The Milwaukee Brewers had been looking to get some help for their bullpen. Last night, they pulled off a deal with the New York Mets for closer Francisco Rodriguez and cash for two players to be named.
The 29-year old Rodriguez (nicknamed K-Rod) has 291 career saves in 10 seasons, including a single season record 62 with the Angels in 2008. K-Rod is went 2-2 with 23 saves and a 3.16 ERA with the Mets this season.
The Brewers already have a closer in John Axford (23 saves), who also has a 2-2 record with a 2.83 ERA. His 20 straight saves has Axford tied for third place on the Brewers’ all-time list.
Brewers management isn’t worried about a closer controversy. In fact, Rodriguez has already finished 34 games this season. Rodriguez has a 2012 option worth $17.5-million that kicks in if he finishes 55 games. That’s 21 more over the remainder of the season. The Brewers already got some cash from the Mets to help offset some of K-Rod’s salary for the rest of the season. They’ll likely make sure Rodriguez stays under 21, insuring that the 2012 option won’t kick in. It would also appear that Rodriguez, while he could close some games, may be more of a setup man for Axford going forward.
