SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Padres today announced that they have avoided arbitration with four players, agreeing to terms with right-handed pitchers Carter Capps and Brandon Maurer and left-handed pitchers Christian Friedrich and Brad Hand on one-year contracts through the 2017 season. Executive Vice President/General Manager A.J. Preller made the announcement.
Capps, 26, was acquired by the Padres from the Miami Marlins this past season on July 29, 2016 and missed the entire 2016 campaign after undergoing right elbow surgery. In 2015 he went 1-0 with a 1.16 ERA (4 ER, 31.0 IP), 58 strikeouts against seven walks and a .168 (18-for-107) opponent batting average over 30 relief appearances for the Marlins. A veteran of four Major League seasons with the Seattle Mariners (2012-13) and Marlins (2014-15), the 6-5, 233-pound right hander has posted a career 4-3 record with a 3.99 ERA (60 ER, 135.1 IP) and 177 strikeouts against 46 walks with a .258 (135-for-523) opponent batting average.
Friedrich, 29, set career highs in nearly every pitching category in 2016, including starts (23), innings pitched (129.1) and strikeouts (100) while posting a 5-12 record, a 4.80 ERA and a .259 (131-for-505) opponent batting average. Over his first six starts with San Diego last season from May 13 to June 12, the Evanston, Ill., native went 3-1 with a 2.12 ERA (8 ER, 34.0 IP) and 31 strikeouts against 19 walks with a .233 (30-for-129) opponent batting average. A first-round selection (25th overall) of the Colorado Rockies in 2008, Friedrich owns a lifetime 10-28 record with a 5.37 ERA (177 ER, 296.2 IP) with 246 strikeouts against 117 walks in 124 games, 42 starts, over parts of four Major League seasons with the Rockies (2012, 2014-15) and Padres (2016).
Hand, 26, led the Majors with a career-high 82 appearances in his first campaign with the Padres in 2016, the second-most appearances ever by a Padres reliever in a single season, behind only Craig Lefferts’ 83 outings in 1986. His 111 strikeouts on the season were tied with Trevor Hoffman (1996 and 1997) for the third-most ever in a single season by a Padres reliever, behind only Lance McCullers (126 in 1987) and Rollie Fingers (113 in 1977). The Minneapolis, Minn., native posted a 4-4 record in 2016 with a 2.92 ERA (29 ER, 89.1 IP) and a .248 (63-for-323) opponent batting average. The 6-3, 228-pound left-hander owns a lifetime 13-29 record with a 4.29 ERA (180 ER, 378.0. IP) in 172 games, 43 starts, over parts of six Major League seasons with the Marlins (2011-15) and Padres (2016).
Maurer, 26, set career highs in 2016 in appearances (71), strikeouts (72) and saves (13) while posting a 0-5 record with a 4.52 ERA (35 ER, 69.2 IP) and a .238 (65-for-273) opponent batting average. In his final 41 outings of the 2016 season after June 11, the Newport Beach, Calif., native posted a 2.59 ERA (12 ER, 41.2 IP) with 39 strikeouts against six walks and a .219 (34-for-150) opponent batting average, converting 12 of 14 save opportunities. The 6-5, 228-pound right-hander owns a lifetime 13-21 record with a 4.85 ERA (151 ER, 280.1 IP) and 236 strikeouts against 84 walks in 184 games, 21 starts, over parts of four Major League seasons with the Mariners (2013-14) and Padres (2015-16).
(h/t San Diego Padres)
