Former-Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez agreed to a minor-league deal with the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies that includes an invitation to Spring Training last night.

The right-hander was one of the best relievers at one point and in 2008 recorded an MLB single-season record 62 saves with the Los Angeles Angels. He also had a 2.24 ERA, 67 strikeouts, and 3.22 FIP in 68.1 innings pitched that season.

Following that season, the Mets signed K-Rod to a three-year deal worth $37 million.

While he was still effective as a closer, notching 83 saves in the two-and-a-half years he spent with the team, he had some off-the field-issues that ended up tainting his tenure with the team and prompted Alderson to essentially dump him prior to the 2011 MLB trade deadline.

Those off-the-field issues were highlighted by an incident in 2010 in which he was forced to get surgery on his right thumb and miss the last two months of the season after beating up the father of his girlfriend at the time. You can read more about that in this article by NBC Sports.

After his tenure with the Mets was completed, K-Rod went on to pitch Milwaukee Brewers (twice), Baltimore Orioles, and Detroit Tigers.

He even regained his closer role from 2014-2016 as he had 126 saves during that time span.

However, he lost that job in 2017 in Detroit and was released by the team after recording a 2-5 record, 7.82 ERA, and 1.658 WHIP while blowing six of his 13 saves attempts to start the season.

He appeared to have also lost the ability to miss bats as he recorded only 23 strikeouts in 25.1 innings.

Jon Heyman of the FanRag Sports Network spoke to Rodriguez recently, in which the 36-year old reliever said that he believes he has re-found his velocity and is ready to go out this season and prove that he can be a dependable reliever again.

He has a strong resume, on the field, to suggest he might be able to have some value to the Phillies this season. For his career, Rodriguez has accumulated 437 saves along with a 2.86 ERA, 1,142 strikeouts, 1.155 WHIP, and 3.31 FIP.

The post K-Rod on the Comeback Trail in Philly appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

According to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com, the Miami Marlins have reached out to agent Scott Boras regarding free agent closer Francisco Rodriguez. Nothing is imminent he says, but the club could circle back to K-Rod at some point as they look to bolster their bullpen.

Marlins GM Dan Jennings admitted to Jim Bowden on ESPN Radio, that he is considering Rodriguez as well as Rafael Soriano as he seeks to add a quality arm to deepen an already formidable bullpen.

Rodriguez, 33, is considered to be the top reliever left on the market. K-Rod saved 44 games last season with a league-high 66 games finished. An All Star in 2014, the fiery closer posted a 3.04 ERA, 0.985 WHIP with 73 strikeouts, and only 18 walks in 68 innings for the Brewers.

The post Marlins Reach Out To K-Rod appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

K-Rod along with Jose Valverde are among a group of former closers who could bolster the team’s bullpen depth, writes Carig.

Speaking generally, Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said he will likely add at least one more arm to the bullpen.

“I just can’t tell you at this point who that will be,” Alderson said. “And I can’t tell you it’s going to be somebody that will displace Frankie either. We’re looking to help the pen in a variety of ways, provide some more depth and major league experience. I can’t really get into names because I’m not sure how it will turn out.”

Desperate times call for…

Original Post

You may have noticed that the Mets have signed and/or invited an abundance of relief options to Spring Training which starts in 10 days. There may even be more arms on the way. In the last seven days alone, the Mets have signed Pedro Feliciano, Scott Atchison and LaTroy Hawkins.

So why the sudden sense of urgency?

Sandy Alderson answered that question on Thursday night during his appearance on Mets Hot Stove with Kevin Burkhardt.

“I don’t know that we can have a lot of confidence in where we are at closer,” Alderson said.  “I hope Frankie does something over the next few weeks to dispel that discomfort.”

The Mets now have an official full-on competition for the closer’s job during Spring Training, in other words – the heat is on.

Frank Francisco (5.53 ERA, 1.61 WHIP), who is owed $6.5 million this season, was supposed to be the closer on Opening Day and it was his job to lose, but obviously there are now some serious questions after December surgery to remove bone chips in his elbow. And lets face it, Frank-Frank did little to inspire any confidence in him as a closer last season. If it were me calling the shots, I would have had an open competition for the closer role anyway, regardless of his injury concerns. Nobody who performed as bad as he did deserves a guaranteed job. So bring on the reinforcements…

“We’ve taken a lot of time to look at other possibilities and ways that we can shore this up.  We have added some pitching, but more at the front end of the bullpen as opposed to the back end,” Alderson said.

Obviously, Bobby Parnell will most likely have a leg up on everyone else in camp for the job, but lets not pretend he hasn’t struggled with the role in the past. Last season, Parnell did show some improvement in pressure situations, but for his career he still has a 4.54 ERA (87 appearances) in save situations compared to a 2.45 ERA (145 appearances) in non-save situations.

After Parnell, the Mets have no real in-house options so that explains the rush to bring in as many arms as they could on the cheap.

“I think we are going to add another guy or two, between now and Spring Training,” Alderson explained. “Now, whether it’s a back-end guy that will really compete with Frankie, or whether Frankie is the guy going in and the competition comes from Bobby Parnell or someone else – who knows, we will just have to see.”

So that’s the story. While everyone is dwelling on the outfield deficiencies, there’s actually some big concerns in the bullpen as well. Hopefully this all sorts itself out by Opening Day, but you may want to strap yourself in for a bumpy ride during the 2013 season, just in case.

The post Mets Entertaining A K-Rod Reunion appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Davidoff points out a few good reasons why the Brewers may be in “sell mode” and  why “K-Rod would be an excellent fit with the Mets — as their closer:”

Rodriguez, who is now 30, is earning $8 million dollars and probably has about half of that still coming to him for the rest of this season. He is 1-4 with no saves and has a 4.00 ERA, in 39 appearances games over 36 innings with the Brewers.

His velocity is actually higher since his time with the Mets, but he’s been less effective than what you would expect, although he is maintaining a 2:1 K/BB rate and has been very good against right-handed hitters who he’s held to a 188 batting average.

The article cites the following:

No, Rodriguez hasn’t been great this season. Yet his velocity has increased from last year — his fastball was averaging 91.4 mph compared to last year’s 90.3, according to FanGraphs — and he has been unlucky on his home runs per flyball rate (13.3 percent, as compared to his career rate of 8.2 percent). It also would be worth wagering K-Rod, who has been setting up for Milwaukee closer John Axford since the Mets traded him to the Brewers last July, would improve upon returning to his closer role

I don’t think K-Rod is cut out to be a setup man and I also believe he may thrive again in the closer role, but then there’s the small matter of what it would cost to acquire him.

The post Mets Have K-Rod On Their Radar appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Now that’s interesting…

Original Post 12/2

Before the Mets traded Frankie Rodriguez to the Brewers for two PTBNL’s they had the fourth best bullpen in the National League. K-rod was the closer of course, with Jason  Isringhausen performing admirably as the setup man, and Bobby Parnell and Pedro Beato were thriving in lower pressure seventh inning duties.

Then, as I wrote on August 19, 2011, this happened:

So how is everyone enjoying the K-Rod-less bullpen so far? I mean of course you all must have expected some sort of a downgrade in performance after swapping out Rodriguez for Igarashi, but I don’t think anybody could have predicted these dreadful results. The bullpen as a whole has been a virtual catastrophe except for Izzy who may not even be back next season. The Mets went from having one of the better bullpens in the majors, to what is now officially the worst bullpen in the game in August.

As I’ve written previously, I never thought Bobby Parnell or Pedro Beato had the stomach to pitch with the game on the line. It takes more than just stuff to close out games and protect one-run leads in the 8th or 9th innings – you gotta have that killer instinct – that hard edge – that intimidation factor. All the great closers have it, and it’s not something you teach or grow into either.

Just reading some of the comments that were left in that post was kind of fun. Anyway, what’s done is done and now it seems we’re on the hunt again for not only a closer but a setup man as well. That’s life.

The reason I bring this up is because oddly enough, K-Rod’s name came up in yesterday’s conference call. Here is what Sandy Alderson had to say about that trade six months later.

My biggest disappointment going back to last year was just the way we finished the season. We finished poorly, we started poorly. Part of that was attributable to injury, but some of it was a result of weakening the team later for long-term benefit. I think for example, if we’d kept Frankie Rodriguez, we would have finished well over .500. I think that the lack of a closer cost us a number of games.

In the context of how hotly this subject was debated on MMO, with regards to the bullpen imploding soon after the trade and those who called it a coincidence or just a case of younger relievers experiencing dead arms, this at least validates what my own stance was all along, and that is that the trade absolutely destroyed the bullpen and wiped out the rest of the Mets season.

I was against the trade all along, but I did learn one thing since then and that is I don’t hold Sandy Alderson accountable for having to do what he was forced to do by the Wilpons.

The post Mets Contact K-Rod appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Put It In The Books! The Mets 2011 season is finally over! What can I say about the Mets 2011 season except thankfully it has finally come to an end. Coming into this season I didn’t expect much and in turn we didn’t get much from this team Sandy Alderson and Terry Collins put out there this year.

I know there are people who will for some reason say this was a good season. I honestly can’t fathom what is so good about a team that finished their season 77-85, just 5 games out of last place. In fact the Mets actually finished worse than last year. That is not what I would call good. Far from it in fact!

I guess the writing was on the wall on how the season was going to go when our GM didn’t offer Jose Reyes, who won the NL batting title yesterday, an extension last off season. In fact he didn’t do much at all last offseason to improve this team. There were some free agent signings of course, bad free agent signings like Chris Young who after starting just 4 games had season ending surgery. That was no shocker, I fully expected to see him wind up on the DL. I know the Alderson defenders will cite that he was cheap but what does that matter? He was brought here to pitch for the season and if the season was only a month then it would’ve been a great signing but that’s not the case. How can we forget the great signing of Taylor Buchholz who went home and was never seen again? Let’s not even get into the mind-boggling 2 year deal that was given to D.J. Carrasco. Capuano was another bad signing by Alderson. R.A. Dickey was not deserving of a 2 year deal for one good year in 2010. Not good!

I know everyone just loves the trades Alderson did for K-Rod and Carlos Beltran. Paying most of K-Rod’s contract for what we got back was a horrible move! These guys are nowhere near worth that kind of money. In fact Alderson got played by Milwaukee. As soon as K-Rod got there, the Brewers got K-Rod to waive his option as K-Rod obviously wanted to test free agency at a year younger. It should’ve been obvious that K-Rod wanted to be a free agent next year when he enlisted the services of Scott Boras.

Beltran’s trade is another instance of paying too much. I thought Alderson was supposed to be great at saving money? Wheeler, a Single A pitcher is not worth 4 million or so dollars. If he was a Triple A pitcher on the cusp of the majors then I wouldn’t have minded so much, but of course Alderson botched this trade, I wouldn’t expect anything else from him.

Normally I would say I’m excited for the World Series to end and wait until next year, but we have to be realistic, Sandy Alderson is not a big market GM. Next year is already off to a bad start. With DJ Carrasco and Tim Byrdak returning to the pen and Terry Collins guaranteed to be back there’s not much hope. Adding to the Mets woes will be the departure of one of the best position players in this franchise’s history Jose Reyes and it wouldn’t surprise me if David Wright is traded.

In conclusion this year was bad and we should expect an even worse one in 2012.

The post Thankfully The 2011 Mets Season Is Finally Over appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Herrera, 26, appeared in two games with the Brewers this season after he was claimed off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds on May 23, 2011. He was 1-4 with a 2.20 ERA (15 earned runs/61.1 innings) three saves and 54 strikeouts in 46 combined games this season between Louisville (AAA) of the International League and Nashville (AAA) of the Pacific Coast League.

The 5-6, 165-pounder went 1-3 with a 3.91 ERA (10 earned runs/23.0 innings) in 36 games with the Reds in 2010. The Odessa, TX native appeared in 70 games as a rookie with the Reds in 2009, going 4-4 with a 3.06 ERA (21 earned runs/61.2 innings).

Herrera is 5-7 with a 3.94 ERA (41 earned runs/93.2 innings) in 115 major league games with the Reds and Brewers. He has allowed 110 hits, issued 34 walks and notched 66 strikeouts.

Rosario, 21, is 4-6 with a 4.32 ERA (48 earned runs/100.0 innings) with 81 strikeouts in 35 games, 14 starts combined between Brevard Country (A) of the Florida State League and Wisconsin (A) of the Midwest League this season.

The Santiago, Dominican Republic native was claimed by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2010 Rule 5 Draft but was returned to the Brewers on March 24. Rosario began the year with Brevard County, going 4-5 with a 5.83 ERA (43 earned runs/66.1 innings) in 16 games, 14 starts. He moved to the bullpen exclusively with Wisconsin. In 19 games with the Timber Rattlers, Rosario was 0-1 with five saves and 1.34 ERA (five earned runs/33.2 innings) with 42 strikeouts.

The righthander is 16-19 with a 4.64 ERA (146 earned runs/283.0 innings) in 94 minor league games, 29 starts with 122 walks and 236 strikeouts. He was originally signed by Milwaukee as a non-drafted free agent on August 21, 2006.

The post Mets Acquire LHP Daniel Herrera and RHP Adrian Rosario To Complete K-Rod Deal appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

-Andy, after returning to the Mets after writing for the Phillies, which team have you enjoyed reporting on the most in your career?

Both provided unique and rewarding experiences, but I have to say–covering losing and dysfunction last year in New York, and the transition that it led to, provided richer material than covering a World Series run in 2009. Plus, after being a transplanted New Yorker living in Philly for a year, it was nice to get home to family and friends in New York.

-What was it like to return to the Daily News after beginning your career there as an intern?

It felt more like a continuation than a new beginning.  Because I knew nearly all my colleagues well, it was an easy transition. The only difficult part was staying in a buddy’s extra bedroom in Brooklyn while my wife and I looked for somewhere to live on short notice (the offer from the Daily News came rather suddenly, and left us scrambling).

-As a BBWAA writer, who do you believe is a Hall of Famer that is on the 2012 ballot?

I am a BBWAA member, but I don’t support the idea of journalists voting for the Hall of Fame. I think it’s a conflict of interest, and I also think the questions of “who is a Hall of Famer” is impossible to answer, because there is no set standard. I am not eligible to vote yet (you have to be a BBWAA member for 10 years), but will not vote once I’m able to.  To be honest, I don’t think about the HOF much, and don’t really know who is on the 2012 ballot.

-Would you ever vote a baseball player into the Hall who has been proven to take steroids? Someone like Clemens or Ortiz who were accused, but deny the accusations?

This is one of the issues that I have with the Hall of Fame. How are they going to deal with this? There is no good answer.  It would probably be better if it were just a museum, rather than something that involves elections.  Then we could focus not on issues like “do steroid cheats belong in the Hall of Fame,” but on questions more relevant to society like, “should the MLB All-Stars who spoke out last year about Arizona’s immigration law, have boycotted the game?”

Wherever one stands on that issue, we should be talking about stuff like that more often, when we talk about sports.

-What was your take on the K-Rod trade? Was it just a salary dump? Who is the winner in this deal?

It was a good deal for both teams. A total salary dump for the Mets, who had to get out from under that $17.5 million vesting option for next year.  So they found a taker for much of the contract, and the Brewers–who were a championship caliber team except for their middle relief–get bullpen depth during a year that they’re going for it. 

The Mets were worried that the market for K-Rod would drop later in July, as more closers became available, so this really was the right time for both teams to make the move.

–Does the moving of K-Rod increase the chances of re-signing Reyes? If so, by how much have their chances increased?

It certainly doesn’t hurt, but that is still going to be a tall order for the Mets. Reyes will be seeking close to top dollar, and the Mets have budget constraints.  But moving K-Rod does clear payroll space, and probably slightly increases their chances of resigning Reyes.

-Was the K-Rod trade a waiving of the white flag on Alderson’s part for the 2011 season?

He claims it wasn’t. If you ask me, Beltran represents the white flag. But I would hope that, in a division with Atlanta and Philly playing so well, the Mets front office understands that this is not s playoff year, and that they plan accordingly.

-After the July 31st deadline, where do you believe Carlos Beltran will go or stay? Mets? Giants? Red Sox?

I think the Mets will shop him aggressively, but hold out for a favorable deal.  Let’s say it’s 65-35 he is dealt. Giants, Red Sox, Phillies, Tigers, Indians–there are a lot of places he would fit.

-The Phillies have interest in acquiring a right fielder with a power bat and the Mets have just that on the market in Carlos Beltran. Do you think that Alderson, a GM who traded Jose Canseco to the Rangers during a pennant race back in his Oakland days, would deal Beltran to the rival, first-place Phillies?
 
If Alderson judged that a deal with the Phils was right for the Mets from a baseball standpoint, I do not believe that the “rivalry” would in any way hold him back.

–Have you heard anything about Mets rental players on the market other than Beltran that could be dealt before July 31st such as Capuano or Byrdak? Any rumblings about Pelfrey as a possible trade candidate?

Byrdak and Isringhausen could go.  Capuano makes sense, although there haven’t been a whole lot of rumblings there yet.  As for Pelfrey, the Mets would be selling low now, after a spotty first half, but maybe this winter.

-Out of Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter and Mike Piazza, do you believe any of them should have their numbers retired by the Mets?

Those are three of the most important players in franchise history, so if anyone deserves it, they do.

–Who is more likely to return from injury in 2011, Ike Davis or Johan Santana?

Tough one. We’ll know more about Davis soon. If he has surgery, he’s done, so I’ll go with Santana.

–Based on the age of current players, financial situations and farm systems, who do you think has the brightest future 5-10 years down the road, Mets or Phillies?

Wow. The Mets’ financial situation makes them a wild card, but assuming the franchise finds a way to stabilize, I’ll choose them.  There is a cyclical nature to contending in baseball, and the Phillies are on the backside of their run.

-You have been accused of being too critical of the Mets in comparison to other writers and overly praising  the Phillies by some readers, what is your response to that?

Many readers in Philly accused me of being a Mets fan. Many readers in New York accuse me of being a Phillies fan.  Both are, of course, ridiculous.  I’m a reporter.

-Finally, Do you think Brian Wilson’s spandex tuxedo at the ESPY’s out-did Lady Gaga’s egg arrival at the Grammy awards?

Ha.  I’d have to say so. You expect it from Lady Gaga, but from an athlete? Good for Wilson, for always being an interesting character.

I would just like to thank Andy once again for taking the time to answer my questions. He was truly a pleasure to speak with. To read Andy Martino’s excellent work, you can read his blog here. You can follow Andy on twitter at @SurfingTheMets. Also if you would like to read my full interview with Andy Martino, click Here.

The post MMO Exclusive: An Interview With Mets Beat Writer Andy Martino appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

—

Although a game has yet to be played after the All-Star break, this Mets team already takes on a new appearance. The bullpen corps is comprised of the same pitchers, and two (Bobby Parnell & Pedro Beato) will look to close out games now. Jason Isringhausen is a candidate to close as well, due to experience but this is a new dawn of allowing prospects to try and carry their weight. If either one of the three closer candidates can prove to be adequate if not excel in closing out games, the flexibility it provides financially is immense.

The thought is that with some added free space on the payroll this year, can they become players for another starter, possibly improve at catcher or add some right-handed bench depth? The options have expanded, and now the Mets can explore in-season options even though this K-Rod move is seen as somewhat of a defeatist move from a standpoint of competition.

In the offseason, the K-Rod option – no loger a worry, opens more options. Will the Mets re-sign Jose Reyes? That still isn’t known, but the amount of payroll that was opened is a much more positive sign today then it was a few days ago. Will the Mets re-sign Beltran? It is a dark horse option, but maybe Beltran won’t feel as betrayed by the Mets since most of the damage was done by the Minaya regime. Will the Mets look to sign some help in the offseason in both the starting rotation and at the catcher position.

This has been an interesting last few months, and with 18 days until the trade deadline, this can become a very exciting time for Mets fans.

For other thoughts, Mets news and Mets related talk, follow me on twitter @TheSeanKenny

The post Does The K-Rod Trade Make The Mets Buyers? appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Latest Updates & Reactions on K-Rod Trade:

Buster Olney – There is reportedly a list of five minor leaguers that the Mets will choose from. None of them considered top prospects.

Mike Diaz – Round 1: Sandy Alderson vs. Scott Boras goes to Alderson. Boras got punched in the gut & took a right to the chin.

Francisco Rodriguez – “I want to thank all the Mets fans for their great support during these two and a half years.” (In Spanish)

Buster Olney – Milwaukee was willing to take on more money than any other team, so the decision was simple for the Mets.

Eric Simon  – How the PTBNL works:

• The trade must be completed within six months of the rest of the transaction.
• Vast majority of PTBNLs are minor leaguers, by rule bo Brewers major leaguers can be included in deal.
• They can’t be 2011 draft picks because they can’t be traded until at least a year has elapsed since they sign their contract.

Joel Sherman – Exec on K-Rod trade: “Mets did not get good prospects because Brewers don’t have any good prospects left. This was a money deal.

Andy McCullough – This isn’t the official white flag, of course. That would be Beltran. And the Mets bullpen still contains a guy with a 2.66 xFIP in 24.2 IP.

Note: Just checked, and no word yet on who will replace K-Rod on 25-man roster.

Updated by Joe D.

Original Post 12:05 AM

The Mets have traded closer Francisco Rodriguez PLUS CASH to the Milwaukee Brewers for two players to be named later (PTBNL).

Alderson released this statement:

“We thank Frankie for his contributions to the Mets and wish him well with the Brewers,” Mets GM Sandy Alderson said in a statement. “This trade allows us to develop and more fully utilize other members of our 2011 bullpen and offers some payroll relief as well.”

Rodriguez, 29, is 2-2 with a 3.16 ERA and 23 saves this season with the Mets. He is in his 10th Major League season, posting a 32-27 record with a 2.54 ERA and 291 saves in 573 relief appearances with Los Angeles of Anaheim (2002-08) and New York (2009-11).

The four-time All-Star (2004, 2007-09) set the single-season save record with 62 in 2008 with the Angels.

Although none of the specifics of the deal are clear at the moment in regards to exactly how much cash or who the players are, the consensus thought seems to be K-Rod was expendable, and getting someone to take him was more important now while his option still has room to not vest.

K-Rod had an up and down career for the Mets, having a solid first season but with some key blown saves, a shortened second season due to the domestic violence and injuring his hand. K-Rod’s 2011 season was going fairly well, but he was being hit harder and walking more batters.

The biggest point that has been mentioned ad-nauseum was K-Rod and his possible vesting option. They have freed up 17.5 million from next years budget, and considering Sandy Anderson seems to be content on cutting the Mets payroll down to around 120 million, and resigning Reyes if Alderson pursues it will not be cheap.

More news when it becomes clearer.

To read the thoughts about K-Rod’s departure and other Mets news follow me on twitter @TheSeanKenny

The post Latest Reactions and Updates On K-Rod Trade appeared first on Metsmerized Online.