MLB Waiver Wire: 5 Teams That Could Land Chris Capuano

Chris Capuano had the best game of his career Friday night at Citi Field, leading the New York Mets to a 6-0 win over the Atlanta Braves. The rest of the series has been postponed due to Hurricane Irene.

Capuano's two-hit shutout featured 13 strikeouts and no walks, bringing his season strikeout-to-walk ratio to 136:44 in a bit over 150 innings. That's typical of a healthy Capuano, who is homer-prone at times but has always had certain skills in which to believe. His three-pitch mix--and they are all on a level plane with one another--is designed to keep right-handed hitters off balance and lefties lunging.

He's no stud, but Capuano offers the best blend of stuff, command and contractual flexibility of any starter we know to have made it through waivers. With several teams fighting for their playoff lives, here are five who might take an interest in Capuano before the August 31 waiver-trade deadline.

1. Milwaukee Brewers

Capuano and the Brewers are no strangers. Capuano pitched in Milwaukee from 2004-10, with intermittent success and terrible health. Milwaukee reportedly cast about for left-handed pitching help earlier this month, but found nothing to their liking. But that was before Capuano cleared, and he would seem a good fit for a team in need of left-handed depth in their bullpen (they carry no southpaw regular in the 'pen) and/or in the rotation. Capuano could transition into a very good lefty specialist if the Crew felt the need for one in a potential playoff matchup with Philadelphia--a team loaded with lefty sluggers.

2. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Injuries have tried the depth of the Angels' staff, and although the front of their rotation remains remarkably strong, they may need to cast about for a cheap option to make spot starts and occasional relief appearances down the stretch. That's precisely the role for which Capuano is built, and he will make less than $1 million for the rest of the season so money is not an obstacle.

3. Arizona Diamondbacks

This would be, on some level, an even more intimate homecoming for Capuano. He is a product of the Arizona system, and pitched for them as a rookie in 2003. After their non-waiver deadline acquisition Jason Marquis went down for the year, the D'backs could certainly use a boost at the back end of their rotation in order to fend off the Giants in the NL West.

4. Cleveland Indians

When Josh Tomlin became the latest Indians pitcher to hit the DL, one might have forgiven the team if they simply threw up their hands and said of their slim playoff hopes: "Forget it."

If they have not done so, though, Capuano is exactly the kind of pitcher who fits their budget and ballpark, and the Mets are not in position to demand much for him.

5. Detroit Tigers

That the Tigers did not pursue left-handed pitching sooner may be the biggest reason they're still forced to worry about the Indians at all. They would not give up much of anything for Capuano, but if he can be had for a Triple-A arm of similar quality, but a right-handed one, the Tigers have to pounce. Their current contingent of lefties--Phil Coke, Daniel Schlereth and Duane Below--have only gotten worse as the year has progressed, and are a major vulnerability even if the team makes it to a matchup with Boston (lefties Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Jacoby Ellsbury) or New York (Curtis Granderson, Robinson Cano).