the time, Posada still hit for power and gave the Yankees production. He’s only one year removed from a vintage Posada slash line.

To keep Posada’s bat in the lineup, while keeping his body healthy, the Yankees will make their former catcher a more-or-less full-time designated hitter. It’s a natural fit, and the spot was wide open. No more Hideki Matsui. No more Jason Giambi. No more Nick Johnson.

Then again, if ever there was an offseason to go DH hunting, it was this one. The free agent market is always full of potential designated hitters — quite literally, any available hitter could theoretically fill the spot — but this winter’s crop is loaded with players who can still hit but are best kept away from any sort of glove.

Matsui and Adam Dunn have already signed, but the free agent market still has Giambi, Jim Thome, Vladimir Guerrero, Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon. A second tier offers Marcus Thames, Russell Branyan, Jose Guillen and maybe Jermaine Dye. The price for each of them must be dropping by the day, and it’s hard to imagine any of them getting more than a one year deal. Those are bats that could help the Yankees, if only there were a place for them.

Associated Press photo of Posada, headshots of Martin and Thome

Here’s the announcement from the Hall of Fame. Don Mattingly got 79 votes. Tino Martinez got six.

(COOPERSTOWN, NY) – Roberto Alomar, a 12-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove winning second baseman, and Bert Blyleven, a 287-game winning pitcher who ranks fifth on the all-time strikeout list, were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America in balloting verified by Ernst & Young.

They will be inducted into the Hall July 24 at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, N.Y., along with executive Pat Gillick, who was elected last month by the Expansion Era Committee. Also to be honored over Induction Weekend will be Bill Conlin of the Philadelphia Daily News with the J.G. Taylor Spink Award for baseball writing and longtime Montreal Expos and Florida Marlins voice Dave Van Horne with the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting.

A record 581 ballots, including five blanks, were cast by BBWAA members with 10 or more consecutive years’ service. Players must be named on 75 percent of ballots submitted to be elected. This year, 436 votes were required. The previous record total of ballots submitted in a BBWAA election was 545 in 2007 when Cal Ripken Jr. was elected with 537 votes and Tony Gwynn with 532, the two top individual vote totals.

Alomar, who was in his second year on the ballot, received 523 votes, the third highest total in history, for a 90-percent plurality. He was the 26th player to reach the 90-percent level in BBWAA elections. Blyleven, who was in his 14th and next to last year of eligibility, was named on 463 ballots for 79.7 percent. Their election brings to 295 the number of elected Hall members. Of that total, 205 are former major-league players, of which 111 have been through the BBWAA ballot. Alomar is the 20th second baseman (18th former major leaguer) and Blyleven is the 72nd pitcher (64th former major leaguer) elected to the Hall.

Alomar batted .300 with a .371 on-base average and a .443 slugging percentage over a 17-season career with the San Diego Padres, Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, New York Mets, Chicago White Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks. The switch hitter totaled 2,724 hits, 1,508 runs, 504 doubles, 80 triples, 210 home runs, 1,134 runs batted in and 474 stolen bases. Alomar, whose father and brother, both named Sandy, played in the majors, was on Toronto’s World Series champions of 1992 and ’93, was the Most Valuable Player of the 1992 American League Championship Series and MVP of the 1998 All-Star Game at Coors Field in Denver.

Blyleven pitched in 22 seasons with the Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cleveland Indians and California Angels and compiled a 287-250 record with a 3.31 ERA, 242 complete games, 60 shutouts and 3,701 strikeouts in 4,969 1/3 innings. The righthander pitched a no-hitter on Sept. 22, 1977 for the Rangers against the Angels and shares the AL single-game record for the longest one-hit complete game of 10 innings June 21, 1976. He, too, was a key part of two World Series champions, the 1979 Pirates and the 1987 Twins.

The only other players to gain more than 50 percent of the vote were shortstop Barry Larkin with 361 votes (62.1%) and pitcher Jack Morris with 311 (53.5%).

Players may remain on the ballot for up to 15 years provided they receive five percent of the vote in any year. There were 17 candidates who failed to make the cut this year, including 15 of the 19 players who were on the ballot for the first time. First-year candidates who received sufficient support to remain were Jeff Bagwell with 242 (41.7%), Larry Walker with 118 (20.3%), Rafael Palmeiro with 64 (11%) and Juan Gonzalez with 30 (5.2%).

Other holdovers that will remain on the ballot in addition to Larkin and Morris are first basemen Mark McGwire, Fred McGriff and Don Mattingly; outfielders Tim Raines and Dale Murphy; designated hitter-third baseman Edgar Martinez; shortstop Alan Trammell and relief pitcher Lee Smith. In his 15th and final year on the ballot, Dave Parker received 89 votes (15.3%).

The vote:
Roberto Alomar 523 (90.0%), Bert Blyleven 463 (79.7%), Barry Larkin 361 (62.1%), Jack Morris 311 (53.5%), Lee Smith 263 (45.3%), Jeff Bagwell 242 (41.7%), Tim Raines 218 (37.5%), Edgar Martinez 191 (32.9%), Alan Trammell 141 (24.3%), Larry Walker 118 (20.3%), Mark McGwire 115 (19.8%), Fred McGriff 104 (17.9%), Dave Parker 89 (15.3%), Don Mattingly 79 (13.6%), Dale Murphy 73 (12.6%), Rafael Palmeiro 64 (11.0%), Juan Gonzalez 30 (5.2%), Harold Baines 28 (4.8%), John Franco 27 (4.6%), Kevin Brown 12 (2.1%), Tino Martinez 6 (1.0%), Marquis Grissom 4 (0.7%), Al Leiter 4 (0.7%), John Olerud 4 (0.7%), B.J. Surhoff 2 (0.3%), Bret Boone 1 (0.2%), Benito Santiago 1 (0.2%), Carlos Baerga 0, Lenny Harris 0, Bobby Higginson 0, Charles Johnson 0, Raul Mondesi 0, Kirk Rueter 0.

Associated Press photo of Blyleven

The Yankees greatest bench need is a right-handed-hitting outfielder, which sounds like the most abundant type of baseball player on the planet. The Yankees don’t need this guy to play center field, don’t need him to play particularly often and don’t need him to do any one thing especially well. They just need a guy who can hit left-handed pitching and play the corners reasonably well. Even with those limited expectations, the list of free agent candidates is a short one.

Yesterday, when it was suggested the Yankees might be interested in Andruw Jones, a collective yawn seemed to rise from the fan base. Thing is, the free agent market doesn’t offer a slam dunk alternative. This is a bench role, and all of the potential fits come with some negatives.

Scott Hairston
Pros: Career .278/.331/.498 hitter against lefties… Showed solid power as recently as 2009… Limited infield experience, most of it long ago.
Cons: Awful last season, even against lefties… Has three career starts in right field, with most of his time coming in left and center… Even with the solid power, a career .303 on-base percentage isn’t especially inspiring.

Reed Johnson
Pros: Career .312/.373/.463 hitter against lefties, including .301/.324/.466 against them last season… At least 144 starts at all three outfield positions… Just two years removed from a .303/.358/.420 line with the Cubs.
Cons: A history of back problems, which landed him on the disabled list again last season… The past two years he’s been especially brutal against right-handed pitching… Seemed to fit the Yankees last winter but the team never seemed especially interested.

Andruw Jones
Pros: Slugged .558 against lefties last season… Also hit for good power against right-handers… No longer an elite defender, UZR still ranks him as a positive defensive player.
Cons: His slash line the past four years: .212/.312/.412 with 359 strikeouts. He’s pretty much an all-or-nothing hitter at this point… Didn’t even hit lefties especially well in 2008 or 2009.

Lastings Milledge
Pros: Still just 25 years old… Career slash line of .289/.363/.435 against left-handed pitching, numbers boosted by a .320/.414/.512 line against lefties last year… At least 90 Major League starts at all three outfield spots… Has shown solid speed in the past.
Cons: Despite former top-prospect status, his career Major League slash-line remains .269/.328/.394… Doesn’t have the best clubhouse reputation (though I don’t know the guy, that reputation could be meaningless)… Might not want a bench job. Some non-contender could take a shot on him as an everyday player.

Manny Ramirez
Pros: Even at 38 years old he hit .298/.409/.460 last season… He’s crushed lefties in his career — .335/.444/.618 — but has hit right-handers as well… Obviously familiar with the American League East.
Cons: It’s Manny Ramirez… Defense is questionable at best… Was injured through part of 2010… After a trade to Chicago, he still managed a .420 on-base percentage, but showed almost now power down the stretch… Has hit one home run since June 19.

Marcus Thames
Pros: Gave the Yankees a significant boost last season, including pretty good power numbers against right-handed pitchers… Career .264/.333/.505 hitter against lefties… Familiar with the American League, and familiar with a bench role with limited at-bats.
Cons: An adventure in the outfield… Although the Yankees got production out of him against right-handers, he’s hit just .231 with a .296 on-base percentage against them in his career (granted, with power)… Best fit at designated hitter, but most of those at-bats are accounted for.

Associated Press photo of Thames

Barring a massive trade, Rafael Soriano signing or Andy Pettitte decision, today’s big story will be the Class of 2011 Hall of Fame announcement.

The news will be posted on the Hall of Fame site at 2 p.m. Eastern, with MLB Network and MLB.com airing a Hall of Fame special beginning at 1 p.m.

One year ago, Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven barely missed election, Alomar by eight votes and Blyleven by five. Historically, that suggests they’re near locks for election this time around. Barry Larkin, Tim Raines and Edgar Martinez are also among the players returning to the ballot.

Among the first-timers, Jeff Bagwell seems to have the best chance of election this time around. Rafael Palmeiro, Larry Walker and Juan Gonzalez are also new to the ballot this year.

Former Yankees first basemen Don Mattingly and Tino Martinez were also on this year’s ballot, though neither seems especially likely to be elected.

The complete ballot: Roberto Alomar, Carlos Baerga, Jeff Bagwell, Harold Baines, Bert Blyleven, Bret Boone, Kevin Brown, John Franco, Juan Gonzalez, Marquis Grissom, Lenny Harris, Bobby Higginson, Charles Johnson, Barry Larkin, Al Leiter, Edgar Martinez, Tino Martinez, Don Mattingly, Fred McGriff, Mark McGwire, Raul Mondesi, Jack Morris, Dale Murphy, John Olerud, Rafael Palmeiro, Dave Parker, Tim Raines, Kirk Rueter, Benito Santiago, Lee Smith, B.J. Surhoff, Alan Trammell and Larry Walker.

Associated Press photo of Alomar

In 2003, the Rangers regular infield was a talented group of 20-somethings: Mark Teixeira, Michael Young, Hank Blalock and Alex Rodriguez.

In 2011, the Texas infield will have finally been completely transformed.

First Rodriguez was traded to New York, then Teixeira was shipped to Atlanta and Blalock fell into a secondary role before landing in Tampa.

Now, Young is falling out of the regular infield rotation. The Rangers on the verge of a deal with Adrian Beltre, bumping Young into some sort of utility/designated hitter role. The Yankees have more of that 2003 Rangers infield than the Rangers do.

Some other notes and links from the day.

• Jon Paul Morosi reports that the Yankees have shown some interest in Jeremy Bonderman. It makes sense that the Yankees would take a look at a Bonderman-type starter, but as I’ve written over and over again, it’s hard to know how much of this is genuine interest and how much is simply checking on every possibility.

• The Orioles have agreed to a deal with reliever Kevin Gregg. He seems to be a potential replacement for Alfredo Simon as a potential closer.

• If the Yankees were in the market for a left-handed outfielder, they might have looked at Jeremy Hermida as a veteran to check out in spring training. Instead, Hermida has agreed to a minor league deal with the Reds.

• The Nationals have landed first baseman Adam LaRoche. I guess he’ll slide into the middle of that lineup with Jayson Werth and Ryan Zimmerman.

• The Braves finally worked out their extension with Dan Uggla.

Associated Press photo of Rodriguez

Two Yankees notes from Sports Illustrated’s Jon Heyman:

The Yankees are considering outfielder Andruw Jones
Makes sense given the Yankees need and the current free agent market. The Yankees need a right-handed hitter (which makes Johnny Damon, Scott Podsednik, Fred Lewis, etc. bad fits) and they’d like someone who can legitimately play the outfielder corners (which makes Marcus Thames and Manny Ramirez bad fits). That leaves a fairly limited group, and Jones is one of the better and more reliable options.

The Yankees could turn to Rafael Soriano if Andy Pettitte retires
This feels like a rumor we’ve heard and unheard 20 times this winter. No doubt the Yankees have money to spend (even if Pettitte comes back they still have money to spend). The question is whether it’s worth committing big money and losing a draft pick to sign a setup man. In most cases I’d say 100 percent, absolutely not. But let’s face it, Soriano would not be a typical eighth-inning guy.

Associated Press photo of Jones

Aside from Andy Pettitte, the remaining free agents who best fit the Yankees roster are relief pitchers. Relievers, though, are unpredictable.

Unless I missed one, these are the 15 relievers who signed contracts worth more than $2 million last winter. It’s a hit-and-miss group, especially when you eliminate the closers. Only a few pitchers totally bombed, but there were more solid seasons than spectacular seasons. It’s also worth noting that this group does not include Joaquin Benoit, who signed a minor league deal with the Rays last winter and turned himself into one of the top relief pitchers in baseball.

Mike Gonzalez
Orioles
2 years, $12 million
His value: A left-handed former closer who had a 2.42 ERA with Atlanta in 2009. He struck out 10.9 batters per nine innings, but it was also the first time he’d thrown as many as 34 innings since 2006. Several elbow issues.
The result: A shoulder injury limited Gonzalez to 24.2 innings. When he pitched he was pretty good — .205 opponents average, 31 strikeouts — but he was limited to roughly two and a half months.

J.J. Putz
White Sox
1 year, $3 million
His value: Coming of a three-year deal, Putz had been terrific in 2007, solid in 2008 and pretty bad in 2009. The White Sox took a shot on a deal that included bonuses for appearances and games finished.
The result: It was a resurgence for Putz, who had a 2.83 ERA with a 4.33 strikeouts for every walk. The risk paid off for the White Sox and for Putz, who just signed a three-year deal (the last year is a club option) with Arizona.

Jose Valverde
Tigers
2 years, $14 million plus club option
His value: A proven closer, Valverde led the National League in saves in both 2007 and 2008. Another good year in 2009 set him up to decline an arbitration offer and hit the market as the best available closer.
The result: Another strong season. Valverde had 26 saves while pitching for a pretty mediocre Tigers team. He held opponents to a .184 batting average.

Fernando Rodney
Angels
2 years, $11 million
His value: After years as a solid setup man, Rodney finished with 37 saves with Detroit in 2009. That career-high in games finished came with a career-low of 7.3 strikeouts per nine innings. His ERA+ had peaked at 150 in 2005 but hadn’t been above 108 since 2006.
The result: A fairly typical season for Rodney. He saved 14 games for the Angels, while his strikeouts dipped slightly. His season numbers were hurt by a pretty bad month of July. Otherwise, he was solid, and actually pitched better in the ninth inning than in the eighth.

Rafael Soriano
Rays
1 year, $7.5 million
His value: After years as a highly touted but occasional erratic setup man in Seattle and Atlanta, Soriano saved 27 games with the Braves in 2009, when he agreed to arbitration, the Braves traded him to Tampa Bay, where the Rays signed him to a one-year deal. A unique case on this list.
The result: Best-case scenario. Soriano was terrific in his first full season as a closer. He led the American League with 45 saves and finished top 10 in the Cy Young voting. He set himself up to be the top reliever on the market this season.

Darren Oliver
Rangers
1 year, $3.5 million plus club option
His value: A converted starter, Oliver’s career found new life as a left-handed reliever capable of pitching multiple innings or being used situationally. He was coming off back-to-back sub-3.00 ERA seasons with the Angels.
The result: More of the same. Oliver’s strikeout totals actually jumped in his first year with the Rangers, and his WHIP dropped to a career-low 1.103. He was at least as good, probably better, than ever before. Only five appearances lasted as many as two innings. Usually pitched an inning or less.

Kevin Gregg
Blue Jays
1 year, $2.75 million plus club options
His value: Three straight seasons as a solid if unspectacular closer for the Marlins and Cubs. He had 84 saves with a 3.86 ERA in that span.
The result: Another solid if unspectacular season. Gregg had a 3.51 ERA and a 1.390 WHIP as the Blue Jays closer. He saved 37 games, but the Blue Jays declined their options for 2011 and 2012. His salary would have more than doubled for this year.

Bob Howry
Diamondbacks
1 year, $2.25 million
His value: Entering his age 36 season, Howry had been a solid middle reliever with a 3.66 career ERA and 2.66 strikeouts per walk. His 2009 season was a good one in San Francisco.
The result: Arizona released him before the end of May. The Cubs signed him, watched him struggle through 24 outings, then also released him at the end of July. All told he had a 7.71 ERA for the season.

Billy Wagner
Braves
1 year, $7 million
His value: An elbow injury had cost Wagner most of 2009, but when he had pitched that season, he’d pitched well. The longtime closer had not finished a season with an ERA above 2.73 since 2000.
The result: A significant risk for a guy coming off elbow surgery, Wagner turned in a best-case scenario with 37 saves through a dominant season as the Braves closer. Wagner used that season to ride into the sunset, retiring at the end of the year.

Rafael Betancourt
Rockies
2 years, $7.55 million
His value: Aside from a rocky 2008, Betancourt had been a valuable late-inning reliever in Cleveland for the better part of a decade. He had been traded to Colorado in 2009 and finished that season with a 1.78 ERA out of the Rockies pen.
The result: After his strong first impression, Betancourt locked into a two-year deal and had another good year with a sub-1.00 WHIP and more than 11 strikeouts per walk.

Brandon Lyon
Astros
3 years, $15 million
His value: Without overwhelming strikeout totals, Lyon built a solid career as a setup man and occasional closer. He’d been at his best, however, when setting up instead of handling the ninth.
The result: Although the signing was general mocked, Lyon actually had a pretty good 2010 season with 20 saves, a 3.12 ERA and a .231 opponents batting average. As usual, he wasn’t flashy but he was generally effective. Season numbers were hurt by a terrible month of July. Still in his low-30s.

LaTroy Hawkins
Brewers
2 years, $7.5 million
His value: From 2002 to 2009, Hawkins had a 2.95 ERA and had generally pitched well at every stop except his half season with the Yankees. In 2009 he’d picked up 11 saves and pitched to a 2.13 ERA with the Astros.
The result: At 37 years old, Hawkins was horrible. He pitched just 16 innings, lost three games and had an 8.44 ERA.

Danys Baez
Phillies
2 years, $5.25 million
His value: Missed 2008 because of elbow surgery and returned for a solid 2009 in Baltimore. He’d limited opponents to a .222 average in ’09. As usual in his career, he’d been especially good against right-handers, while lefties gave him trouble.
The result: National League opponents hit .301/.382/.481 against Baez. He had a 5.48 ERA that was the second-highest of his career. His second half was considerably worse than his first half.

Octavio Dotel
Pirates
1 year, $3.5 million plus mutual option
His value: Spent basically his entire career as a closer/setup man for hire. Last winter he was coming off back-to-back solid but erratic seasons out of the White Sox bullpen.
The result: He saved 21 games for the Pirates, which led to a trade to the Dodgers. When the Dodgers fell out of the race, they traded him to Colorado. All told: A 4.08 ERA, 1.313 WHIP and a 1.01 ERA+.

Matt Capps
Nationals
1 year, $3.5 million
His value: Still in his mid-20s, Capps had some ups and downs as the Pirates closer. He seemed on the verge of great things in 2007 and 2008, but his ERA bumped to 5.80 in 2009 and the Pirates decided to non-tender him.
The result: A return-to-form for Capps, who wound up traded to the Twins and carried a 2.47 ERA between the two stops. He was arguably better in the American League than he’d been in the National League.

Associated Press photos