Mets Open To K-Rod Deal; Yankees “Marginally Interested”

The "door is wide open" for a team to acquire Francisco Rodriguez as the Mets are shopping the reliever, a Yankees source tells Bob Klapisch of FOX Sports (Twitter link).  The Yankees themselves "are only marginally interested" in Rodriguez, however, since Rafael Soriano is tentatively scheduled to return from the DL after the All-Star Break.

Rodriguez specifically cited the Yankees and Rays as two of the "good teams" he would consider waiving his no-trade clause to join, but the right-hander has been adamant that he would prefer to remain a Met. 

Rodriguez's $17.5MM option for 2012 will vest if he finishes 55 games this year and gets a clean bill of health from doctors once the season is over.  He is on pace to pass that 55-game plateau (Rodriguez has finished 31 games thus far) but obviously wouldn't get a chance to close with the Yankees unless Mariano Rivera suffered an injury.  While the Yankees probably wouldn't have to worry about the vesting option, Rodriguez is still owed roughly $5.7MM in salary this year and even the Yankees don't want to spend that much more on late-game relief when they're already paying Rivera and Soriano a combined $25MM.