Mets Add Lefty Capuano And Righty Buchholz
NEW YORK (AP) — Left-hander Chris Capuano and right-hander Taylor Buchholz have agreed to one-year contracts with the New York Mets.
Capuano gets a $1.5 million deal and the chance to earn performance bonuses. Buchholz receives a $600,000 agreement that is not guaranteed. His deal contains escalators and performance bonuses.
The 32-year-old Capuano went 4-4 with a 3.95 ERA last year with Milwaukee. He had been out of the majors since 2007 while recovering from his second Tommy John surgery.
Capuano was an 18-game winner in 2005 and an NL All-Star the next year.
The 29-year-old Buchholz went a combined 1-0 in nine games with Colorado and Toronto last year. He also was coming back from elbow surgery.
The Mets designated right-handed pitcher Ryota Igarashi for assignment on Monday.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
From the Mets:
METS SIGN LHP CHRIS CAPUANO AND RHP TAYLOR BUCHHOLZ
FLUSHING, N.Y., January 3, 2011 – The New York Mets today announced that they have signed lefthanded pitcher Chris Capuano and righthanded pitcher Taylor Buchholz to one-year contracts. In order to make room on the 40-man roster, the Mets designated righthanded pitcher Ryota Igarashi for assignment.
Capuano, 32, went 4-4 with a 3.95 ERA in 24 appearances last year with the Milwaukee Brewers. He was 3-3 with a 4.14 ERA (21 earned runs/45.2 innings) in nine starts and 1-1 with a 3.54 ERA (eight earned runs/20.1 innings) in 15 relief outings. Buchholz, 29, split last season between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Colorado Rockies, combining to go 1-0 with a 3.75 ERA (five earned runs/12.0 innings) in nine games out of the bullpen. He missed all of the 2009 season recovering from right elbow surgery
Capuano, a former All-Star, began the 2010 season at Brevard County (A) of the Florida State League and went 2-0 with a 1.23 ERA (two earned runs/14.2 innings) in three contests. He went 1-1 with a 1.80 ERA (five earned runs/25.0 innings) in four starts with Nashville (AAA) of the Pacific Coast League before the Brewers selected his contract on May 29.
Prior 2010, Capuano last pitched in a major league game on September 27, 2007. He underwent his second Tommy John surgery on May 15, 2008 and had his first Tommy John procedure on May 17, 2002. Dr. James Andrews performed both operations.
The 6-2, 225-pounder is 46-52 with a 4.35 ERA in 148 career major league games, 125 starts. He was named to the 2006 National League All-Star team, going 11-12 with a 4.03 ERA (99 earned runs/221.1 innings). He was tied for the NL lead with 25 quality starts that year. The Springfield, Mass. native's best season came in 2005 when he won 18 games and struck out 176 in 219.0 innings. Capuano graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Duke University in 2000 with a degree in economics
Buchholz started the 2010 season on a rehabilitation assignment with Modesto (A) of the California League before the Rockies moved him to Colorado Springs (AAA) of the Pacific Coast League. The 6-4, 220-pounder was recalled to the big leagues on July 24, making his first appearance since 2008. He pitched in six more games before Toronto claimed him off waivers on September 9.
Originally selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the sixth round of the 2000 First-Year Player Draft, Buchholz made his major league debut with the Houston Astros in 2006. He was traded to Colorado on December 12, 2006 and owns a 19-21 career record with a 4.39 ERA (139 earned runs/285.0 innings) in 135 games, 27 starts.
