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Francisco Rodriguez

K-Rod Would Consider Trades To Yankees, Rays

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6:06PM: Rodriguez described himself as "irritated" about the story describing his interest in a trade to the Yankees, tweets Andy McCullough of the Newark Star-Ledger.  The closer reiterated that he wants to stay with the Mets.

8:13AM: Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez told Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News that he would consider accepting a trade to a contending team like the Yankees, even if it meant setting up rather than closing. Rodriguez says he’d “love to stay” put, but understands that the Mets may approach him about waiving the no-trade protection that allows him to block deals to ten teams.

"If I am going to be traded, obviously I want the opportunity to close out games, but if it's going to be good teams like the Yankees or the Rays, and it's going to be for two months, I can go out there and help them out," Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez’s contract includes a $17.5MM option for 2012 that will vest if the right-hander finishes 55 games. He has finished 28 games, which puts him on a pace to finish 60. However, if a team with an established closer were to acquire Rodriguez, he would stop finishing games as frequently and the option might not kick in.

Yankees GM Brian Cashman said this week that he’s open to making trades with the Mets, though such deals are by no means easy. The Yankees are looking for a setup man who can restore depth to the team’s depleted ‘pen.

Alderson Talks Reyes, Trade Deadline, K-Rod

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Mets GM Sandy Alderson chatted with WFAN's Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts today for about twenty minutes; here are a few highlights.

  • Asked when the Mets will make a formal contract extension offer to Jose Reyes, Alderson laughed at the direct nature of the question and responded, "Well, we said that we will reach out to Jose at some point, and I expect that will happen.  Beyond that, I can't tell you."  Questioned about the possibility of extending Reyes before season's end, Alderson noted that it's a "two-sided process."  He said he hasn't gotten to the point of determining limits on what to offer Reyes, and reiterated that the feelings of the fans factor into his decisions.
  • Reyes spoke to WFAN's Mike Francesa today, saying right now all he can control is his play on the field.  He says he wants to stay but understands this is a business and he doesn't know what's going to happen.  He doesn't talk about his future contract with his agent Peter Greenberg.
  • Though the Mets have long been considered potential sellers, Alderson says the team playing well closer to the trade deadline is "the best possible situation for us to be in."  Later, he guessed that the Wilpons "would do everything they can to make that possible" in terms of creating payroll flexibility to make deadline acquisitions.  Alderson, however, feels that getting Ike Davis, David Wright, and possibly Johan Santana back would provide a similar boost.
  • Alderson didn't commit much on the Francisco Rodriguez situation, only saying that the hosts had "reminded me of all the difficult propositions we face."  He admitted that next year's payroll is a big issue, and said the vesting option situation will be more fully addressed down the road. K-Rod currently has 27 games finished, and it's possible he could reach 55 by the end of August, causing a $17.5MM option to vest for 2012. 

2012 Vesting Options Update

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Now that the calendar has flipped to June, let's check in on the status of the various vesting options around the league…

  • Bobby Abreu, Angels: $9MM option vests with 433 plate appearances. Abreu has already come to the plate 276 times this year, so this one seems life a safe bet to vest, barring injury.
  • Rafael Furcal, Dodgers: $12MM option vests with 600 plate appearances. Furcal is back on the disabled list with an oblique strain, and he's still a month away from returning. He has only 69 plate appearances this year, so this one won't vest.
  • Jon Garland, Dodgers: $8MM option vests with 190 innings pitched. Garland has been on the disabled list twice this year (the first two times of his career), and he's currently out with a sore shoulder. He only has 54 innings to his credit and won't be back anytime soon, so this one won't vest.
  • Francisco Rodriguez, Mets: $17.5MM option vests with 55 games finished and if doctors declare him healthy at the end of the year. K-Rod has already finished 25 games, putting him on pace for 65 at season's end. A trade to a team that would use him as a set-up man would change everything, but right now the option figures to vest.
  • Koji Uehara, Orioles: $4MM option vests with either 55 appearances or 25 games finished. Uehara has appeared in 26 games and finished 11, putting him on pace for 69 and 29, respectively.
  • Arthur Rhodes, Rangers: $4MM option vests with 62 appearances and if he's not on the disabled list at the end of the season. He's appeared in 20 games so far, putting him on pace for 50. Rhodes' workload could increase down the stretch.
  • Joakim Soria, Royals: $6MM option vests with 55 appearances. He's already appeared in 28 games and is on pace for 71. It's worth noting that even if the option doesn't vest, the Royals would still control Soria as an arbitration-eligible player in 2012.
  • Dan Wheeler, Red Sox: $3MM option vests with 65 games; increases to $3.25MM with 70 games. Wheeler has appeared in 17 games so far, so a stint on the disabled list did not help his cause.

Adam Wainwright's 2012 ($9MM) and 2013 ($12MM) options will not vest because he will finish the season on the disabled list after having Tommy John surgery. Aramis Ramirez's option depends on MVP Award finishes and whether or not he's traded, not plate appearances or another counting milestone.

Mark Buehrle is scheduled to become a free agent after the 2011 season and although he doesn't have a traditional option in his contract, he gets an extra year at $15MM tacked onto his current deal if he's traded at some point this season.

Thanks to Cot's Baseball Contracts for the info.

Closer Notes: Rodriguez, Bell

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Happy 23rd birthday to Braves' closer Craig Kimbrel, who has struck out 78 of 192 batters he's faced as a big leaguer (40.6%). Make sure you follow @closernews for all the latest on fantasy's most unpredictable category, the save. Here are some notes on the ninth inning…

  • Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated tweets that the Rangers will consider K-Rod along with other top right-handed relievers, though he doesn't see them accounting for his $17.5MM option.
  • Andy Martino of The New York Daily News explains why Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez might be more tradeable than we think. "Instead of signing someone like (Jonathan) Papelbon or(Heath) Bell this winter for three or four years, a team could pick up that option and have K-Rod for a year and a half," said one NL executive. "That could be very tempting, and the Mets might actually get a prospect back in that case."
  • In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney says it would make sense for the Cardinals to try to acquire Padres closer Heath Bell to solve their ninth inning woes. Olney wonders if they would attempt to expand a deal to include Jason Bartlett, who St. Louis had interest in over the winter.
  • Dan Mennella looked at both K-Rod and Bell as trade candidates recently, and Tim Dierkes listed some potentially available relievers.

Rodriguez Open To Setting Up

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Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez doesn’t want to be dealt to a team that would use him as a setup man, though he would be willing to fill that role under the right conditions, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  If a team were willing to sign him to a contract extension and return him to the closer’s role next season, K-Rod says he wouldn't object.

“That would be great,” the 29-year-old said. “That would be no problem.”

Teams, of course, are wary about the clause in Rodriguez's deal that would guarantee his $17.5MM option for next season if he finishes 55 games.  The veteran is currently on pace to finish 62 games.

The Rangers could be interested in Rodriguez under such conditions, says Rosenthal.  They could use Rodriguez as a setup man for the remainder of the year then make him the closer in 2012 and move Neftali Feliz to the rotation.

Heyman On Sandoval, Mets, Dodgers, Rangers

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Pablo Sandoval has catching experience, but the Giants won’t attempt to re-position him behind the plate when he returns from the disabled list, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. Here’s Heyman’s latest from around the league:

  • Mets minority owner David Einhorn is expected to have a say in major team decisions, though he won’t have the final call. If the Wilpons have to sell the team, Einhorn will have the first opportunity to buy it.
  • The Dodgers have not explored possible trades for Andre Ethier or Matt Kemp and rival teams haven’t called to express interest in the outfielders, according to Heyman. The Dodgers would like to lock both up long-term instead of allowing them to hit the open market after next year.
  • One Dodger who won’t be getting a long-term contract offer: James Loney. The first baseman is a likely non-tender after the season, according to executives around the league.
  • The Rangers are looking for a reliever and would prefer a right-hander. Heyman hears they’ll consider Francisco Rodriguez of the Mets.
  • The Cubs don’t plan to exercise Aramis Ramirez’s $16MM option for 2012, according to Heyman.

Mets Notes: Rodriguez, Payroll, Reyes

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Tonight the Mets will try to rebound from an ugly loss against the Cubs as Dillon Gee faces Casey Coleman. In the meantime, here are some off-field notes about New York's National League team…

  • Francisco Rodriguez will consider any potential trade the Mets are interested in and is open to waiving his $17.5MM vesting option for 2012 if an acquiring team wants to negotiate a multiyear extension, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. 
  • Mets GM Sandy Alderson said on WFAN that he expects his team's 2012 payroll to sit in the $100-145MM range, as Michael Baron notes at MetsBlog.
  • Alderson also pointed out that the Mets could still make Jose Reyes an offer to stay in New York long-term. 
  • A selloff is coming for the Mets, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports writes. Morosi predicts where Rodriguez, Reyes, David Wright and Mike Pelfrey will be after the trade deadline. 
  • Alderson told Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger that people can “get caught up in the emotion from time to time and perhaps say some things that, on reflection, probably were not well-chosen.” This week Mets owner Fred Wilpon made comments that certainly fall into that category. 
  • A Mets executive told Murray Chass that people inside the organization wanted to get Wilpon's story out into the public because they felt he was being treated unfairly. As a result the owner agreed to the two interviews that created a mini-controversy.
  • Alderson reiterated that the Mets are able to exceed the commissioner’s recommended bonuses in this year’s draft, according to McCullough (on Twitter).

Heyman On Reyes, Rodriguez, A’s, Minaya

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We know that Mets owner Fred Wilpon doesn’t think Jose Reyes is a $142MM player, but how do other insiders see it? Jon Heyman of SI.com hears from five MLB executives who estimate Reyes will sign for somewhere between $45-108MM after the season when he hits free agency. Here’s the latest from around the majors, with a focus on Reyes’ Mets:

  • Francisco Rodriguez, who can veto trades to ten teams, told Heyman that he understands baseball is “a business” and deals happen.
  • There’s no chance the Mariners trade Felix Hernandez now that they’re playing better, according to Heyman.
  • If the White Sox make a starter available, Edwin Jackson could be the one to hit the trade market, as he’s eligible for free agency after the season. 
  • Over the weekend, MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk weighed in on what a “bad” season would mean for Albert Pujols. Heyman says Pujols will surely do well even if his off-year continues, since the Cardinals “aren't going to lower their offer of nine years and more than $200MM.”
  • Ivan Rodriguez repeated that he wants to play three more years.
  • Despite the recent controversy involving A’s manager Bob Geren and relievers Brian Fuentes and Huston Street, Heyman says the skipper “isn't going anywhere.”
  • The Indians are one of a few teams that has shown interest in former Mets and Expos GM Omar Minaya.

Mets Notes: Rodriguez, Beltran, Wheeler

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Mets owner Fred Wilpon offered some revealing comments about his players and his finances in recent interviews with the New Yorker and Sports Illustrated. Here’s the latest on the Mets, including more fallout from Wilpon’s words:

  • Carlos Beltran told Newsday’s David Lennon that he’s not an incomplete player, as Wilpon suggested (Twitter link). "I'm not 65 or 70 percent,” Beltran said. “I'm 100 percent."
  • Mets ownership has chosen a preferred bidder to buy a minority stake in the team, according to Josh Kosman and Lenn Robbins of the New York Post. The Mets are in advanced talks with a group led by former commodities trader Ray Bartoszek and investor Anthony Lanza, according to the Post.
  • The Mets' front office has not yet provided manager Terry Collins with guidelines for using Francisco Rodriguez, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. If the closer finishes 55 games, a $17.5MM option vests for 2012, something the Mets would surely like to avoid.
  • Sherman can only see a team trading for Rodriguez as a setup man or part-time closer.
  • Giants prospect Zack Wheeler told Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group that he’s happy in the Giants organization, but finds it flattering to hear himself mentioned as possible trade bait for players like Jose Reyes. "It is a compliment, but also you're with a really good franchise right now that treats pitchers really good and they're good at developing pitchers," Wheeler said. 

Rosenthal On Rodriguez, Tejada, Brewers

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MLB executives tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that the struggles of large market teams such as the Mets and Dodgers have helped build competitive balance in baseball this year. Here are Rosenthal’s notes from around the league:

  • Though Francisco Rodriguez has 15 saves (16 chances) and a sparkling 0.76 ERA, his fastball velocity (90.4 mph) continues to drop and two scouts say his stuff is diminished. That perception could affect the right-hander’s trade value this summer.
  • D’Backs GM Kevin Towers told Rosenthal that righty Josh Collmenter’s arm angle almost makes him look left-handed and helps create deception.
  • While Miguel Tejada has struggled this year, he’s heating up at the plate and the Giants aren’t about to quit on him, according to Rosenthal.
  • The Brewers are pleasantly surprised by Yuniesky Betancourt’s defensive work this season. If you haven’t seen these plays, you’re in for a pleasant surprise yourself.
  • Rosenthal confirms that the Mariners figure to call top prospect Dustin Ackley up before long.
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