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Francisco Rodriguez

Mets, Rodriguez Closing In On Settlement

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The Mets and closer Francisco Rodriguez will not go to a scheduled arbitration hearing on Monday as the involved parties feel that they are nearing a settlement, according to Dan Martin and Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  There's now belief on all sides of the table that an agreement could be announced as soon as Monday or Tuesday.

It was said that a grievance hearing and subsequent arbitration process would have been rather lengthy.  Instead, the Mets, Rodriguez, the Commissioner's Office, and the Players Association have worked behind the scenes to strike a compromise. 

As it stands now, the closer is set to earn $11.5MM in 2011 with a $17.5MM vesting option ($3.5MM buyout) in 2012.  A settlement prior to arbitration likely means that the club will still be on the hook for those years.  However, the Mets may be able to recoup some or all of the cash paid to Rodriguez during the time of his injury late in the season.

Odds & Ends: Orioles, Rodriguez, Cubs, Nakajima

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Links for Monday evening as the Giants look to shut the door on the Braves in Atlanta..

  • The O's might not be able to solidify their coaching staff as soon as they would like to, writes Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com.
  • Francisco Rodriguez's grievance hearing over being placed on the disqualified list is set for next week but there will not be an immediate decision rendered, writes Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.
  • Giants bench coach Ron Wotus is interested in managing the Bucs, writes Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com. 
  • According to Shannon Drayer of ESPN Radio, four candidates will interview for the vacant M's managerial job this week, including former Houston skipper Cecil Cooper.
  • Cubs pitching coach Larry Rothschild informed the team today that he will pick up his option for 2011, a major league source told ESPN.com's Bruce Levine.
  • The Pirates disclosed (via Twitter) that former Blue Jays skipper John Gibbons was in Pittsburgh today to interview for the team's managerial opening.
  • Saitama Seibu Lions shortshop Hiroyuki Nakajima is on his way to being posted, according to Jason Coskrey of the Japan Times (via Twitter) who passes along a report from Yahoo Japan (Japanese link).  In a piece for Fangraphs, Patrick Newman called the 28-year-old Japan's second-best hitter behind Norichika Aoki of the Yakult Swallows.
  • More and more teams are discovering that homegrown starters are crucial to success, says Alex Speier of WEEI.com.

Odds & Ends: Darvish, Feliciano, D’Backs, Blue Jays

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As the Padres face a big uphill battle in San Francisco this weekend, we look at some news items….

Odds & Ends: K-Rod, Angels, Tamura, Matsui

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Links for Wednesday, before the Giants ask Tim Lincecum to help extend their NL West lead…

  • Lawyers from the MLB Players Association and MLB will meet in New York tomorrow to discuss the union's grievance with the Mets. As the AP reports, the sides will discuss the team's decision to place Francisco Rodriguez on the disqualified list.
  • Top prospect Mike Moustakas told reporters that he and other Royals minor leaguers welcome the attention they're attracting this year. 
  • The Angels let scouting director Eddie Bane go, according to John Manuel of Baseball America. Bane was a candidate for the D'Backs GM job earlier in the month.
  • Japanese outfielder Hitoshi Tamura has interest in playing major league baseball, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. The 33-year-old has 27 homers this year and represented the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks at the All-Star game.
  • Jason Varitek told reporters, including MLB.com's Ian Browne, that he's well aware of the fact that he may only have a handful of games remaining in a Red Sox uniform.
  • Through an interpreter, Hideki Matsui told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that he'd consider signing with the A's if they expressed interest in him this offseason.
  • Todd Helton made it clear to Troy Renck of the Denver Post that he isn't retiring after the season.
  • Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic heard that Brandon Webb was throwing just 81 mph in his instructional league outing (Twitter link). Webb told MLB.com's Steve Gilbert that he had fun and felt good.
  • The D'Backs, who will see Webb and Rodrigo Lopez hit free agency this winter, will look to add starting pitching, but GM Kevin Towers told MLB.com's Steve Gilbert that he believes starters may be easier to obtain through trades than major league free agency.

Francisco Rodriguez’s Trade Value

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Two winters ago, Francisco Rodriguez was the most attractive free agent closer around, but if the Mets put him on the trade market this winter, it's hard to imagine that interest would be anything but tepid. With so much uncertainty surrounding the Mets front office, most attempts to predict the team's offseason moves are speculative, but it's safe to say that Rodriguez, now on the disqualified list, may end up on the trade market this winter. 

Last month, Joel Sherman of the New York Post suggested that Rodriguez is nearly untradeable. A post-game outburst in August led to an arrest – not the sort of behavior teams look for from their players. Worse still, Rodriguez injured a ligament in his thumb and required surgery. He should be ready for the 2011 season, but teams can't be completely certain about the reliever's health.

Rodriguez isn't cheap, either. He makes $11.5MM in 2011 and will earn a $3.5MM buyout for the 2012 portion of his contract, even if his option doesn't vest. In other words, any team acquiring Rodriguez will face a $15MM commitment for a pitcher whose fastball has slowed down 4 mph over the course of the last four seasons.

But Rodriguez can pitch, despite the dropoff in velocity. He had 25 saves and a 2.20 ERA with 10.5 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 before his injury. He's just 28, but he has been one of the most dominant late-inning relievers in baseball for most of the last decade and has already made 21 postseason appearances. K-Rod has lived up to his nickname, striking out far more than a batter per inning over the course of his career.

Teams will presumably shy away from him because of his reputation as a hot-head, but supposed problem players like Manny Ramirez (2008), Vicente Padilla (2009) and Yunel Escobar (2010) have rewarded the teams that looked past their reputations. Rodriguez could do the same, but a team would have to trade for him first. At this point, it looks like the Mets would have to take on significant salary to make a deal, and even if the front office were willing to do so, the odds would be stacked against a trade.

Mets Unlikely To Pursue Cliff Lee, Others

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The Mets aren’t planning to pursue Cliff Lee this offseason, people familiar with the team tell Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. Johan Santana underwent left shoulder surgery and won’t resume throwing until the spring, but barring the unexpected, Lee won't sign with the Mets. In fact, the team probably won’t seriously consider spending on any elite free agents, whether Omar Minaya or another general manager is in charge.

Martino's sources say the Mets have too much money committed to the current roster to commit to this year's top free agents. The front office may consider trading Carlos Beltran, Luis Castillo, Oliver Perez and Francisco Rodriguez, but unless the Mets shed an unexpected amount of salary, they won’t be players for the biggest names on the free agent market.

Odds & Ends: Glaus, Torre, Padres, Strasburg

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On this date in 1998, the Mariners traded Joey Cora to the Indians for David Bell. More than a decade later, Cora is still making headlines in Cleveland – sort of. The White Sox coach translated for Manny Ramirez at this afternoon’s Progressive Field press conference. Here are some more links as we await another round of trades…

  • The Braves are listening to offers for Troy Glaus, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter). On Sunday we heard that multiple AL teams have some interest in Glaus.
  • The A's re-signed Tommy Everidge, who played for Oakland last year, but hasn't appeared in the majors since, according to the Pacific Coast League's transactions page.
  • Dodgers manager Joe Torre told Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times that he expects to be able to work out a deal with the Dodgers this offseason if he decides to manage in 2011 (Twitter link).
  • The Padres are still interested in adding a starting pitcher, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). MLBTR's Tim Dierkes provided a list of potentially available starters earlier today. Jon Heyman of SI.com says the Padres claimed a number of pitchers, but weren't able to work out any deals (Twitter link).
  • Nationals GM Mike Rizzo told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that Stephen Strasburg will undergo Tommy John surgery this Friday.
  • MLBPA leader Michael Weiner told Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork that the hearing between Francisco Rodriguez and the Mets will take place in mid-October (Twitter link).

 

Odds & Ends: Twins, K-Rod, Marlins, Soriano

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Sunday links, as Charlie Morton hopes to avoid becoming the Pirates' fifth pitcher this season with double-digit losses….

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Lee, Feliz, Braves, Kershaw

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On this date two years ago, umpires agreed to the use of instant replay to help determine boundary calls, such as fair or foul, on home runs. Expanded use of instant replay remains a hot topic in baseball, and even though Commissioner Bud Selig continues to dance around the subject, more replay feels inevitable at this point.

Here are a bunch of links from around the baseball blogosphere…

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

K-Rod On Disqualified List; Union Files Grievance

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WEDNESDAY, 5:06pm: The MLBPA has officially filed a grievance on K-Rod's behalf, tweets Andy Martino of the New York Daily News.

TUESDAY, 6:58pm: MLBPA leader Michael Weiner told Joel Sherman of the New York Post that the Mets' actions are "without basis" (Twitter link). Weiner expects the MLBPA to challenge the team's actions "right away."

6:08pm: The Mets placed closer Francisco Rodriguez on the disqualified list and converted his contract to a non-guaranteed deal, the team announced today. K-Rod will not be paid or pick up service time while on the disqualified list.

Teams can place a player on the disqualified list if he has violated the terms of his contract and Andy Martino of the New York Daily News says it sounds like the Mets won't reinstate their closer until he can play (Twitter link). Rodriguez has about $3MM remaining on his 2010 contract, so the Mets would save a considerable amount if their decision stands and K-Rod is out for the season. The MLBPA could object on Rodriguez's behalf, though. 

K-Rod underwent thumb surgery today to repair a ligament. The Mets say Rodriguez told a team trainer that he injured himself in an altercation with the grandfather of his children, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse (Twitter link). GM Omar Minaya said the Mets do want to bring K-Rod back in 2011, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork (on Twitter). He has at least $15MM remaining on his contract after 2010.

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