San Diego Padres: Carter Capps will Return for 2017

The San Diego Padres avoided arbitration with reliever Carter Capps, ensuring that the right-hander will return for the 2017 season.

The path for Cater Capps has been anything but smooth. Born and raised in North Carolina, the right-handed pitcher has overcome a Tommy John surgery which kept him out of action in 2016 and will now spend 2017 with the San Diego Padres.

The news that Capps and the Padres reached an agreement came on Wednesday, as the third round pick in 2011’s draft avoided arbitration.

The deal, Jon Heyman reports, is worth $987,500, very affordable for San Diego.

General Manager A.J. Preller has made it very clear that acquiring bullpen arms is a top priority. While Capps is no addition, keeping him in a Padres uniform is yet another positive from a productive offseason.

It is a bit of a risk, of course, as would be any signing of a player coming off of surgery. But all reports indicate Capps will be ready to go for Opening Day.

As part of the deadline deal with the Miami Marlins, Capps came over to San Diego in exchange for Andrew Cashner. With Miami as well as Seattle, the 26-year-old has accumulated a 3.99 ERA in 135 and 1/3 innings.

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Most impressive about the young career of Capps is his steady improvement throughout his two seasons in Miami. After spending two wildly inconsistent years in Seattle and one mediocre season with the Marlins, Capps finished strong in 2015, allowing just 18 hits and seven walks in 31 innings.

Of course, this won’t necessarily translate to 2017. But bringing Capps back will give San Diego another capable arm in the bullpen which can still be developed into quite possibly a very productive major league player. Capps joins Ryan Buchter, Kevin Quakenbush, and Brandon Maurer in this regard.

Next: Staying Healthy at Critical Positions Key in 2017

After 2017, Capps will once again be arbitration eligible, so the right-hander shouldn’t necessarily be considered a definite part of the future of the organization. However, bringing him in for under one million dollars is affordable. And as has previously revealed, he can serve as a valuable asset in the bullpen under the right circumstances.