DECEMBER 9: Arizona appears to have acknowledged the signing via Twitter, with a clever nod to Rodney’s post-save, arrow-shooting celebration.
Jack Magruder of Fan Rag tweeted the details of the incentives clause, which he says maxes out at $4MM. That includes $250K apiece if and when Rodney reaches 40, 50, and 60 appearances, with a $500K payout if he gets to 70.
DEC. 7: SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets that Rodney’s deal would max out at $5MM if all of the incentives are reached.
DEC. 6: The Diamondbacks have agreed to a one-year deal with free agent reliever Fernando Rodney, Jon Heyman of FanRag writes (Twitter links). Rodney will receive $2.75MM guaranteed, plus considerable incentives, and he’ll open the year as the Diamondbacks’ closer. Heyman had previously tweeted that the Diamondbacks and Padres were in talks with Rodney, who is an Octagon client.
It was a tale of two seasons for the Rodney in 2016 — he was brilliant for the Padres to start the year, allowing just one earned run through 28 1/3 innings in San Diego, but then he allowed twice as many walks in 36 2/3 innings after a trade to Miami. His 5.89 ERA, 10.1 K/9 and 6.1 BB/9 in Florida led the Marlins to decline his 2017 option, which was effectively worth $4.5MM after incentives.
Where that leaves Rodney for 2017 is unclear — on one hand, he has closing experience, can still strike batters out and induce grounders, and managed to post a reasonable composite line in 2016 (3.44 ERA, 10.2 K/9, 5.1 BB/9). On the other hand, he faded down the stretch, walks too many batters, and will be 40 in March.
In any case, the Diamondbacks didn’t have an established closer, so the deal provides both player and team with an opportunity. Rodney can reestablish himself as a big-league closer. The Diamondbacks, who don’t appear likely to contend, can either keep him for the year or attempt to trade him, much as the Padres did last season — San Diego received a decent starting pitching prospect, Chris Paddack, when it dealt Rodney last June.
I don’t think a D-Backs hat will look as good sideways as a Marlins hat.
good sign. hopefully they get hudson and ziegler
As a Rockies fan, I love this signing. D-Bags can’t make a good signing.
Time will tell….
As a Rockies fan you have no ground to critique other teams pitching staffs.
Haha…so true.
4 words: Denny Neagle, Mike Hampton
whens the last time the rockies even had a good pitcher or let alone a good signing
Jon Gray is not a bad pitcher. De La Rosa was solid there too
robbie ray and archie bradley are better
Ubaldo Jimenez almost won the Cy Young there.
it’s the park not the pitcher, it is like saying there has never been a good power hitter in SF since bonds – the park giveth and the park taketh away.
Good signing, probably cheap and most likely will be flipped mid season for some pieces in return assuming Rodney repeats what he did last year for the padres and doesn’t repeat the performance he had with the Marlins, don’t see D backs losing in this deal other than the low financial commitment
Couldn’t agree more!
Eventually, some team is going to be left holding the Fernando Rodney bag. This is the year the music stops, sorry snake fans.
Amen. Rodney fans need to DVR every outing because his next appearance could be his last.
Didn’t that already happen with the Marlins?
I thought the Diamondbacks were trying to improve their bullpen?
yeah I mean it would have made sense to at least try to coax zigler back
Dbacks brass must have made this move at 2:00am in the hotel bar. When they came to the next morning it had to be like “What the hell did we do last night?”
This will be a great signing and he will have a great season as a closer as the diamondbacks should have a chance at the divisoin if zack greinke and shelby miller return to cy young status and if robbie ray can give up less runs while keeping that high strike out rate
I like your optimism…I think Ray will have a good year, Rodney, not so much.
They are the 3rd, maybe 4th best team in their division.
I don’t recall Miller ever being at Cy Young status. May want to just hope he returns to above replacement level status first.
he had the potential in Atlanta just not the team
Yuck.
lol he followed me on Instagram, it’s like I know all of these people. But more seriously I hope he does well as he has a very good fastball and Chang up but what the problem is thought to be is that he gets very predictable at times which leads to trouble.
He’ll be traded at the deadline. Wish the cubs woud have kept him.
a lot of times when people say stuff similar to what i’m about to say it’s garbage, but i really believe that rodney needs to close to be effective. he seemed spiritually diminished in miami pitching in the middle of games. all of the stuff with shooting the arrow… he needs that. he can’t do it in the 8th.
he still has good stuff. with the money closers are going for these days this really isn’t a bad play. basically no downside at the price; worse middle relievers get more money just to fail all the time.
My big take away from this signing is the contract structure. This signing ends an era of Kendrick`s ridiculous policy that would not allow GM to offer incentive laden contracts.
Rodney only has a limited number of good bullets left in his arm. Once the magic number is reached becomes VERY hittable.
they still have some young and hard throwing kids they could put in if he starts to get hit
You mean limited number of arrows
Good–I can hate him in a completely different league.
Dbacks have a solid lineup and a decent pitching staff capable of challenging for the NL West in ’17. Putting Rodney at the back of the bullpen is like plastering the back of a new Porsche with bumper stickers. Dude, what are you thinking?!!!
Arizona needs Brad Ziegler back in the worst way. Brad brach and Ubaldo Jimenez for Patrick Corbin and Yasmany Tomas who hangs up?
That trade makes way too much sense for both teams. Fate would intervene and a solar flare would disrupt the satellite handling the call.
Ha right
Arizona
Getting this lightening Rod is is the best signing in the history of the diamonds other than getting Mel Gibson.