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Matt Capps News & Rumors

Matt Capps wants to erase 2011's boos
December 7
St. Paul Pioneer Press
 
"Matt Capps has been a closer for most of the past four seasons, but he knows he's in for the biggest challenge of his career: Closing the book on 2011. The right-hander re-signed with the Twins on Tuesday, accepting a one-year deal with a team option and knowing he has a public relations job ahead of him after going 4-7 with a 4.25 earned-run average. Capps, 28, flew in and out of the Twin Cities after taking his physical. "As soon as I got in my truck to leave Minnesota, I knew I wanted to come back," he said. "I don't like to run away from things, and I kind of felt that way about last year. I didn't like the taste I had in my mouth. It is what it is; I had a bad year. It wasn't what the"
Capps' time with Twins extended
December 6
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"The more General Manager Terry Ryan spoke about Matt Capps over the last week, the more it became apparent that Capps was headed back to the Twins. It's just about official as the Twins and Capps on Monday put the final touches on a one-year contract worth $4.75 million. The righthanded reliever will make $4.5 million next year with a $6 million option for 2013 or a $250,000 buyout. Two sources with knowledge of the negotiations confirmed the deal. The Twins could make the contract official as soon as Tuesday. Ryan would only confirm that the team had been in contact with Capps' agent, Paul Kinzer."
One question among many: Capps as the closer again?
December 2
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"Twins GM Terry Ryan was prepared to be asked about Matt Capps. He knows what stirs in fans when the name Matt Capps is uttered. Inevitably, someone was going to ask about Matt Capps. Halfway through his telephone chat with season ticket holders and group organizers on Thursday, it happened. "Are you going to re-sign Matt Capps?" the fan asked, "and if so, why, with his dismal record last year?" Ryan responded: "I was wondering when this one was coming." Ryan faced the fans on Thursday during an hour-long session during which he fielded questions on many topics. This one was about Capps, who posted a 4.25 ERA and saved only 15 games because he was given, then lost, the closer's role during"
Twins open to giving Matt Capps another chance as closer
November 23
St. Paul Pioneer Press
 
"Last July, Matt Capps was booed off Target Field in four straight appearances, and when he became a free agent last month, few Twins fans mourned. That won't stop Terry Ryan from bringing him back. Ryan, just starting his second stint as the Twins' general manager, has previously re-signed players who have run afoul of fans. "I certainly have," he said. "I would say that's an understatement." After Joe Nathan spurned the Twins' offer and agreed to terms with the Texas Rangers on a two-year $14.75 million deal Monday, Capps and Minnesota moved a step closer to reconciling. Whether it's the best fit for both parties remains to be seen, but both sides are open to his return and spoke Tuesday"
Twins keeping the dialogue going with Capps
November 15
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"Terry Ryan made a point of calling several Twins players after moving back into the GM role last week, and one of those phone calls went to free agent reliever Matt Capps. "[Ryan] called me and expressed interest in Matt coming back," Capps' agent Paul Kinzer told a group of reporters today, on the eve of the GM meetings. "[Capps is] such a presence in the clubhouse and a good teammate, and the Twins really valued him.""
Capps blames dead arm for rough stretch in July that cost him Twins' closing job
August 2
St. Paul Pioneer Press
 
"Matt Capps was dealing with "a little bit of a dead arm" during a poor stretch of outings the first two weeks of July, the right-hander said Sunday. It wasn't easy mentally, either. "I wasn't feeling any discomfort or anything like that when all that was going on," he said. "It was just a bad week, and the fans at home booed, and I wanted to cry and punch people in the face." In seven appearances from July 2-15, Capps was 0-2 with two blown saves and an 11.12 earned-run average in 5-2/3 innings. He had two saves, as well, but those were in Chicago. The bad stuff happened at Target Field; he also was pulled in the ninth inning in consecutive games and was booed off the field in four"
Joe Nathan in, Matt Capps out as Twins closer
July 17
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"In this All-Star moment, Michael Cuddyer won. A week and a half after popping out in his only at-bat in the showcase in Phoenix, the hot-hitting Cuddyer faced another All-Star, Royals reliever Aaron Crow, and showed just why he deserved the honor. With the score tied in the eighth inning, Cuddyer poked a 1-2 breaking ball into center to score Alexi Casilla for the eventual game-winner. Unlike the previous night, when Matt Capps blew a 1-0 lead in the ninth, Joe Nathan -- in his first day back in the closer role -- got the job done, allowing one hit sandwiched between three pop flies, in the Twins' 4-3 victory. "It's still the same job," said Nathan, "but the stuff going on outside of the"
Matt Capps feels relief after pitching 1-2-3 ninth
July 8
St. Paul Pioneer Press
 
"Ron Gardenhire said he was looking for a "situation" for Matt Capps so the Twins' closer could recover from three nightmarish outings and start to regain his form. He found it pretty quickly, in the ninth inning of Minnesota's 6-2 victory Thursday night at U.S. Cellular Field. Capps came in with a four-run lead in the ninth and pitched a 1-2-3 inning to clinch the Twins' eighth straight victory over the White Sox. After Capps gave up five earned runs on nine hits in 1-2/3 innings, it was a relief for all involved. "I've had bad days before, and I know the sun's going to rise and I'm going to get back out there," Capps said. "It wasn't that I lost confidence in myself; I've known all along"
Capps works to regain lost form
July 8
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"With righthander Matt Capps struggling, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire on Thursday wouldn't commit to him as his closer. He wouldn't commit to anyone, actually. "Told you as the gate opens, then you will know who will close," Gardenhire said. "I'm not naming anybody. I'm gonna do what is best right now. I said I'm going to try to get Cappy in a situation, and if we have to go through everyone to get to Cappy and he ends up in the ninth, then he'll end up in the ninth. "But we are going to work as best as we can and see how situations arise." What Gardenhire is committed to is getting Capps straightened out, after he blew a three-run lead Saturday in a loss to the Brewers and was pulled from"
Elbow pain stops Baker; the manager stops Capps
July 6
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"The Twins beat Tampa Bay 3-2 on Tuesday for their third consecutive win, their sixth in their past seven games. Yet all the talk after the game was about their problems. Righthander Scott Baker left the game after five innings because of a mild elbow strain. And closer Matt Capps had to be removed from his second straight save opportunity, adding another layer to what is building up to be a closer controversy. Baker has emerged as the staff ace while powering through opponents' batting orders. But he said he felt something in his elbow while throwing a pitch in the third inning. After getting through the fifth inning, he alerted the trainers and left the game. He felt he could continue."
Matt Capps still in the mix to remain the Twins' closer
July 5
St. Paul Pioneer Press
 
"Twins manager Ron Gardenhire didn't seek out Matt Capps after Sunday's game. Eventually, Gardenhire said, he'll speak with the closer about his decision to pull him with two on and one out in the ninth inning of Sunday's 9-7 victory over the Brewers. But the time for such a talk was not after that game. "You don't want to talk to somebody who's really pissed off," Gardenhire said with a chuckle. "I don't want to hear what he has to say, to tell you the truth. When guys are mad, you leave them alone. There'll be a calmer time, and eventually I'll have a chat with him, and if he tells me that was horse (expletive), I'll agree. It was horse (expletive), but we won the game, and we'll leave it"
Closer Matt Capps quietly getting the job done as unsung hero in Twins' surge
June 19
St. Paul Pioneer Press
 
"Lost amid the euphoria over the Twins' starting pitching has been Matt Capps' return to form. On Saturday, the right-hander recorded his third save in as many days in Minnesota's 1-0 victory over San Diego at Target Field. During the Twins' 13-2 run since June 2, Capps is 1-0 with four saves and a 1.29 earned-run average. He pitched one inning in each of the past three Twins victories, including a perfect ninth Saturday at Target Field. "Physically, I felt as good today as yesterday," he said. "Legs are a little tired, a little wobbly, but that's kind of to be expected. But I felt pretty good." Minnesota's starters are a remarkable 11-2 with a 1.73 earned-run average since June 2. In"
Bullpen help a hot commodity
May 30
Foxsports.com
 columnist Jon Paul Morosi
"Relief pitchers are viewed by many as the most volatile assets in baseball. That remains the case now, maybe more than ever before. And that is why relievers will again be among the most desired – and fickle – commodities at the trade deadline. Consider the turnover among the game's top closers. Twelve relievers finished with 36 or more saves during the 2009 season. A majority of them are no longer closing: Joe Nathan, David Aardsma and Jonathan Broxton are on disabled lists; Brian Fuentes, Ryan Franklin and Fernando Rodney have been demoted; and Trevor Hoffman has retired. As a result, some teams are entrusting less experienced relievers with key roles. Perhaps not coincidentally, big"
Slowey headed to DL with abdominal strain; Capps has sore forearm
May 25
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"The Twins plan to place Kevin Slowey on the 15-day disabled list and will likely recall righthander Jim Hoey from Class AAA Rochester after Slowey was diagnosed this morning with an acute strain of an abdominal muscle. After reading Slowey's MRI exam Monday, the Twins medical staff recommended he see Edina specialist Dr. Brad Pierce, who performed surgery on Luke Hughes last year to repair a sports hernia. Pierce recommended Slowey get at least 7-10 days of rest. Hoey has posted a 9.72 ERA with the Twins this year but has a 1.54 ERA in Rochester. Matt Capps has some right forearm soreness and will not be used again today, Manager Ron Gardenhire said. Gardenhire lamented having to use Capps"
Capps takes over as closer after Nathan's shaky stretch
April 18
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"After blowing two saves during a four-game weekend series against Tampa Bay, Joe Nathan realized he was hurting the Twins and agreed to step away from the closer's job for now. "I feel like my consistency right now just isn't where I need it to be,'' he said. "Until I start getting that back -- and I know I will at some time -- I don't want to put this team at any risk and cost them ballgames right now. "We're all scuffling right now. The games that we do have, I'd like to get those taken care of and finished up." Nathan approached manager Ron Gardenhire and pitching coach Rick Anderson after Saturday's 4-3 loss in which he gave up a tying homer to Ben Zobrist and then walked two batters."
Report: Joe Nathan out, Matt Capps in as Twins closer
April 17
ESPN.com
 
"The Minnesota Twins are moving Joe Nathan into a setup role after the closer blew his second save in three games Saturday night. Nathan will be replaced by Matt Capps, the Star Tribune of Minneapolis reported Sunday morning. Nathan, who didn't pitch last season after undergoing right elbow ligament replacement surgery, has an 8.44 ERA in 5 1/3 innings for the Twins (4-10), who have lost four straight and six of seven. "I think everything, physically, how I feel, is fine," Nathan said Saturday night. "I'm still going through that process. Trying to get this thing back to where I'd like it. But there's inconsistencies. There's outings I go out and it comes out of my hand pretty good. Then"
True to his late father's memory, Matt Capps is making the best of Twins' unsettled closer situation
March 19
St. Paul Pioneer Press
 
"Tucked away in Matt Capps' wallet, right behind his driver's license, is the Georgia driver's license of Mike Capps, proudly wearing his Pirates jacket, the team his son played for when the photo was taken. The ID is a physical reminder that Matt Capps really doesn't need. The Twins right-hander is entering his second spring training without his dad, without the daily conversations that both humbled and buoyed him since he started playing ball at age 8, but Mike Capps remains a very real part of his son's everyday life. Mike Capps died Oct. 22, 2009, after a fall at his home in Georgia sent him into cardiac arrest, put him on life support and eventually to what Matt Capps believes is a"
Twins closer Capps hasn't had Minny chances
October 6
New York Post
 
"The Yankees just feasted on opposing closers in last year's playoffs. Joe Nathan of the Twins in the ALDS. Brian Fuentes of the Angels in the ALCS. Brad Lidge of the Phillies in the World Series. The Yanks bludgeoned each one. So it hardly will be an easy assignment for Matt Capps when he's summoned to face the Yankees in this year's ALDS. The Twins' closer is in his first-ever postseason, he's never ranked as an elite closer and the Yankees are the furthest thing from an easy ninth-inning assignment. "They're a major league team and they've got a lot of very good baseball players over there," Capps said yesterday after the Twins worked out at Target Field. "With that being said, I faced"
Late father remains inspiration for Capps
September 28
MLB.com
 
"There have been many moments over the past year when Twins closer Matt Capps wished that he could just pick up the phone and call his dad. There was the day last December when he learned that he'd been non-tendered by the Pirates, the only organization he had played for in his seven years of professional baseball. There was the Sunday morning in July when Capps, who was now closing for the Nationals, learned that he had made his first All-Star team. And there was the night shortly before baseball's Trade Deadline when he learned he had been traded to the Twins in order to help the club try to clinch another division title."
Stomachs churn when Twins reliever Matt Capps works
September 12
St. Paul Pioneer Press
 
"After coming dangerously close to blowing a three-run lead and a save against the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday at Target Field, Matt Capps explained how he views his job. "Somebody told me a long time ago, when I first started throwing in the ninth inning, you're not here to win the ERA title or anything else," Capps said Saturday. "It's get three outs, keep them from tying the game or going ahead. As long as you do that, you have to be happy about it and sleep well." And that, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said, is how Capps has to approach his ninth-inning duties. Capps has 12 saves in 14 chances since joining the Twins at the trade deadline. His latest came Saturday, when he worked a"
Twins closer Matt Capps hopes his best is good enough during dog days of summer
August 19
St. Paul Pioneer Press
 
"Matt Capps has 31 saves this season, five with his new team. But he also has two blown saves since joining the Twins on July 29. Asked if that's indicative of the way he feels, the right-hander said, "You know, it's mid-August. I think there's a lot of people out here that are just little worn down, and a little tired, but it's that time of year. "It's the playoff hunt. These games matter. The other teams are in mid-August, as well, so I think that's kind of irrelevant right now. We're out to compete and give the best you have each night; you go with that." In 11 appearances with the Twins, Capps is 1-0 with a 2.45 earned-run average. The Twins eventually won both games in which he blew a"
New Twins closer Matt Capps excited to jump into thick of AL Central playoff race
August 17
St. Paul Pioneer Press
 
"By now, these big series are old hat for most of the Minnesota Twins, who welcome the Chicago White Sox here tonight for a three-game series that will go a long way in determining the American League Central champion. The Twins have become accustomed to playing games with all the marbles on the table. Nearly everyone on the current roster played in one-game playoffs the past two seasons — the first time any major league team had done so in consecutive seasons. Not Matt Capps, though. This is the first time the Twins' new closer has been in the thick of a playoff race, and he couldn't be happier. "You're almost not human if you don't get into the excitement surrounding it," he said. "But"
Twins' search for a new closer began with Joe Nathan's elbow injury
August 1
St. Paul Pioneer Press
 
"In many ways, the Twins' trade deadline addition this season was old business, brewing since Joe Nathan went down with an elbow injury in March. "We really never replaced Joe Nathan when he went down," general manager Bill Smith said. "Jon Rauch stepped up and did a tremendous job for four months, but we never replaced him with anybody from outside the organization. We're confident that Matt Capps is the right guy." Capps was acquired Thursday for top catching prospect Wilson Ramos. He came in Friday and closed a 5-3 victory, improving to 3-3 with a 2.68 earned-run average and 26 saves this season. Nathan had ligament replacement surgery on March 26 and the Twins quickly named Rauch the"
Former Twins closer Eddie Guardado high on new Twins closer Matt Capps
August 1
St. Paul Pioneer Press
 columnist Charley Walters
"New Twins closer Matt Capps has a big fan in former Twins closer Eddie Guardado. Guardado and Capps were in spring training together with the Washington Nationals this year when Guardado was released in March, ending a 17-year major league career that included 11 seasons with the Twins. "Matt's not afraid; he comes right at guys," Guardado, 39, said from his home in Los Angeles. "You need some big (nerves) to come in the ninth inning like he did for the Nationals and do what he did. "It's funny: The Twins seem to pick great guys ... good, quality guys. You're going to love this guy. He's not only a great pitcher but a great person. That's what I love about him." "Everyday Eddie" wanted the"
On a contender at last, new closer Matt Capps gets first save with Minnesota Twins
July 31
St. Paul Pioneer Press
 
"Matt Capps packed up his locker in Washington, D.C., Thursday night, boarded a plane to the Twin Cities early Friday and arrived at Target Field in the midst of a pennant race hours later. He found his locker, put on a new big-league uniform and, after eight innings of watching, emerged from the bullpen with 40,596 fans standing to welcome him. The whole sequence took just a little more than 24 hours to play out — a speedy turnaround for a pitcher who has spent his career on teams long out of the race by this point of a season, pitching in sparsely attended home ballparks. He responded to the welcome by earning his first career save as an American League pitcher. When he gave up a two-out"
Twins deal for Capps
July 30
St. Paul Pioneer Press
 
"Jon Rauch's half-season stint as the Twins' closer ended Thursday night when Minnesota dealt top catching prospect Wilson Ramos (along with Class A left-handed pitcher Joe Testa) to the Washington Nationals for all-star closer Matt Capps and $500,000 in cash considerations. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, reached at his home on the team's off day, said he talked to Rauch to let him know that, effective immediately, Capps is the Twins' closer. "He said that he'll do whatever to win," Gardenhire said of Rauch's reaction. "He just wants to be on a winner." With Capps, who was 3-3 with a 2.74 earned-run average, 26 saves and four blown saves this season for the last-place Nationals, Gardenhire"
Twins get closer Capps for Ramos
July 30
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"The Twins have been unable to improve the front end of their pitching staff via trade but on Thursday, they strengthened the back end. All-Star closer Matt Capps is coming to the Twin Cities after the Twins and Nationals agreed to a trade in which top catching prospect Wilson Ramos was sent to Washington. The Nationals also acquired minor league lefthander Joe Testa in the deal; the Twins will receive $500,000. "It's a big step for us to be able to add a pitcher of this caliber," Twins General Manager Bill Smith said Thursday night. Capps, 26 and in his first season with the Nationals, is 3-3 with a 2.74 ERA and 26 saves in 30 chances. He will be installed as the Twins' new closer, with"
Matt Capps helps National League get the win -- and relief
July 15
Washington Post
 columnist Thomas Boswell
"Nobody ever tells the truth about a losing streak until it's over. Every July, the National Leaguers would say, "No, we're not too upset that we haven't won the all-star game since 1996," whether they were in St. Louis or New York, San Francisco or Pittsburgh, Detroit or Houston, Chicago or Milwaukee, Seattle or Atlanta, Boston, Denver or Cleveland. And they were always lying. There's no gorilla on our backs, they'd say. Then, with an ominous quiet, they'd say: We are not from an inferior league. All that's over now. After Brian McCann's three-run double off Matt Thornton of the White Sox sent the NL to a 3-1 win Tuesday night, the relief and glee spread across 34 faces. You haven't seen"
Capps wants to remain with Nationals
July 13
MLB.com
 
"Reliever Matt Capps has heard his name in trade rumors, but made it clear recently that he would like to remain a member of the Nationals. At the break, the All-Star closer is off to the best start of his career, saving 23 games -- third in the Majors -- with a 3.18 ERA. Capps' best month came in April, which he finished with a big league-best 10 saves, converting each of his save opportunities in 12 appearances. Capps, 26, posted a 0.68 ERA, recorded 15 strikeouts and held opposing hitters to a .226 batting average in his first month with Washington. "The Nationals have been first class to me from Day 1," Capps said. "I have really enjoyed my time. I hope to make it a much longer time."
Father's memory lingers for Nationals closer Matt Capps
July 11
Washington Post
 
"Matt Capps sometimes talks with his father, but mostly he just listens. The lessons Mike Capps imparted to his son before he passed away last October are still there. During his toughest days, Capps can hear his dad telling him, "Nobody said it was going to be easy." During his best days, Capps hears, "Somebody has to be the best." At once, Capps believes his father is with him and also knows he is not. Capps spoke over the telephone with his father every day, usually more than once. His father's absence hits him hardest at his most joyful moments. Last Sunday, when Capps made the National League all-star team, he did not think first about the hardships he overcame in his career or what"
Nats' Matt Capps makes all-star team; Stephen Strasburg left off
July 5
Washington Post
 
"On Sunday morning, when Matt Capps learned he had been chosen for baseball's All-Star Game, he thought first about his father. "I wish he could see it," Capps said. Last October, Mike Capps died of a heart attack. Capps believes his father has been with him ever since, from one of the lowest points of his career to the highest. "His daddy, I know, is in heaven just smiling ear-to-ear," said Kathy Capps, Matt's mother. "Nobody knows except us how much Matt loves baseball." In his first season as the Washington Nationals' closer, Capps was the only National named to the all-star team. Capps may be joined in Anaheim, Calif., by third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, whom National League Manager"
Matt Capps's struggles originate with his slider
June 7
Washington Post
 
"Nationals closer Matt Capps believes that if a pitcher can locate his fastball, he can get away with throwing a slider that occasionally goes awry. The problem, then, for Capps on Sunday was that he possessed command of neither of his two pitches. When Capps took the mound with one out in the ninth inning, Washington was clinging to a one-run lead. He threw a 94-mile per hour fastball that Cincinnati center fielder Drew Stubbs lofted toward the right field corner. Roger Bernadina misplayed the ball, and Stubbs ended up on second. He threw an 86-mile per hour slider to pinch-hitter Jonny Gomes, who sent it down the third base line into the left field corner. Stubbs scored to tie the game on"
Capps blows first save, but Nats'The Hammer' on O's, 4-3
May 24
Washington Examiner
 
"Nationals outfielder Josh Willingham waited patiently in the on-deck circle, preparing for a steady dose of Baltimore Orioles closer Alfredo Simon and his blazing fastball. Except the chance never came. Simon, covering first base on a ground ball in the bottom of the 10th inning, stepped on the bag and sprained his ankle. He was done for the game. Into the breach stepped Cla Meredith, a right-handed reliever with a funky motion. Willingham didn't have much time to think about the change and adjust. He simply deposited a 2-1 pitch over the wall in left field to lift his club to a dramatic 4-3 victory at Nationals Park. Washington (23-22) took two of three games over the weekend in this"
Morning links: Dotel vs. Capps
January 22
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
 
"Octavio Dotel is in the fold, and that means that, once and for all, Dotel's duel with Matt Capps can begin, right? First, let us set some framework for the debate ... In 2010, they will cost pretty much the same: Dotel will be paid $3.25 million, Capps $3.5 million. They also will have the same number of years of control: The Pirates have the club option on Dotel for 2011, and the Nationals have a third and final year of arbitration with Capps in 2011, after which he can become a free agent. Which leaves two variables in play: Age and performance. And, really, age only matters as it relates to performance in this equation, meaning that, if Dotel somehow starts throwing 88-mph fastballs"
Capps, Nats close in on deal
December 24
Washington Times
 
"The Washington Nationals were close to a deal with Matt Capps on Wednesday night, trying to finale terms on a one-year contract with the free agent reliever after he turned down a standing offer from the Chicago Cubs, baseball sources said. Negotiations still weren't completed by night's end, but if signed, the 26-year-old right-hander would immediately become the Nationals' closer for 2010, a key selling point in his negotiations with both finalists for his services. Washington general manager Mike Rizzo was hopeful all along of landing Capps, who saved 66 games for the Pirates the past three seasons but was surprisingly nontendered earlier this month because the sides couldn't come to"
Capps, Nats agree to deal
December 24
Washington Post
 
"At roughly 1 a.m., the Nationals got their man. Making their clearest step yet to improve a bullpen and end their pained search for a closer, the Washington Nationals on Wednesday reached a deal with free agent reliever Matt Capps, according to agent Paul Kinzer. Terms were not immediately disclosed, but the right-hander, who has saved 66 games in the last three seasons, will receive a one-year deal. In turn, he will likely inherit responsibility for the ninth-inning role -- a trouble spot in 2009. Capps, non-tendered by the Pittsburgh Pirates earlier this month, had attracted some dozen suitors, and this week narrowed his list to two, the Nationals and the Chicago Cubs. But Capps,"
Pirates looking beyond recently released Capps
December 22
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
 
"The Pirates have not formally withdrawn from talks with recently released closer Matt Capps, but they have reached the point where they are focused elsewhere. The team did negotiate with Capps and agent Paul Kinzer over the past few days, but Capps now has two offers greater than the Pirates' best -- believed to be in the range of $2.5 million-$3 million -- from the Chicago Cubs and Washington Nationals. He is expected to choose between those two teams before Christmas."
Grabow tries to sell Capps on Cubs
December 22
MLB.com
 
"If Matt Capps does sign with the Cubs, credit pitcher John Grabow with an assist. Grabow, who was Capps' teammate in Pittsburgh before he was traded to the Cubs in July, has talked to the free agent right-hander, who has apparently narrowed his choices to Washington and Chicago. The two pitchers have the same agent, Paul Kinzer. MLB.com's Bill Ladson reported that Capps, who was not tendered arbitration by the Pirates, planned on making a decision by Wednesday. Grabow signed a two-year contract on Nov. 20 with the Cubs and gave Capps a little inside information. "I basically told him about the organization and how the guys are in the clubhouse," Grabow said Tuesday from his Arizona home."
RHP Capps mulls Nats, Cubs options
December 22
ESPN.com
 
"Ten days after reliever Matt Capps landed on the free-agent market, he's down to deciding whether he wants to be a closer for the Washington Nationals or a setup man and fallback closer candidate for the Cubs. Agent Paul Kinzer said Tuesday that Capps plans to confer with his family and decide between competing offers from the Cubs and Nationals by Wednesday night. "Matt is really comfortable with those two [teams] at this point,'' Kinzer said. "When it comes right down to it, he has to decide whether he's going to a place where he's definitely going to be the closer, or he's a setup man with a chance to maybe close.'' Capps, 26, amassed 66 saves from 2007 through 2009 in Pittsburgh. But"
Nats among final three for reliever Capps
December 22
Foxsports.com
 (scroll down)
"The Nationals might actually be on a roll. Not only are the Nats set to announce a two-year deal with free-agent right-hander Jason Marquis, but they also are one of three finalists for free-agent reliever Matt Capps. "They came out of nowhere," said Capps' agent, Paul Kinzer. "Going in, we weren't even considering them. But they're right there. They'll be in the last conversation, I know.""
Tigers, Nats take serious look at Capp
December 18
Foxsports.com
 (scroll down)
"Reliever Matt Capps continues to be a hot free agent. "I always felt like there would be some demand," said Capps' agent, Paul Kinzer. "But nothing like we've had." Kinzer said that Capps plans to select five or six finalists by the weekend, then make his decision. Only three teams are still looking for closers -- the Nationals, Tigers and Capps' former team, the Pirates. Capps, 26, also could accept a setup role with a contending club, Kinzer said."
Catcher Yorvit Torrealba unlikely to return to Rockies
December 16
Denver Post
 
"While the door might be closing on veteran catcher Yorvit Torrealba rejoining the Rockies, it's wide open for free-agent reliever Matt Capps. "I just don't think it's going to work out," Rockies general manager Dan O'Dowd said Tuesday when asked about Torrealba. "Negotiations can always change, but right now I'm not optimistic." O'Dowd did confirm the club is interested in free- agent catcher Miguel Olivo. "He is certainly on our list of possibilities, but it's a very fluid situation right now," O'Dowd said. Last week, the Rockies and Torrealba seemed close to agreeing to a two-year deal. However, the two sides are now in a stalemate over contract details. Torrealba is seeking a two-year,"
Capps receives immediate interest in free agency
December 15
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
 
"Pitcher Matt Capps on being a free agent, "Whatever happens, I'll keep the Pirates in my thoughts, and I'm not closing the door on them or anybody else."The Pirates evidently did not feel closer Matt Capps' asking price was fair market value, but the market itself -- as set by the entirety of Major League Baseball -- might disagree. Since Capps' surprising release Saturday that suddenly cast him into free agency, no fewer than a dozen suitors have made contact with his agent, Paul Kinzer, including the New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Colorado Rockies, Florida Marlins, Washington Nationals, St. Louis Cardinals, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks. Kinzer called the"
Did Capps' agent dupe the Pirates?
December 15
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
 
"I do not believe for one second that upon learning he had been non-tendered by the Pirates, and thus a free agent, the first words uttered by closer Matt Capps were, ``Free, free at last.'' But I'm betting he was thinking something along those lines. Capps made the obligatory, ``I love Pittsburgh,'' comments when his contractual situation was in limbo, just as players are told to do by their agents. But he wanted out of here as badly as the rest of them do. No one wants to play for the Pirates. It would not surprise me a bit if agent Paul Kinzer had a deliberate strategy of making his arbitration demands for Capps so high that the Pirates, where frugality rules, would issue the"
Who cares what Pirates do anymore?
December 15
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
 columnist Ron Cook
"I'm trying really hard to work up a good case of angst over the Pirates' decision to release closer Matt Capps in what clearly is another salary dump. But I can't. How do you get upset over something you don't care about? I guess that's what really ticks me off most, that the Pirates have become so irrelevant in our sporting consciousness. Baseball is such a beautiful game and we're stuck with the worst franchise with the worst ownership in the sport. What did we do so wrong? So what if the Pirates let Capps go and almost certainly will head into the 2010 season without anything even remotely resembling a bullpen hammer? What's the big deal? They're the Pirates, right? Maybe they'll lose"
Wary of arbitration cost, Pirates part with Capps
December 14
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
 
"Uncertain of his abilities and uneasy over what it might cost to keep him, the Pirates allowed Matt Capps to become a free agent. Late Saturday night, the Pirates opted to non-tender a contract to Capps, their closer the past two-plus seasons. That made the 26-year-old right-hander a free agent. "I'm surprised," Capps said Sunday morning from his offseason home in Florida. "It's a weird feeling. I've played my whole career with the Pirates, and I appreciate the opportunities they've given me. But I guess it's time to move on." What made the Pirates' decision on Capps a bit surprising is that he is in just his second year of arbitration eligibility. Whichever team signs him will control his"
D-Backs among teams interested in Capps
December 14
Arizona Republic
 
"Reliever Matt Capps' agent said Sunday afternoon that his client has received interest from "seven or eight teams" a day after Capps was non-tendered by the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Diamondbacks were one of those teams. "It seems like there's a lot of interest out there," agent Paul Kinzer said. "We're going to see what's out there and talk about it this week." Kinzer said Capps, who had been the Pirates closer for parts of the past three seasons, is open to being a setup man. "On a good team, if he had an opportunity to win, yeah, he's open," Kinzer said. "Or a place where he'd have an opportunity to be there if somebody struggled.""
Cubs show interest in released closer Matt Capps
December 14
Chicago Tribune
 
"Pittsburgh's surprising decision to non-tender closer Matt Capps on Saturday could lead him to Chicago. Capps, who has closed for the Pirates the last three years, already had calls from three teams as of Sunday morning. His agent, Paul Kinzer, said Capps is interested in the Cubs, and apparently the team has reciprocated that interest. The 26-year-old right-hander is coming off a poor season, with a 5.80 earned-run average, after recording a 2.28 ERA in '07 and 3.02 ERA in '08. His career ERA is 3.61, and he's issued only 50 walks in 271 2/3 career innings."
Pirates, Capps take divergent paths after release
December 14
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
 
"If there is any lingering ill will between the Pirates and Matt Capps, the closer they released late Saturday night because of a salary dispute, it was difficult to detect yesterday. And there is cause: The team needs bullpen help even more than before, and it might take Capps back at the right price. And the player, suddenly a free agent, might find that his value on the open market is not as high as the final salary offer he rejected from the Pirates. Thus, if neither party finds what it seeks between now and spring training ... "We'd love to have Matt Capps back in our bullpen," Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said yesterday. "We really would. We feel he's going to have a"