Indians re-sign relief pitcher Matt Capps

The Indians have agreed to a minor league deal with relief pitcher Matt Capps, according to MLB.com Indians beat writer Jordan Bastian.

Capps has not pitched in the Majors since 2012, when he was the closer for the Minnesota Twins. The Indians also signed Capps last offseason, but he did not make the team coming out of Spring Training, and appeared in just six games for Triple-A Columbus before being shutdown and undergoing shoulder surgery.

Capps was a very good closer in 2010, with a 2.47 ERA in 73 innings, and a solid 7.3 strikeouts per 9 innings. He saved 42 games that year. His K/9 rate fell substantially in 2011 though, all the way to 4.7, which was third-lowest (out of 136) in MLB among relief pitchers with 50+ innings. By the end of the season he was out of the closer role for Minnesota, and when he was little better in the 2012, the Twins decided to part ways,

With Joe Smith and Chris Perez both likely to leave this offseason, there will be bullpen spots to fill. A move like this is unlikely to fill one of those spots, but there's no risk involved for the Indians, and as Scott Kazmir proved this season, a move like this can pay off.