Marlins manager Don Mattingly said Saturday that the playoff-contending club hasn’t discussed signing Miami native and resident Alex Rodriguez, whom the Yankees released Saturday.“You’ve got to have a place to play. I know he hasn’t played in the field in a long time. I don’t know where he fits right now,” Mattingly told reporters, per the Associated Press. However, given the injury-forced absence of Justin Bour, Mattingly didn’t rule out the 41-year-old Rodriguez as a first base option for the Marlins. “There’s no reason he couldn’t play first. He has the ability to do a lot of things,” Mattingly stated. “We miss Justin a little bit over there at first. I don’t think we’ve been able to replace that. We’re always looking at ways of getting better in different areas.” The Marlins have been deploying right-handed hitters Miguel Rojas and Chris Johnson in a first base platoon with the lefty-swinging Derek Dietrich, though the former two have registered miserable batting lines this season. The same is true of Rodriguez – hence his release – but he’s only a year removed from hitting a tremendous .263/.394/.532 in 193 plate appearances against southpaws.
More regarding A-Rod and the majors’ two East divisions:
- For his part, Rodriguez seems unsure if he wants to continue his career. After his final game with the Yankees on Friday, the 22-year veteran was reluctant to say he was done. “For all the things I’ve been through, to have a night like tonight, I don’t know what more I can ask for,” he said (Twitter link via David Lennon of Newsday). For what it’s worth, in a survey of 24 executives from around baseball, nearly half (11) told Jayson Stark of ESPN that Rodriguez would return either this season or in time for spring training next year.
- On the heels of his Saturday release from the Nationals, free agent reliever Jonathan Papelbon would welcome a return to Boston, reports Rob Bradford of WEEI (Twitter link). Papelbon, whom the Red Sox selected in the fourth round of the 2003 draft, had a highly successful run with the club from 2005-11. During that seven-season, 429 1/3-inning span, the right-hander converted over 88 percent of save opportunities (219 of 248) and compiled a 2.33 ERA, 10.67 K/9 and 2.41 BB/9. He’s far less effective now, having lost a few miles per hour on his fastball and his job as Washington’s closer before it released him. However, Boston’s bullpen has posted a 4.14 second-half ERA – the sixth-highest figure in baseball – notes Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald. Moreover, the Red Sox are without injured setup man Koji Uehara, and closer Craig Kimbrel has scuffled while dealing with soreness in his surgically repaired left knee. Given their issues, Papelbon is “worth investigating,” Sox president Dave Dombrowski told reporters, including Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (Twitter link).
- Thanks to a clean MRI on Saturday, the Nationals will not place right fielder Bryce Harper on the disabled list, president and general manager Mike Rizzo said (via Alex Putterman of MLB.com). Harper hasn’t taken an at-bat since last Saturday because of a stiff neck, and manager Dusty Baker is wary of playing the 23-year-old in the event the team decides to place him on the DL retroactively. By playing him, Baker would reset the clock on a retroactive DL stint.
- Left-hander Jon Niese is likely to return to the Mets’ rotation at the expense of Logan Verrett, whom the team pulled from its starting five after a disastrous Friday outing, according to Troy Provost-Heron of MLB.com. In an 8-6 loss to the Padres that dropped the Mets to below .500, Verrett yielded all eight runs on six hits (including four home runs) and three walks. Verrett has thrown 60 innings as a starter this year and recorded a 6.45 ERA, 6.15 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9. Niese was a capable option out of the Mets’ rotation from 2010-15, but he struggled this year with the Pirates after an offseason trade, leading Pittsburgh to deal him back to New York prior to the non-waiver trade deadline. Niese’s return to the Mets was going well until Thursday, when he gave up six earned runs on three hits and three walks in just an inning of work.
Donnie’s right, Girardi pulled a straight up trash move on this. One game means literally nothing & the Yankees are rebuilding. Really lost a lot of respect for Girardi for his petty-ness regarding this situation, especially after he played the horrific Jeter all year at SS at the top of the order last year.
I absolutely agree with you regarding Jeter. But you can’t get mad for Girardi for treating a piece of trash like it should be treated. How does everyone forget that Alex lied to the world plus sued the MLB and MLBPA? A-Rod = trash act!
“Lied to the world”
Oh get over it. You get lied to every day. A-Rod doesn’t owe you anything.
Who gets lied to everyday and why do we have to get over A-Roid being a lying piece of crap
Totally agree. Girardi is a great coach, but the way he handled A-Rod (and Posada) was truly classless. And then he gets all defensive about it all? About how this is different than the Jeter’s final year? Whatever.
I hope A-Rod comes back this year or next year and really sticks it to the Yankees. He deserves better than what the Yankees gave him.
A-Rod deserves better? How so? Guy has made nearly Half A Billion dollars in his career. His production has dropped. He’s in his 40s and can’t play the field. And even in his own quotes above he said what more can he ask for after a night like Friday night.
I guess I can’t find the part where Donnie trashes Girardi, and how is a .256/.304/.313 horrific? The first 2 hitters in a lineup arnt supposed to be the power hitters of the lineup, maybe if Jeter batted clean up you would have a good point but he diddnt. And while I’m at it Jeter diddnt play at all last year.
that is kind of horrific, and I think he was talking about his defense anyways
Wow, old news and your boring! Yanks didn’t owe Arod anything after all the drama and I’m happy for Arod the way his career ended after the suspension, couldn’t have asked for better. So move on and get over it, like I said you are boring!
FO was behind the Jeter move. They profited heavily off of having him in the lineup. Jerseys sold, tickets to see him, etc. A-Rod wasn’t profitable, so he gets the treatment that normal players get when they aren’t good anymore.
A couple of things…
1) I’m not disagreeing that this whole thing was handled without class, but I’m not sure all the blame can be put on girardi. I’d bet upper management had a lot to do with the way things played out.
2)You can’t compare the way Jeter and A-Rod’s last days were handled. Sure, A-rod was an all- time great MLB player, but he spent portions of his career with Seattle and Texas. Jeter spent his entire care in NY, and was the face of the Yankees during their dynasty. He earned the right to play out his last season at SS.
Agree about Jeter earning the right to play at SS. But he should not have batted 2nd nearly every game.
And if people want to say Jeter was bad at SS, that’s fine. But he had a wRC+ 30 points higher than Brendan Ryan and Stephen Drew Combined (Jeter 76, Drew 33, Ryan 13).
Don’t forget these future HOF players taking up roster spots on AS teams also when the numbers don’t deserve it and not just Jeter either. Can add Bench and Yaz especially ’83 their going out year when an entire ceremony was dedicated at the mid summer classic for those 2.
I don’t exactly agree with you but you can’t look at this situation with Arod in the same light. That whole legal fiasco was interesting to say the least.
Glad Arod got to expose the yanks organization and prove why they’re hated by other fans. Regardless of all his flaws and there were many none of you guys can possibly have a logical argument that he is not one of the best in MLB history. Don’t tell me it was the just the juice that gave him the talent he displayed over the course of his career because he put up great numbers before and after. Don’t buy girardi’s fake tears he’s a douche.
Just curious, how do you know his “before and after? Like Tom Hicks said when A-Rod “came clean” in 2009 “I feel personally betrayed. I feel deceived by Alex, He assured me that he had far too much respect for his own body to ever do that to himself. … I certainly don’t believe that if he’s now admitting that he started using when he came to the Texas Rangers, why should I believe that it didn’t start before he came to the Texas Rangers?” his 3 years he admitted to were 3 of his best. in 2007, another good year, he managed to get a TUE for testosterone and the Dr. that approved it and the IPA of the program were both canned the next year when he tried to get another without having a legit testosterone deficiency. He failed to mention that in 2009. How do you know his before and after?
Dombrowski signs Papelbon and he could end up sitting having coffee with Ben Cherington on a daily basis. Papelbon is washed up and is a cancer. They thought Sandoval was a bad influence? Try bringing back The Pap.
It could work… But likely wouldn’t. I’d rather call up a no-name kid from Pawtucket.
You can’t compare a-rod and jeter. Jeter was still able to perform and not strike out 10 times in a row and he could still play the field. I don’t think girardi handled it wrong at all he was trying to win and having someone clog up the lineup who couldn’t run to save his life wasn’t gonna win many games for the team. Plus girardi did put him in for a play it’s not like he didn’t do anything