K-Rod 2015

[reillymcshane]

MLB Trade Rumors did a free agency look at Francisco Rodriguez. They estimate he'll get a 2-year/$14 million deal. That's similar to deals landed by guys like Fernando Rodney and Joaquin Benoit last off season.

 

If you could land K-Rod for $7 million a year for two years, would you do it?

 

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2014/10/free-agent-profile-francisco-rodriguez.html

[Bombers]

No

[Bombers]

to backup my reasoning. Lets look into the teams still alive and their closer:

K Rod (5W - 5L) - 3.04 ERA / FIP 4.5 / WHIP .985 / HR/9: 1.9 / SO/9: 9.7

 

Royals - Greg Holland (1 - 3 ) - 1.44 ERA / FIP 1.83 / WHIP .914 / HR/9: .4 / SO/9: 13.0 (They also have 2 guys Davis & Herrera who are awesome too)

 

Orioles - Zach Britton (3 - 2) - 1.65 ERA / FIP 3.13 / WHIP .904 / HR/9: .5 / SO/9: 7.3 (They also have 2 relievers who are pretty awesome Darren O'Day & Tommy Hunter)

 

Cardinals Rosenthal (2 - 6) - 3.2 ERA / 2.99 FIP / 1.4 WHIP / HR9: .3 / SO9 / 11.1 (They also have Neshek who has been awesome)

 

Dodgers - Kenley Jansen (2-3) - 2.76 ERA / 1.91 FIP / 1.133 WHIP / HR9 .7 / SO9 13.9

 

Giants Sergio Romo (6-4) - 3.72 ERA / 3.94 FIP / .948 WHIP / HR9 1.4 / SO9 9.2

 

Looking at the above, you need a closer who doesn't give up the gopher ball at such a high rate. Look at the ones with a very high HR/9 (K-Rod / Romo) or a bad WHIP (Rosenthal) and look at all the decided games they have. Even Jensen who has a higher WHIP than most on this list, over comes it with an awesome K rate and a very good HR9 rate. K Rod's numbers just don't scream at me as, yep - he can lead the charge on a world series team.

[Outlander]

If you could land K-Rod for $7 million a year for two years, would you do it?

Heck no but I can't stand the guy so there is already a built in bias against him.

[pacopete4]

No. And it has nothing to do with liking him or not. He just surrenders too many home runs to make it worth it. Now if it were $3 million, I'd probably do it.

 

And he may end up as a setup man with Jeffress and Smith and let Broxton close.

[TURBO]

Not for that kind of money, no way...

 

3 to 4 million max.

 

I will not miss the twenty minutes of terror if he signs on with someone else, let him be their problem from here on out.

[trwi7]

I wouldn't go $7 million for one year.

 

93% strand rate, .216 BABIP, 1.85 HR/9. Stay far, far away.

 

Don't even want him back at all really.

[vegasbrewcrew1993]

in a new york minute. it's not easy to find a competent closer. yeah his saves were always exciting, but he got the job done. you don't let go of a good closer. just ask the A's. balfour was good for them for years and they struggled without him. losing a closer moves up several guys out of their roles. doolitte, a good setup man, ended as closer. if balfour had stayed, doolittle stays at closer, which prevents garbage man luke gregorson from becoming the new 8th inning guy. luke gregorson was a major reason why they fell apart. unless they can somehow get santiago casilla or joaquin benoit, k-rod needs to be back. who is going to close if leaves? will smith? not a closer. thornburg? not a closer. jefress? oh god no. broxton? haha he's like john axford, mentally soft. guy couldn't even handle a high pressure 8th inning in the 2nd St. Louis game 2 weeks ago.

[trwi7]

in a new york minute. it's not easy to find a competent closer. yeah his saves were always exciting, but he got the job done. you don't let go of a good closer. just ask the A's. balfour was good for them for years and they struggled without him.

 

Balfour posted a 5 ERA and 6 BB/9 this year after the A's let him go. He is not the example to use if you're trying to make a point on keeping a closer.

[superfly]

I don't understand the overreaction and hatred people on this site have towards K-Rod. He's one of the all-time greats, and a competent closer who has done alot for the franchise over the last several years...he even netted us a draft pick (Delmonico) in a trade. Is he 2005 K-Rod? No he isn't anymore, and he has his moments. But in the end he can get the job done for us the majority of the time....sorry but you aren't going to get anything better in FA. Don't give me that Henderson crap either, he is a career minor leaguer and will always be that way.

[TheCrew07]

I don't understand the overreaction and hatred people on this site have towards K-Rod.

 

You seriously don't get why there is a contingent of people that don't want him around because of the multiple domestic violence issues in his past? Yes I know, never convicted, but that's because battered women hardly ever follow through with charges the first hand full of times the abuse occurs. It comes up every year, I personally want nothing to do with him on a personal level.

 

Francisco Rodriguez has domestic violence charges dismissed

 

This blog post is good summation for the uneducated.

Why Abused Women Don’t Press Charges – A Jailhouse Study

 

As a pitcher I hate everything about his game except for his plus off speed stuff; his FB isn't special, his mechanics suck, and he can never hit his spot, his success depends almost entirely on hitters getting themselves out. He had reasonably good fortune all year in 2011 and he repeated that for the most part this year, but it shouldn't be a surprise if he's awful for half a season, has a terrible year, or has another year like 2014. He's basically the same guy every time out, the difference is whether or not the hitters can get him to a throw FB when they are looking for one.

 

I see him as a risk as I think he's just as likely to fall apart as to repeat his success this year and when I add my personal distaste for him on top of how I view him a pitcher, I see no compelling reason to bring him back at any cost.

 

I'm extremely disappointed that the Brewers have continued their relationship with K-Rod given his past, and yet people are willing to crucify the NFL over similar issues. I'm just not willing to look the other way, it's not who I am. The odd part is that the organization goes out of it's way to avoid character issues with amateur players but has seemingly looked the other way with K-Rod because he was cost effective for the level of production at the big league level. I think his continued employment has been extremely hypocritical of the organization given the stance they've taken on other character issues with players in the past like cutting all ties with Tom Wilhelmsen for being a pot head.

 

However, since the organization tends to do the opposite of my wishes I'm sure there's a reasonable chance K-Rod will be back for 2015.

[vegasbrewcrew1993]

in a new york minute. it's not easy to find a competent closer. yeah his saves were always exciting, but he got the job done. you don't let go of a good closer. just ask the A's. balfour was good for them for years and they struggled without him.

 

Balfour posted a 5 ERA and 6 BB/9 this year after the A's let him go. He is not the example to use if you're trying to make a point on keeping a closer.

Oakland Balfour is different from Tampa Balfour. Both sides were stupid for not trying to sign a new deal. When he was an A he posted several good seasons.

[vegasbrewcrew1993]

I don't understand the overreaction and hatred people on this site have towards K-Rod.

 

You seriously don't get why there is a contingent of people that don't want him around because of the multiple domestic violence issues in his past? Yes I know, never convicted, but that's because battered women hardly ever follow through with charges the first hand full of times the abuse occurs. It comes up every year, I personally want nothing to do with him on a personal level.

 

Francisco Rodriguez has domestic violence charges dismissed

 

This blog post is good summation for the uneducated.

Why Abused Women Don’t Press Charges – A Jailhouse Study

 

As a pitcher I hate everything about his game except for his plus off speed stuff; his FB isn't special, his mechanics suck, and he can never hit his spot, his success depends almost entirely on hitters getting themselves out. He had reasonably good fortune all year in 2011 and he repeated that for the most part this year, but it shouldn't be a surprise if he's awful for half a season, has a terrible year, or has another year like 2014. He's basically the same guy every time out, the difference is whether or not the hitters can get him to a throw FB when they are looking for one.

 

I see him as a risk as I think he's just as likely to fall apart as to repeat his success this year and when I add my personal distaste for him on top of how I view him a pitcher, I see no compelling reason to bring him back at any cost.

 

I'm extremely disappointed that the Brewers have continued their relationship with K-Rod given his past, and yet people are willing to crucify the NFL over similar issues. I'm just not willing to look the other way, it's not who I am. The odd part is that the organization goes out of it's way to avoid character issues with amateur players but has seemingly looked the other way with K-Rod because he was cost effective for the level of production at the big league level. I think his continued employment has been extremely hypocritical of the organization given the stance they've taken on other character issues with players in the past like cutting all ties with Tom Wilhelmsen for being a pot head.

 

However, since the organization tends to do the opposite of my wishes I'm sure there's a reasonable chance K-Rod will be back for 2015.

That's sports nowadays. Punks get employed all of the time. 1 team taking a stand against it isn't going to change the system. Would rather have the player on my team and compete instead of being the one team avoiding talented [jerks] and losing all of the time. In a perfect world these guys would have minor issues. Unfortunately almost every athlete is a scumbag of some kind nowadays. Awfully hard to have a team free of [jerks].

[Roderick]

If you could land K-Rod for $7 million a year for two years, would you do it?

 

No. If we didn't have Broxton I would offer him a one year deal maybe close to $7M.

[TooLiveBrew]

That's sports nowadays. Punks get employed all of the time. 1 team taking a stand against it isn't going to change the system. Would rather have the player on my team and compete instead of being the one team avoiding talented [jerks] and losing all of the time. In a perfect world these guys would have minor issues. Unfortunately almost every athlete is a scumbag of some kind nowadays. Awfully hard to have a team free of [jerks].

This claim really isn't true. On the Brewers roster alone, you have a bunch of examples of guys with high character, & nearly everyone else with no stain on his name. Guys with track records like K-Rod are the rare exception & frankly don't deserve the chance to play at this level.

[bjkrautk]

It's a tough one for me because the money is reasonable...but with the PR nightmare that the NFL has gone through on the Ray Rice / Greg Hardy / Adrian Peterson charges, and an NBA season still-to-come, I have to think that the new MLB Commissioner is going to take a hard line should something like this resurface.

 

I don't know that Milwaukee could get another 2 years out of K-Rod as a closer, between the performance tailing off and his recent past off-the-field.

[monty57]

I think the Broxton deal was done with the thought in mind that K-Rod would be gone after this season, so I don't think there's much chance of him coming back. There are better ways to spend money than having K-Rod at whatever he would cost plus Broxton making a lot of money as a set up guy... that would probably cost us around 1/5 of our total payroll for setup/closer, and neither of them are "elite."