The Padres and right-hander Fernando Rodney are closing in on a contract, according to Jon Heyman (links to Twitter). Rodney, who turns 39 this spring, is expected to enter camp as the favorite to close games in San Diego, per Heyman. Recently, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the Padres were still in the mix for Rodney and could offer ninth-inning time as a means of enticing him. Rodney is represented by Octagon.
Rodney spent most of the past two seasons in Seattle, although his second season as the Mariners’ closer didn’t go nearly as well as the first. After recording a 2.85 ERA with 10.3 K/9, 3.8 BB/9 and a 48.6 percent ground-ball rate in 2014, the “Fernando Rodney Experience” turned sour in Seattle when he struggled to a 5.68 ERA and lost the grip on the closer’s role in 2015. Rodney would go on to rebound following a DFA and a trade to the Cubs, however, as he surrendered just one earned run with a 15-to-4 K/BB ratio in 12 innings with the Cubs and made the team’s postseason roster.
While Rodney’s career has been somewhat of a roller coaster, the veteran has posted a cumulative 2.80 ERA over the past four seasons and still averaged a very healthy 94.7 mph on his fastball between time with Seattle and Chicago last season. If a deal is finalized and Rodney does indeed land ninth-inning duties for the Friars. he’ll be supported by a cast of setup men including Kevin Quackenbush, Drew Pomeranz and Nick Vincent, as right-hander Brandon Maurer is slated to re-enter the rotation in Spring Training.
Hoo boy are the Padres going to be bad.
Padres are rebuilding without admitting it. Preller got rid of old regimes prospects for players to flip for prospects he likes (see kimbrel trade) and they probably will start season with sub .500 team and come trade deadline unload anyone they can such as Rodney if he does ok and get another top 10 pick and start to play rookies in 2017 and probably come 2018 start to compete. Just my guess haha
And spending the highest amount of payroll in team history while rebuilding. Won’t be abe to flip Jay or Rodney or Kemp or … for any prospects. Maybe we will be able to compete after the Shields, Kemp and Upton contracts are off the books. So 2019 or 2020?
Having this guy closing games for the Padres scares me.
Don’t worry, even if he is the closer, he won’t have that many opportunities.
Agreed, this move doesn’t make much sense at all. Ted Leightner is going to have to bite his tounge in the radio booth a lot this year, he always comments when a guy is a hot dog and plays the game with the Andruw Jones, Puig type flair lol he is gonna have a hard time with the hat on sideways and the bow and arrow after a save. Oh boy here we go.
I wanna get my hopes up, but Im too scares to. But I will say this….if that starting rotation mans up, and doesnt flop like they did last season, then we’re talking about a whole different team, altogther.
we’ve seen teams like the Pirates and Rays, make the post season and everybody was scratching their heads trying to figure out how it happened. And it starts with pitching and defense, plain and simple.
so, the Padres are going to have to tighten up the “D”, pitch their little fannies off, and manufacture runs. And I think they have the kind of squad to do that, cuz Lord knows, there isnt a ton of offense to speak of, unless Myers steps up, to add to some pop from Kemp and Norris. But its going to have to start with the pitching…without the starters going deeper in games, they can forget it.
Rodney,is one of those guys that, for whatever reason, pitches very well on very good teams. Go figure..
I don’t think anyone ever scratched their head over how the Pirates got into the postseason
When the entire pitching staff has a bad year at one time, you can pretty much be 100% certain that the pitching performance had little to nothing to do with the pitchers.
I think the Padres will surprise with me pressure .I see A.Ramiaze making the all star team and Kemp having a final career year before being traded to the AL next year unless the NL wake up
That was with low pressure you heard it from me a cub fan Good luck Cashner
Sounds like Rodney has signed with the Padres. 1.6 with incentives.