K-Rod unhappy he's not in closer's mix

[jjkoestler]

K-Rod unhappy he's not in closer's mix

 

Brewers' K-Rod unhappy he's not in the closer's mix

 

MILWAUKEE -- He's done his job. He's been a good soldier.

 

But if

you think Francisco "K-Rod" Rodriguez is fine with pitching exclusively

as a set-up man for first-place Milwaukee, you'd be wrong.

 

"I'm

not fine," Rodriguez said Tuesday. "They told me I'd have the

opportunity to close some games, and we've had 20-some save

opportunities since then and I haven't even had one."

 

John Axford

has earned 19 of his 42 saves since K-Rod's arrival. In 24 appearances,

Rodriguez has worked only one ninth inning, in what was a 5-1 cruise

over St. Louis on Aug. 10.

 

"I'm a little disappointed in that," said Rodriguez, who is 3-0 with a 2.31 ERA for the Brewers. "But that's something that's out of my hands."

 

Rodriguez will be a free agent this winter and figures he will return to closing in 2012.

 

Until then?

 

"Suck it up, pretty much," he said.

 

He apparently has not expressed these feelings of betrayal much to his teammates.

 

"He's been great," Axford says. "Coming to a new team, it takes a couple of days to adjust, but he jumped in pretty quickly.

 

"He's

similar in attitude to the rest of us in the pen. It's a goofy group.

Guys like to have fun. But we get serious at game time. That's the way

he is, too. By the sixth or seventh inning, he's all business."

 

Initially, when the Brewers acquired Rodriguez, even Axford wasn't sure of what the roles would be -- his own, or K-Rod's.

 

"The

biggest thing was, when I found out, I felt I did everything I could to

that point to be the closer," Axford said. "But I wasn't going to argue

if my role changed.

 

"We got Francisco to help the team. The important part wasn't was I going to close or was he?"

 

For

his part, though he's unhappy he's not getting any save opportunities,

Rodriguez has enjoyed his teammates and is looking forward to October.

 

"We've still got a couple of series to win to wrap up the division," he says.

[wOOgiE22]

With the way Ax has been pitching there is no way you could take him out of that role. The team has really solidified since KRod has got here, so I hope this doesn't effect the teams chemistry by him saying this publicly.

[danzig6767]

I don't get why he cares if he gets to pitch a few innings in the 9th inning instead of the 8th inning given K-Rod gets paid the same either way and he went from a mediocre team to one that will be in the playoffs?

 

Just yet another example of what the closer stat has created. K-Rod sometimes comes in the 8th inning with a 1-2 run lead and has to face say Pujols, Holliday, and Berkman, while Axford faces an easier group of hitters. As a simple competitor, you'd think he'd more enjoy that 8th inning against the heart of an order, but i think he's so conditioned himself as being the 9th inning guy that nothing else comes close in importance to him.

[markedman5]

Why say anything? By all accounts he has fit in well with the team but this is just mind-boggling to me.....Ax has been perfect...he was here before you...this isn't little league.

 

In the middle of a pennent race you really want to put the focus on the fact that you haven't gotten any save opportunities?

 

Really?

 

How about this answer........"its not about me....its about the team....I'm happy to pitch in whatever role they need me and hopefully I'll get a chance to close again next year."

[sargennm]

Well, he gets the chance tomorrow.

 

http://brewersbeat.mlblog...he-closer-for-wednesday/

[tristarscoop]

Colin Fly basically said a national writer came in and re-framed the whole story. K-Rod has always said he wants to close and that isn't new news. Suddenly this guy swoops in for a day, takes one bit of info and frames K-Rod in a bad light. I wouldn't get too upset about it.

[TooLiveBrew]

Colin Fly basically said a national writer came in and re-framed the whole story.

 

When I saw the name of this guy's column was "Bull Pennings", I knew to be suspicious. Thanks.

[pretendastronaut]

Ya, quite honestly, my first thought was about hearing Aaron Rogers on ESPN Milwaukee this morning, talking about the whole Mark Sanchez flap and how he felt the national media really framed the whole thing and blew it up into something it wasn't.

[GAME05]

even without knowing the author, i agree there must be something amuck with the article. obviously K-Rod would far prefer closing, but he also knows full well that he'll be making a ton of money on the FA market next season, and a lot of that comes with not making waves about it, showing that he can be a good teammate and just doing his set-up thing. obviously he and Boras had a long talk about it when he came to Milwaukee, and K-Rod isn't so foolish to start making comments like that right before the regular season ends--it doesn't make sense unless it was something contrived by the author.

 

it's fun being a writer. i've taken the most boring, one-word-answer people and turned them into delightful conversationalists in print.

[paul253]

I hope he is a little upset about not being able to close. It'll make it less likely he accepts arbitration http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

[FVBrewerFan]

Well, the writer put KRod's comments in quotes, which would suggest those statements were his exact words. It wouldn't be the first time a writer flat out made something up, but that's unlikely. Unless KRod flat out denies saying this, I'll assume he said it.

 

I don't think any of us care if he's unhappy, we all know he wants to close. It is troubling that he basically called out the Brewers organization during a pennant race. Now, if he does in fact suck it up and just do his job, it isn't a big deal at all in the great scheme of things. Just total lack of judgement for him to make statements like this at this point in the season.

[dlk9s]

http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/255/babycryingcloseupja9.jpg

 

 

[DuWayne Steurer]

If he's not happy about it (which I'm sure he's not), it's not affecting his performance, which is all I care about at this point. He's obviously not taking it out on his team mates. He knows it's not their fault. I'm sure he wants to win a WS and get a ring just as much as the next guy.

 

Someone can be unhappy with their situation, and still go out and give 100% effort.

[DuWayne Steurer]

I hope he is a little upset about not being able to close. It'll make it less likely he accepts arbitration http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

I don't think it can get any lower than the previous 0% chance that he would have accepted arbitration. He's made it abundantly clear he is a closer, and is going to be a closer next year, something that won't be available for him in Milwaukee.

[JohnBriggs12]

He's a rental. His happiness in a role he'll have for another month is so far down the pay no mind list, it's ridiculous. It's in his interest to pitch well now. It's in the Brewers' interest he pitch well now. Nothing else really matters.

[monty57]

I can think of two reasons he'd be upset. First, it will effect his next contract, as the number of saves a relief pitcher has is a huge negotiating factor (like wins for a starter or RBI for a batter). He will still get a big deal based on his history, but probably not as big as it could be. The other reason is for posterity. Imagine if Hoffman had to spend half a season in his prime as a set-up man... he never would've reached 600. As a matter of pride and as a matter of where he will eventually end up in the "best closers" list, I'm sure he'd like to add to his tally. Plus, I believe there have been time when Axford has closed three games in a row, so I can understand where K-Rod would feel slighted that he didn't get one just to give Axford a day off. Finally, who knows what the conversation was when he agreed to waive the vesting option. He may have been told he would get save opportunities, and now he feels he was lied to.

 

That said, I'm with most other posters on this. He'll only be here a short time, and we're better off giving Axford saves on any occasion where he's rested. Axford's part of the future, K-Rod's not, and Axford appears to be the better pitcher.

[jeffy]

What he said is "I'm not fine" and "I'm a little disappointed". He seems to be fine with being on the team and is willing to do whatever they ask him to.

 

Why should he not wish that they would ask him to close? Why would you want him to be "happy" about not being asked to do that? The goal for relief pitchers is to be the closer. Would anyone think he was telling the truth if he said he likes pitching the 8th, rather than the 9th?

[1992casey]

Well, the guy certainly doesn't look unhappy when we see him. I'd say "unhappy" and "upset" are probably the wrong words. I think it'd be fair to suggest that he's "disappointed" in his lack of save opportunities.

 

The media like to twist things, and they certainly "adjust" quotes in order to make them fit the stories they're trying to write. I'm betting that this is one of those articles that's intentionally slanted in order to make it more sensational than an accurate description of the situation would be.

[Invader3K]

Yeah, I think this is much to do about nothing. I can understand he wants the save opportunities, but I don't get the sense he's really disgruntled. I'm sure he understands the situation. He's also making it clear he wants to sign somewhere as a closer next year, which is completely understandable.

[bucks2281]

Honestly, when I saw the source (CBS Sportsline), I knew the premise of the article was fishy. In my experience, the writers on that site like to sensationalize non-stories.

[paul253]

I don't think it can get any lower than the previous 0% chance that

he would have accepted arbitration. He's made it abundantly clear he

is a closer, and is going to be a closer next year, something that won't

be available for him in Milwaukee.

 

I asked this question to, I believe it was Tom H., on a Brewers chat a few weeks ago. And this is why I take what he says with a grain of salt. He made it sound like there was no way the Brewers would offer arby to K-Rod. I agree with you RoCo. I don't think he'd ever accept it. But Tom H. apparently does.

[DuWayne Steurer]

I don't think it can get any lower than the previous 0% chance that

he would have accepted arbitration. He's made it abundantly clear he

is a closer, and is going to be a closer next year, something that won't

be available for him in Milwaukee.

 

I asked this question to, I believe it was Tom H., on a Brewers chat a few weeks ago. And this is why I take what he says with a grain of salt. He made it sound like there was no way the Brewers would offer arby to K-Rod. I agree with you RoCo. I don't think he'd ever accept it. But Tom H. apparently does.

Tom H thinks a bit differently than regular humans! http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif Honestly, the ONLY way I'd see K-Rod staying is if the Brewers traded Axford in December or January, and then ante'd up to KRod right away after that. And that scenario just doesn't make sense either. Axford is going to be a LOT cheaper, and probably just as effective as K-Rod this coming year.

[liveforoctober]

I don't think it can get any lower than the previous 0% chance that

he would have accepted arbitration. He's made it abundantly clear he

is a closer, and is going to be a closer next year, something that won't

be available for him in Milwaukee.

 

I asked this question to, I believe it was Tom H., on a Brewers chat a few weeks ago. And this is why I take what he says with a grain of salt. He made it sound like there was no way the Brewers would offer arby to K-Rod. I agree with you RoCo. I don't think he'd ever accept it. But Tom H. apparently does.

My fear with arbitration is that the closer/late inning relief market is so full this off-season that it might be financially worth it to accept arbitration if offered and test the waters next off-season when the closer market is much lighter. I would bet he doesn't accept arby either ... but it wouldn't surprise me if he did.

[paul253]

K-Rod will be 30 by the time the next season starts. I think both he and Boras realize that he is running out of chances to get that last fat contract. And people tend to overpay for relievers. I'd be shocked if he accepted. It'd be good money, but there's no security. And honestly, I wouldn't mind at all if he accepted, especially if Wolf or Marcum is traded. K-Rod and Axford have been as good of a 1-2 punch in the bullpen as I can ever remember in Milwaukee. They really do shorten the games to 7 innings. I'd be fine with that being the case again next season. But also, if the Brewers are out of it at the deadline next year, they could always trade K-Rod to a contender looking for bullpen help. And unlike the Mets who were desperate to save money, Milwaukee could get some decent players in return. Mike Adams netted some pretty decent pitching prospect from Texas this year. And if you don't trade him, the offer him arby again after next season. I think it's a win-win either way.

[markedman5]

Ok KROD is taking it to a new level now...........RR needs to handle him.

 

http://brewersbeat.mlblog...-rod-stands-by-comments/