The Los Angeles Dodgers are sort of between owners right now, and their finances are supposedly being monitored and controlled by Major League Baseball. So while it's a little odd that they're the most active team of the offseason by a substantial amount, they've struck again, shoring up the back end of their rotation with Chris Capuano. From Jim Bowden:
Dodgers, Chris Capuano Reach Agreement
The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Chris Capuano for two years and $10 million.
Dodgers and Capuano closing on 2-year 10m dollar deal that could signal the end to Kuroda’s days in LACapuano was one of Marc Normandin’s picks for a bargain starter just a few minutes ago, as his strikeout and walk rates indicate a pitcher who might have been a little unlucky last year. His home-run rate, however, wasn’t encouraging, even with him pitching half of his games in Citi Field.
If Kuroda really is leaving, this is probably a bit of a downgrade for the Dodgers. They’ll move from a pitcher who is wildly underrated to a pitcher who is sort of underrated, and they’ll commit to two years in the process. Or, as True Blue LA puts it:
Would rather have Kuroda back and have the Dodgers literally sign nobody else this offseason than what they have done
But Capuano is a fine back-of-the-rotation option, and he's going to a pitcher-friendly park, albeit one that doesn't suppress home runs quite as much as you might think. He'll join Mark Ellis, Adam Kennedy, and Matt Treanor as a free-agent pickup for the Dodgers, who also re-signed their own free agent, Juan Rivera.
Edit: Per Dylan Herandez of the Los Angeles Times, Capuano’s contract pays $3 million for 2012, $6 million in 2013, and there’s a $1 million buyout for a $9 million option for 2014.
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