UPDATE: Capuano has allegedly signed with the Dodgers for two years, $10 million. Share your favorite memories of the 16 hours or so when we thought he'd be Minnesota's 4th or 5th starter below.
Object Name: Chris Capuano
Type: Low Risk, High Reward
Position: Starting Pitcher
Reason for Frenzy: Strib beat writer LaVelle E Neal III Tweeted this right about when Nick Kroll was doing the Corndog dance on FX's The League last night:
Twins are Interested in lefty Chris Capuano, who was with the Mets last year. Great pickoff move. Has had two Tommy John surgeries.
The Skinny: the most recent of the two TJ surgeries was in 2008. His last quality season would arguably have been 2006 (top ten NL in WHIP and WAR for pitchers). Spent last season with the New York Metropolitans, where he threw 186 innings and went 11-12 with an ERA just under 5.00; as Ben Nicholson-Smith of MLB Trade Rumors notes, however, advanced stats suggest he pitched more than a full run better than that. He made $1.5 million last year and is said to be looking for a multi-year deal, which, per Adam Rubin of ESPN, is why the Mets are not looking to keep him on board .
Downside: graduated from Duke. I hate Duke.
Your thoughts?