Cordero explained to Rojas that he didn’t want to walk away without making a formal announcement of his decision, and so even though he himself suggested that the timing is a bit unusual, he still felt it was the right thing to do. Cordero formally thanked each organization for which he pitched over the course of a 20-year professional career and the fans who supported him during that time.

Originally signed by the Tigers at the age of 19 back in 1994, the now-40-year-old Cordero made exactly 800 relief appearances (no starts) with the Tigers, Rangers, Reds, Blue Jays, Brewers and Astros from 1999-2012. The Dominican hurler compiled a lifetime 3.38 ERA with 8.7 K/9, 4.1 BB/9, 329 saves and a 47-53 win-loss record. Cordero made the All-Star team on three occasions, and though he never led the league in saves, he did record three seasons of 40-plus saves, topping out at 49 in 2004.

Cordero’s consistently strong results from 2002-07 led him to sign one of the largest contracts ever received by a relief pitcher — a four-year, $46MM contract with Cincinnati that, to this day, is topped only by Jonathan Papelbon’s $50MM guarantee with the Phillies and B.J. Ryan’s $47MM guarantee with the Blue Jays. In total, Cordero earned more than $66MM over the life of his career, according to Baseball-Reference.com. MLBTR wishes him and his family happiness in his post-playing days.

YESTERDAY, 4:28pm: Cordero will be represented by new agents on the open market, tweets Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com. He has switched from Proformance to ACES.

11:20am: The Red Sox have released pitcher Francisco Cordero, tweets Tim Britton of the Providence Journal. The move was expected after GM Ben Cherington said this morning that Cordero would not make the roster and was not expected to accept a minor league assignment.

Cordero, soon to turn 39, has not seen MLB action since 2012. Once one of the most reliable relievers in the game, the longtime closer had a rough go in his last big league season, putting up a 7.55 ERA campaign in 2012. Before that, however, he had gone a decade of full-time work without an ERA greater than 3.84, and had posted six seasons of sub-3.00 ERA pitching. In eight spring innings for the Red Sox this year, Cordero struck out eight while surrendering just one walk, five hits, and no earned runs.

Here are some more notes about pitchers whose roster status is in question…

• Francisco Cordero has been told by the Red Sox that he isn't making the Opening Day roster, so the veteran reliever is now deciding whether to go to Triple-A Pawtucket or leave for another team, WEEI.com's Alex Speier reports.  While Cordero doesn't officially have an opt-out clause in his minor league deal with the Sox, the two sides have an agreement that Cordero would be released if he finds a job elsewhere.
• Colby Lewis can opt out of his minor league deal with the Rangers on April 10, Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News reports.  Lewis was brought back on a minors contract after missing the entire 2013 season recovering from hip-resurfacing surgery, and the Rangers have been easing him back into action during Spring Training.
• If the Phillies are in need of another 40-man roster spot, GM Ruben Amaro said that Miguel Alfred Gonzalez could end up on the 60-day DL, Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.  Gonzalez was officially placed on the 15-day DL (backdated to March 21) today due to tendinitis in his right shoulder.

• David Ortiz told John Tomase of the Boston Herald that he's sick of the negative public response when he discusses his desire for a new contract (though he did so with far more colorful language, as Tomase notes). As far as how long he wants to continue his career, Big Papi offered the following: "When you put up numbers like I’m putting up, who’s thinking about retiring, know what I’m saying? People keep on asking me, how long do you want to play? When are you going to retire? Dude, look at my numbers. I ain’t planning on retiring right now. When I slow down, then I’ll retire."
• Ortiz told WEEI.com's Alex Speier (Twitter link) that if no deal is done prior to his next venture into free agency following this season: "…then we'll be talking about a real contract."
• Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe outlines many of the reasons that make it logical for the Red Sox to be interested in re-signing Stephen Drew, and then explains why, in spite of those reasons, they should let him walk. Abraham opines that Xander Bogaerts needs to be given a chance to maximize his value at shortstop, that Will Middlebrooks' 2012 and late 2013 flashes of excellence make him worthy of another chance, and that the value of an additional draft pick when Drew signs elsewhere outweigh the benefit of bringing Drew back to Boston.
• Francisco Cordero had interest from both the Orioles and Marlins, but he chose the Red Sox after admiring their 2013 World Series run while watching at home in the Dominican Republic, Speier writes. Cordero, who says he dropped 30 pounds this offseason, doesn't have an opt-out clause in his deal, but Speier writes that he and the team have an understanding where Cordero will be allowed out of his contract if he's not going to make Boston's roster and has an opportunity with another team. Cordero said he felt like a kid again when he put on his Red Sox jersey and feels that he didn't join a team, he joined a family.

MONDAY: Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweets that Cordero's base salary upon making the team would be $1MM.

SUNDAY: The Red Sox have signed Francisco Cordero to a minor league deal, according to John Tomase of the Boston Herald (on Twitter).  The former closer last appeared in the majors in 2012 with the Astros.

Cordero underwent surgery to his non-throwing shoulder early in 2013 and was said to be targeting 2014 for his big league return.  The 38-year-old posted a 7.55 ERA, 7.1 K/9, 4.1 BB/9, 2.06 HR/9, and 39.6% groundball rate in 39 1/3 innings for the Blue Jays and Astros in 2012.  He lost the Jays' closer job in May of that year, was traded to Houston in July, and was released by the Astros in September after hitting the DL with a toe injury.  Cordero owns a 3.38 ERA, 8.7 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 over the course of 824 2/3 career innings.

Cordero, 37, posted a 7.55 ERA, 7.1 K/9, 4.1 BB/9, 2.06 HR/9, and 39.6% groundball rate in 39 1/3 innings for the Blue Jays and Astros last year.  He lost the Jays' closer job in May, was traded to Houston in July, and hit the DL with a toe injury prior to his release.  Cordero has 329 saves in his career, second among active players.

Houston acquired Cordero as part of a 10-player trade with the Blue Jays that also netted them Ben Francisco and five minor leaguers. Cordero was installed as Houston's new closer, but struggled mightily in five innings for the 'Stros. The 37-year-old allowed 11 runs on 13 hits before hitting the 15-day disabled list. He hasn't appeared in a game since Aug. 1.

Cordero signed a one-year deal worth $4.5MM late in January to serve as the setup man for new Blue Jays closer Sergio Santos. Neither Santos nor Cordero wound up latching onto the closer role in Toronto, however, as Casey Janssen emerged as the team's ninth inning stopper following Santos' injury problems and Cordero's ineffectiveness. Cordero endured far and away the worst season of his career in 2012, pitching to a 7.55 ERA in 39 1/3 innings thanks to a whopping nine homers allowed.

Cordero owns a 3.38 ERA, 8.7 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 over the course of 824 2/3 career innings. His 329 saves rank 12th all-time. He's just one save behind John Wetteland and 13 saves behind Rollie Fingers. If he ends up closing for a team again in his career, he could work his way into the all-time Top 10.

“Once again we are adding depth to our minor league system with quality young players," GM Jeff Luhnow said in a team press release. "We really feel this will help us moving forward and are extremely excited about the players we’ve added to our organization.”

Cordero and Francisco don't have assurances of staying with the Astros beyond 2012. Cordero, 37, has a 5.77 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 34 1/3 innings this year. He signed a one-year deal with a base salary of $4.5MM before the season. Francisco, 30, earns $1.54MM this year and will be arbitration eligible again this coming offseason. He posted a .240/.296/.380 batting line in Toronto and battled a hamstring injury, so he could be considered a non-tender candidate.

The Blue Jays selected Wojciechowski in the supplementary first round of the 2010 draft. The 23-year-old has a 4.05 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in parts of three minor league seasons. He ranked tenth on Baseball America's offseason list of Toronto's best prospects. Musgrove, 19, was a supplementary first round selection of Toronto's in the 2011 draft. The 6'5" right-hander has a 3.31 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 in 32 2/3 innings over the course of two pro seasons.

Rollins, 22, has a 2.46 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in parts of two pro seasons. The Blue Jays selected the left-hander in the 24th round of the 2011 draft. Perez, 21, has a .275/.358/.447 batting line at Class A Lansing this year. The Venezuelan catcher has a career .777 OPS in parts of five minor league seasons.

Lyon, 32, is also on track to hit free agency this coming offseason. The former Blue Jays reliever has a 3.25 ERA with 8.8 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 36 innings with Houston this year. Lyon, who pitched in Toronto from 2001-02, earns $5.5MM this year in the final season of a three-year, $15MM contract.

This marks the second time in three years that Happ has been involved in a midseason trade. The Astros acquired the left-hander from Philadelphia along with current Blue Jays outfielder Anthony Gose for Roy Oswalt in 2010. Happ, 29, has a 4.83 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 104 1/3 innings so far in 2012. He's earning a salary of $2.35MM this year and will remain under team control through 2014.

Carpenter, 27, has a 6.07 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in 29 2/3 innings out of the bullpen this year. The right-hander has a strong minor league record: a 2.97 ERA with 9.6 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in five seasons.

The Blue Jays announced that they called up Travis Snider. The 24-year-old had a .335/.423/.598 batting line at Triple-A Las Vegas.

Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

Here's some news from both St. Louis and elsewhere in the NL Central…

• The Cubs' arbitration hearing with Matt Garza is scheduled to take place tomorrow, reports Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago.  There is a sizable gap between the two sides; Garza is asking for a salary of $12.5MM, while the Cubs are offering $7.95MM.  The result of this hearing could have an impact well beyond Chicago, as if the Cubs win the hearing, Garza's lower price tag could re-ignite trade interest in the right-hander.  
• The Cubs unveiled plans today for a new baseball academy in the Dominican Republic.  MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez has the details.
• The Pirates' arbitration hearing with Casey McGehee is set for February 16, reports Bill Brink of the PIttsburgh Post-Gazette.  Brink's source says the two sides are still negotiating to see if the hearing can be avoided.  MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith recently looked at the arb cases for both McGehee and the other side of the Bucs' first base platoon, Garrett Jones.  
• ESPN's Jerry Crasnick looks at Zack Greinke's decision to act as his own agent and the history of other players who have handled their own contract negotiations.  The Brewers right-hander is entering the last year of his four-year, $38MM contract but is open to the idea of signing an extension with Milwaukee.
• The Reds "had an offer on the table" for Francisco Cordero since the end of the 2011 season, writes MLB.com's Mark Sheldon but the team wouldn't give Cordero more than a one-year contract with an option.  Cordero was holding out for a multiyear deal so the Reds signed Ryan Madson instead.  Cordero settled for a one-year, $4.5MM deal with the Blue Jays and Shelton opines that Cordero "can’t be thrilled with how his offseason turned out."
• Beyond losing Albert Pujols, Tony La Russa and Dave Duncan, the Cardinals' quest to defend their World Series crown could be complicated by their reliance on several players with checkered injury histories, writes FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal.

Cordero, 36, posted a 2.45 ERA with 5.4 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and a 50% ground ball rate in 69 2/3 innings for Cincinnati this past season. Cordero reached the 30-save plateau for the fifth consecutive season, saving 37 games. His average fastball velocity checked in at 93 mph, but peripheral stats such as xFIP (4.14) and SIERA (3.91) suggest his 2.45 ERA may be artificially low. The Angels, Phillies, Orioles and Rangers all showed interest in Cordero leading up to today's agreement, MLBTR has learned.

The Blue Jays' bullpen will look considerably different in 2012, with newcomers Cordero, Jason Frasor, Sergio Santos and Darren Oliver joining holdovers Carlos Villanueva, Luis Perez, Jesse Litsch and Casey Janssen. Toronto's relievers placed 24th in MLB with 7.5 K/9 and 21st in MLB with a 3.88 ERA in 2011. The bullpen appears considerably stronger heading into the 2012 season, but the Blue Jays' rotation doesn't boast the same depth as other American League clubs such as the Yankees, Tigers, Rays, Angels and Rangers.

Though the Blue Jays won't have to surrender a draft pick to sign Cordero, the Reds will obtain a supplementary first round pick because of the modified procedure for Type A free agents under baseball's new collective bargaining agreement.

It's been a busy week for the Blue Jays, who signed Omar Vizquel last night and extended Brandon Morrow this morning. The Cordero agreement seems to remove them from the Koji Uehara trade talk.

6:21pm: The Angels, Blue Jays, Orioles and Phillies are all pursuing Cordero, reports Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).  These could well be the four finalists Gonzalez referenced.

5:29pm: Free agent reliever Francisco Cordero expects to sign with a new team by the end of the week, reports MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez.  Four clubs are finalists for Cordero; Gonzalez's source identifies the Angels as one of the four, but the Rays are not in the mix.  One of the unknown teams "is a championship-contending team looking to slot [Cordero] in the eighth inning," and Gonzalez speculates this could be the Phillies, looking at Cordero as Jonathan Papelbon's setup man.

The Angels, Red Sox, Reds and Orioles have all been linked to Cordero this winter, though Boston's acquisitions of Andrew Bailey and Mark Melancon probably eliminate them from the hunt.  The Reds are probably also out due to their signing of Ryan Madson, though they fit Gonzalez's description of a title contender and Cordero could be open to remaining in a familiar environment to chase a World Series.

Jim Johnson is the current favorite to close games for manager Buck Showalter. The Orioles are open to trading Kevin Gregg and absorbing some of the $5.8MM he'll earn in 2012, Connolly reports. I find it hard to imagine a team taking on more than $1.5MM of Gregg's salary given the 53K/40BB ratio he posted in 2011 and the availability of other free agent relievers.

The Orioles discussed a Brandon League deal with the Mariners at the Winter Meetings and expressed interest in Seattle starter Jason Vargas at the time, according to Connolly. Jeremy Guthrie and Mark Reynolds also surfaced in the trade talks, Connolly reports. The Angels and Rays have also been linked to Cordero, who probably won't return to Cincinnati now that Ryan Madson is set to join the Reds.

• With the closer market quickly shrinking, Francisco Cordero could "fall in [the] Angels' laps," reports ESPN Los Angeles' Mark Saxon. 
• Albert Pujols will have trouble living up to his massive contract on the field, but Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times examines how Pujols' arrival has impacted ticket sales, merchandise sales and the overall value of the franchise.
• MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez looks at what it might cost the Halos to lock up Dan Haren and Ervin Santana to contract extensions.  The team has options on both pitchers ($15.5MM for Haren, $13MM for Santana) for 2013.  Haren will be 32 in September and, as durable as Haren has been, I'd argue the Angels should wait until this season is through before exploring an extension.  A source tells Gonzalez that the Angels haven't discussed a new contract with Santana yet.
• Also from Gonzalez, he reports that GM Jerry Dipoto declined to comment on the status of Erick Aybar's extension talks.  LAA has already signed one infielder (Howie Kendrick) to a multiyear deal this week.

• Heyman could see the Phillies checking in on Francisco Cordero, but suggests Brad Lidge and Kerry Wood are more likely targets for Philadelphia.
• Casey Kotchman and Carlos Pena seem to be the most likely offensive options for the Indians and both are also in play for the Rays, Heyman tweets.
• Six or more teams are looking for infield depth, so Heyman examines the market for free agent infielders such as Eric Chavez, Aaron Miles and Jack Wilson.
• The Reds are looking for an infielder and an outfielder, Heyman tweets. He suggests Ryan Ludwick, who played under GM Walt Jocketty in St. Louis, would be a “perfect fit” in Cincinnati, where the Reds would like to add depth in left field. The Reds have some interest in Ludwick, Rick Ankiel and Cody Ross.
• The Red Sox remain interested in Joe Saunders, Hiroki Kuroda and Roy Oswalt, Heyman tweets.

The Cubs maintain interest in re-signing Wood, who pitched for $1.5MM last year. They’ve offered the 34-year-old a substantial raise, GM Jed Hoyer said today. Wood posted a 3.35 ERA with 10.1 K/9, 3.7 BB/9 and a 35.8% ground ball rate in 51 innings for the Cubs in 2011 and has also drawn interest from the Phillies.

The Reds have maintained interest in re-signing Cordero throughout the offseason. The 36-year-old posted a 2.45 ERA with 5.4 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and a 50% ground ball rate in 69 2/3 innings for Cincinnati this past season and has drawn interest from other clubs, including the Angels.