Right-hander Richard Rodriguez was one of the more prominent names cut loose before last night’s non-tender deadline, and now that the Braves have parted ways with the reliever, Jason Mackey of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports (Twitter link) that the Pirates are interested in bringing Rodriguez back to the Steel City. Rodriguez posted strong numbers throughout his three-plus seasons in the Pirates’ bullpen, which made him a hot commodity heading into the July trade deadline. While Rodriguez’s peripherals didn’t back up his excellent on-field performance to begin this season, the Bucs were still able to move him to Atlanta for two young arms on July 30.
The righty still managed a 3.12 ERA during his 26 innings for the Braves, but Rodriguez’s home run rate skyrocketed and his strikeout rate dropped off the map to only 8.5%. Atlanta didn’t use Rodriguez during the playoffs, and non-tendered him rather than pay a projected $3.1MM arbitration salary. On paper, it would seem like a reunion between Rodriguez and the Pirates would work out well for both sides, as the Bucs would gain some more relief depth, and Rodriguez would try to get himself on track in a familiar environment.
More from the relief pitching market…
- The Diamondbacks just made a splash in the relief market by signing Mark Melancon, but the club has also “at least checked on” such arms as Wily Peralta, Bryan Shaw, and Hunter Strickland, according to The Athletic’s Zach Buchanan (Twitter link). All three right-handers had pretty decent bottom-line numbers in 2021, though the advanced metrics weren’t as impressed by their work. Nonetheless, any could provide some help to an Arizona bullpen that badly struggled last season, and Peralta could factor into the rotation mix after starting 18 of his 19 games with the Tigers. Shaw began his career with the D’Backs as a second-round pick for the team back in 2008, and he pitched his first two MLB seasons in a Diamondbacks uniform.
- While the Marlins have been busy with some notable lineup additions, the club hasn’t yet done much to their relief corps. GM Kim Ng told reporters (including The Miami Herald’s Craig Mish) that the bullpen market has been a bit slower in general, but now that the Marlins have finished some of the heavy lifting with their hitting upgrades, the pen will get more focus. Miami’s pen posted some pretty solid numbers in 2021, and the front office has already made one move by acquiring right-hander Louis Head in a trade with the Rays.
Who cares what real stats Rodriguez had? His make believe stats weren’t good lol.
I didn’t know walk rate, strikeout rate, and home run rate were made up stats.
Well now you do.
Why would you care what he gets paid?
All you should care about is if he can pitch.
This line of thinking is how we end up with Porcello contracts.
Calcetines – which stats are “real” stats, and which ones are “make-believe?”
I think Blanco’s shoots blanks
I’d only want to see Rodriguez back on a league minimum deal. He was a completley different pitcher from mid-June onward. That coincided with MLB cracking down on foreign substances on the mound. Happy the Pirates got what they did and got out from under it.
What @mlb1225 said
Mlb1225 is the only one who ever makes sense in these comments
Actually, I am thinking a split deal, major/minor league Pirates deal where he makes 2-3 million with incentives if he makes the roster.
I expect it to be a minor league deal. I think as a non leverage bounce back he is worth a mlb contract for a million and change. The Pirates just don’t have anyone on the 40 man I see them removing for him. There’s a handful of guys who aren’t the most appealing but I would at the least get a look at them in spring training.
So it is that simple, @mlb1225?
He reminds me of the Yanks Chad Green. Meaning: he relies on those four seamers up in the zone. Green had some hiccups (gave up 14 jacks) but overall had another solid season. I thought Rodriguez might just have got caught in some SSS stuff.
You are – however – making it sound like that is *not* the case.
If you go on Baseball Savant and look at Chad Green’s average spin rate throughout the season, it stays relatively constant. Rodriguez’s fastball spin rate topped out at 2680 RPM on June 16th and never even hit 2400 RPM after June 22nd. Green also throws 2.5 MPH harder than Rich-Rod. While Green uses his fastball more often, he used it at a 65.1% rate. Rodriguez used his 86.1% of the time. Just look at all the blue on Rodriguez’s Savant page and all the red on Green’s page and you pretty much understand the story.
Hat tip.
Yeah. They are a lot different than I was assuming there. He is going to have to learn another pitch or work on that slider, uh? Thanks – as always – for the in-depth response.
Always a pleasure
People are saying that “sticky substance” motto when pitchers “flame out”. Gerrit Cole (granted he openly admitted to using it) is prime example. But his change was to a mini scale of what went on with RichRod. They guy got distracted or felt pressured with a contending team compared to a non contending team. I think it was a mentality think or someone wanted to “tweak” with something to try and get more out of him. Who knows what happened with RichRod. If Bucs get him on a minors contract, I think it will be lucky and surprising. I feel a team will over him a 1 year 2 million major league contract. Way some of these guys are signing already, any team can get RichRod and I think it will be one of the teams in the AL West. Texas, LAA, Houston, and Oakland could use a bullpen arm. I thought about the Rays making an offer as well. NL teams like Giants, Cardinals, Mets, And Padres will check in on him as well. I just feel he will be in the AL and with a West division team. Bigger stadiums and defensively, neither team is bad in that division. Houston has the leg up, but LA are making moves that have been good and helps their defense. Trout isn’t getting any younger. If Bryant doesn’t head to the Angels once this CBA is settled, I’d be surprised. He can DH at times and play the field. It would strengthen that lineup so much.
He was having issues with getting batters out prior to the trade. @mlb1225 was correct when he said that the down turn coincided with the sticky stuff crackdown. He never did throw exceedingly hard. He relied on movement on the fastball. The movement was caused by the high spin rate of the ball. He just got more hit-able because he could not get the movement on the ball anymore.
The Angels don’t have anymore Payroll space for another big contract for 2022. They have to prepare for an Ohtani extension which will top all other contracts in AAV. My guess is at least 6/300 or 8/375. With Trout, Rendon and Ohtani, that would be 120 mil. to three players. Upton’s 28 mil. comes off the books but the Angels will still need to sign more starting pitching and pen pieces. As long as Arte owns the team he will go cheap on starting pitching. They have to hope Detmers, Bachman snd some of the younger guys take big steps forward.
@mlb1225
How do you come up with “he was a completely different pitcher from mid-June onward. ” He only pitched 27 games with the Braves, in the first 17 games with the Braves from Jul 31 to Sep 5, he gave up a measly 2 er. If what you’re asserting was supported by facts then why didn’t he have trouble nearly every day? Those dates are way past “mid -June”, so tell me what was “different”?
From September 8 to October 2 is where he struck problems, and I say it was because of what was being called behind the plate by either TD or BS, they got too fast ball happy with him calling that pitch far too often, rather than him using some secondary pitchers. In his last 10 games with the Braves he gave up 7 er, 5 out of 8 home runs for the full season came in that period and another home run on Aug 28, just before the commencement of his last 10 games as a Brave-so he only gave up a measly 2 HR with the Pirates. You just watch, he’ll go back to Pirates and pitch well, different catcher, different pitch calling, it all makes a big and massive difference.
April 1 to June 15th: 1.78 ERA/1.95 FIP
June 16th up until the trade (when he was still a Pirate): 4.85 ERA/3.86 FIP
July 31st (first day as a Brave) through the end of the year: 3.12 ERA/6.17 FIP
June 16th to September 5th (last game played before Sept. 8): 2.73 ERA/4.01 FIP.
Will admit that his numbers from June 16 to Sept 8 aren’t awful, but you tell me do any of those stretches of games look consistent? He was lights out to start the year. Reeled off 20 consecutive innings while giving up a single earned run. As I stated to Bucky, he had a massive RPM drop off in mid-to-late June and never recovered. Even in that June 16th-Sept. 8 stretch, he only had a 16.2% K%, 5.1% walk rate, and .91 HR/9. From the first game of the season thru June 15th, he had a 21.7% K%, 3.3% BB%, and zero home runs given up. Not giving up runs doesn’t mean he is the same pitcher that started the year with 1 ER given up in his first 20 innings of work.
Maybe Rodriguez can get right in Pittsburg again, because Braves believed his arm died by the end of the regular season.
It’s PITTSBURGH not PITTSBURG…freaking idiot
Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed today.
You’re an irritable and pathetic fool always angry and attacking others. Eat some Raisin Bran to cure your constipation and go away you clown.
In addition to the right handlers the Dbacks are checking in on, I’d like to see them go after a LHP reliever like Brad Hand for their bullpen.
Who have the Guardians signed?
Not the Synderguardian!
They missed the marketing possibilities in not signing him. Thor is a Guardian of the Galaxy, not an Angel in the Outfield (or mound).
They’re working on a multi-year contract with the mascot of the roller derby team.
Not sure if he’s credible but per Dodgers insider David Vaseegh, Fish trying to reel in Kelly Jansen.
Fish tried under the previous regime to sign Jansen but stayed with the Dodgers even though Fish offered more
@Mjm,
Who’s Kelly Jansen? Can she pitch?
Former SI model turned Star QB for the Extreme League and recently pitched for the Giants AAA ball club. Low 90 cheese with plus plus curve and slider and rumor has it she throws 4K spin rate
We can get her as a Marlins Mermaid.
Yeah, I was thinking Kenley would be a target of the Marlins again. Hope it works out this time.
I’m not sure what happened that got Melancon to Arizona. I hope the Marlins at least kicked those tires. I don’t want another wasted season of losing so many games that we take leads into the 8th inning and beyond.
His peripherals were nothing to write home about, but Wily Peralta was a distinct factor in a very promising stretch of Tigers baseball. It depends on the cost, but I would like to see him back in Detroit.
Gruß,
BSHH
I’d be fine with the Pirates continuing to sign and flip RichRod.
Tigers should be signing one of those arms soon. It’ll probably be a lefty to replace Derek Holland. Who’s a FA and was really effective in the second half.
“Heavy lifting”…. You’d think the Marlins signed Seager and Semien…… those of us few diehard fans they have left, that have stuck around through thick and thin with them, are close to reaching the end of the line…
I for one don’t want them signing any Stanton-like contracts. I would not have wanted the Semien or Seager deals for the Marlins. The end of those deals usually turn out bad. I do admit that I wonder why they weren’t in on Baez considering the contract he signed with Detroit. That’s more in line with what we can do with no longer term problems.
With our pitching, we can do some things with less headline movement in the lineup. What we need is guys like Bryan Anderson to be healthy.
As for the “heavy lifting”, maybe it was referring to packing the bags for Brinson and Alfaro. Too bad they didn’t have enough energy tp pack Bass’ bags too.
Take a look at our lineup as it would stand today:
SS – Miggy Rojas
2B – Jazz
DH – Aguilar
LF – Garcia
RF – Sanchez
3B – Anderson
CF – de la Cruz
1B – Lewin Diaz
C – Stallings
This lineup can do enough as currently constructed, and the rumors are that they’re still trying to add one more bat by the start of Spring Training.
Keep drinking the kool aid. Marlins’ position players are rated the 10th worst by fangraphs depthchart. This lineup will get us nowhere in the NL East. Matter of fact, you could argue this lineup might not even be better than last year’s opening day lineup. Signing Avisail is just window dressing, them reinvesting what they saved by not extending Marte when they had the chance and handing up Duvall to the Braves. They need to swing a big trade, or open up the coffers for real to make a believer out of me. And by the sounds of it, doesnt look like any of those is in the horizon, they’ll prolly make another middle of the road move and call the “heavy lifting” done. But hey, hopefully they make me eat my words.
A chance to recycle this move into another trade saving me money and getting more cheap and controlled prospects!!
Money! Money! Money!