K Rod open to trade as a setup guy.

[Guest attgig]

While Brian Cashman seems to be looking far and wide for a setup man to help his ailing bullpen, maybe the Yankees general manager should check across town. Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez told the Daily News Thursday that he would not rule out a change in roles to go to a contending team such as the Yankees. "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 after the Mets' 4-1 victory over the A's at Citi Field Thursday. Rodriguez is one of the Mets who could be on the block as next month's trade deadline looms. With former Rays closer Rafael Soriano currently injured and having been inconsistent in his adapted role as the Yankees setup man, and with Joba Chamberlain out for the season, Cashman admitted he has been on the lookout for a replacement. The fiery Rodriguez could actually be a good fit for the Yankees. He is nearing the end of a three-year, $37 million deal with the Mets that includes a $17.5 million vesting option for 2012 that kicks in if he finishes 55 games this season. K-Rod pitched a perfect ninth Thursday for his 20th save of the season and his 28th finished game. The News reported last month that Rodriguez would consider waiving his 2012 option if the acquiring team was willing to offer him a multi-year deal. As a setup man for Mariano Rivera, however, he would not be finishing games, so the vesting option would not come into play. Rodriguez's deal also has a no-trade clause to 10 teams, but he did not seem to feel that was a big obstacle. "Honestly I don't even know what (teams) are on the no-trade clause, I haven't even been asked about that yet," Rodriguez said. "I mean I would definitely love to stay here, but I have to be open to every possibility out there right now." Rodriguez knows he has to be ready for anything because he understands the Mets' landscape right now. With ownership struggling financially and beleaguered by legal problems while the team lingers just below .500, the Mets could soon be sellers. Rodriguez also had a rough year with the Mets last season, which included his arrest after assaulting his ex-girlfriend's father at Citi Field and injuring his thumb in the process. He is going through anger management counseling, and teammates say they've noticed a change in him. At least Rodriguez knows the highs and lows of the city. K-Rod's revelation comes a day after Cashman made it clear that he was not averse to making a deal with the Mets. "I've done three deals with them and they were all pretty big," Cashman had told The News. "(Armando) Benitez was a big name. (Robin) Ventura for David Justice was kind of big deal, our need for their need. "But it's complicated because ... no one wants to make a mistake in their own backyard. ... No one's going to make that type of mistake too easily. The only way you would typically line up to do something is if the opposing side is so motivated to move whatever they've got." In this case, motivation seems apparent, on both sides. Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/2011/06/24/2011-06-24_krod_lauds_bronx_setup.html#ixzz1QCn2U1n2

article just speculates about him setting up for Mo. That's fine if it gets the contract off our books, and frees us up to sign a short stop... you know... just any short stop that's leading the NL in ave, hits, runs, & triples.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Do it.

I don't know who would replace Frankie as the closer, but I'm not too concerned about that.

[TransMonk]

I don't have the ill will towards Frankie that most have. He's an idiot off the field, but pretty good on the field. That being said, I don't want anything to do with his option for next season.

I'm glad he knows the situation that he is in and is willing to adapt to it. He could be being a major dick about it considering his limited no-trade clause and his vesting option.

[batmagadanleadoff]

TransMonk wrote: I don't have the ill will towards Frankie that most have. He's an idiot off the field, but pretty good on the field. That being said, I don't want anything to do with his option for next season.

You just summed up my own K-Rod POV pretty darn good.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

The Snooze has made FRANKIE YANKEE their back page exclusive twice already. Today's paper photoillustrates him in MFY pinstripes and hat, all based on John Harper's imagination and one Magic Quote.

We'd be fine with Beat-O as our closer.

[batmagadanleadoff]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: TransMonk wrote: I don't have the ill will towards Frankie that most have. He's an idiot off the field, but pretty good on the field. That being said, I don't want anything to do with his option for next season. You just summed up my own K-Rod POV pretty darn good.

Wait a second. I forgot. I think I'm rooting for K-Rod's option to vest.

[G-Fafif]

Howie yesterday vouched for Frankie's new leaf off the field, and I'm glad to hear it. If we believe in second chances and rehabilitation (in his case, anger management), then that's good news for him and anybody who comes into contact with him. I hope it sticks. He's pitched mostly well this season, as well as any high-priced, high-profile closer has pitched for the Mets over a three-month span in the past twenty years, probably. I've generally been in the Not Hate camp where he's concerned, probably owing to my lingering goodwill for him as an Angel from when I could ignore his day-to-day foibles.

Yet if you could dump this contract, go for it. I'm almost surprised at how unattached I am to him as a Met in that regard. Wouldn't really bother me if he became an MFY at this stage of his career. He's been a Met, an All-Star Met his first year (hard to remember), but he came here as a mercenary. He can leave as a mercenary if need be.

Bay, too.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Bay can leave as a mercenary. Or he can leave in a taxi. If he can't get a taxi, he can leave in a huff. If that's too soon, he can leave in a minute and a huff.

[metirish]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Bay can leave as a mercenary. Or he can leave in a taxi. If he can't get a taxi, he can leave in a huff. If that's too soon, he can leave in a minute and a huff.

I doubt Bay could even work himself into a huff.

[batmagadanleadoff]

[youtube:2ubc1t14]Dsw9jYU_rJI[/youtube:2ubc1t14]

[Frayed Knot]

TransMonk wrote: I don't have the ill will towards Frankie that most have. He's an idiot off the field, but pretty good on the field. That being said, I don't want anything to do with his option for next season.

Pretty much this.
And not just that the option is bad, but just the idea of paying a whole ton of money for virtually any closer is a bad idea.
Closers should be found rather than bought on the open market, especially when they're bought on the open market following a record-setting (which should never be confused with 'Best') season.

Put it this way, if we could wave a magic wand and make Frankie disappear tomorrow and Buchholz re-appear and stay healthy for the remainder of the season the NYM bullpen might be slightly worse than before to the point of maybe costing a game or two over the remainder of the year. And then there's the money saved plus whatever haul is brought back by moving him (maybe not much depending on the money split).


On a side note, Brandon Lyon - the nominal closer for Houston - is being shut down for the season. Not that Houston is going to bid for Frankie but that's one fewer "proven" short-man on the market. Not clear at this point which team(s) both 'need' a set-up guy and are willing to pay for one (both in money and in bodies). Be nice if we could get something along the lines of what Washington got (catcher Matt Ramos) for Matt Capps when they dealt him to Minnesota last season while Joe Nathan was on the shelf.

[Guest attgig]

the nats got a steal on that capps trade.

if we can get anything like ramos, and if we had to pay for it, i would think it would be worth it...

[ashie62]

wouldn't you get more trading Rodriguez now than waiting til the deadline?

[ashie62]

metirish wrote: Benjamin Grimm wrote: Bay can leave as a mercenary. Or he can leave in a taxi. If he can't get a taxi, he can leave in a huff. If that's too soon, he can leave in a minute and a huff. I doubt Bay could even work himself into a huff.

Bay has been traded to Greece for 120 Million in Greek sovereign debt at 50 cents on the buck.

Thats an investment.

[Ceetar]

Frayed Knot wrote: Put it this way, if we could wave a magic wand and make Frankie disappear tomorrow and Buchholz re-appear and stay healthy for the remainder of the season the NYM bullpen might be slightly worse than before to the point of maybe costing a game or two over the remainder of the year. And then there's the money saved plus whatever haul is brought back by moving him (maybe not much depending on the money split).

I refuse to sacrifice any games any year. The team can't have that attitude, because you just never know. What if the Phillies had offloaded a player in July of 2007 and figured it'd only cost them a game or two overall?

Obviously 17.5 is too much for a 60IP pitcher, even one of the best, but I'm not going to worry about it. If Alderson feels that he needs that money, then he'll find a way to not pay it to him. If he feels it won't get in the way of the budget he has and needs to do what he's gotta do, then I don't care what he gets paid.

i.e. I'll take just about any other player instead of 17.5KRod, but if it doesn't have to be either/or, I'd like to keep a good reliever in that pen.

[TransMonk]

2011 Mets < 2007 Phillies

[Frayed Knot]

Ceetar wrote: Frayed Knot wrote: Put it this way, if we could wave a magic wand and make Frankie disappear tomorrow and Buchholz re-appear and stay healthy for the remainder of the season the NYM bullpen might be slightly worse than before to the point of maybe costing a game or two over the remainder of the year. And then there's the money saved plus whatever haul is brought back by moving him (maybe not much depending on the money split). I refuse to sacrifice any games any year. The team can't have that attitude, because you just never know. What if the Phillies had offloaded a player in July of 2007 and figured it'd only cost them a game or two overall?

I don't think it's a matter of sacrificing games. What I'm saying that even if supposedly top-line (and certainly paid like it) reliever is suddenly replaced on a one-for-one basis with under-the-radar signing kind of reliever that's probably no worse than a theoretical two games over the remaining 85 and that's before you factor in what comes back in the trade and/or what you can do with the saved money.

Plus you can't take the attitude that you can never make a deal with the longer term in mind if it even runs the possibility of causing a short-term hit. In a general sense I don't care what these guys get paid either, but you just know that some price tags are onerous enough to effect future moves so if you can get rid of those it's usually a good idea.

[Guest Edgy DC]

The thing about Rodriguez's personality is that it's not like his pouning daddy-o was his first macho bully move. I hope it was his last, but in context, he's had a lot of strikes.

And yeah, I doubt we'd lose much by moivng him and it's possilbe we'd gain. We'd almost certainly gain when you count the reinvestment of money saved.

I also think of the Rangers as a possible destination for him. Nolan Ryan has a thing for relievers with experience on contending teams.

[Ceetar]

TransMonk wrote: 2011 Mets < 2007 Phillies

You wouldn't have said that if you were looking at these teams at this point in 2007.

also, i'm not so sure about that.

[Ceetar]

Edgy DC wrote: And yeah, I doubt we'd lose much by moivng him and it's possilbe we'd gain. We'd almost certainly gain when you count the reinvestment of money saved.

Why would anyone trade something for him that would make the Mets better (presumably making them worse?) Unless you're talking about this as more of a lateral move where we swap excess for excess, but I'd argue that we don't have excess talent in the bullpen.

It's also far from certain that you'd gain long term. (and long term merely means next year) It depends on if the team is going to be built with the idea of making a profit, or fielding the best team within the preset budget. But I believe those numbers have been, and will continue to be, crunched. So Sandy Alderson knows if he's going to desperately need that 14/17.5 million or not. The payroll could be 125 without him or 142 with him. Do we know that Alderson is going to just not sign a 5th/6th starter if it's going to push the payroll to 147 (130 without Frankie) ? Not to mention the other factors, the possibility of renegotiating, getting around the option and offering arbitration (and presumably paying him like 13 anyway), and how much of that money is going towards a new closer/reliever.

There's just a lot of talk, and I'm just as guilty of it, about this silly option, when all evidence seems to point to the Mets themselves not being that worried about it.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Ceetar wrote: Why would anyone trade something for him that would make the Mets better (presumably making them worse?) Unless you're talking about this as more of a lateral move where we swap excess for excess, but I'd argue that we don't have excess talent in the bullpen.

Because trades are basically about different needs and different valuations on assets.

[Ceetar]

Edgy DC wrote: Ceetar wrote: Why would anyone trade something for him that would make the Mets better (presumably making them worse?) Unless you're talking about this as more of a lateral move where we swap excess for excess, but I'd argue that we don't have excess talent in the bullpen. Because trades are basically about different needs and different valuations on assets.

I suppose. I'd swap Frankie for a power hitting first baseman rental type guy maybe. Brewers need some relief?

[Gwreck]

Ceetar wrote: I suppose. I'd swap Frankie for a power hitting first baseman rental type guy maybe. Brewers need some relief?

The Brewers are in first place, tied with the Cardinals who just lost Pujols for 4-6 weeks. They are not trading Prince Fielder.

Also, they have a closer who is doing just fine and -- get this -- is a homegrown talent, a model the Mets should seriously consider for this particular position.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I'd rather not see them trade for rentals. Get someone who can potentially help in 2012 or 2013.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Ceetar's trying to win the division.

[Ceetar]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Ceetar's trying to win the division.

The _Mets_ are trying to win the division. I'm just in-line with that thinking.

[Guest attgig]

Ceetar has visions of 2007, except we're the "team to beat" this time around... or were we that last time too?... wait. I think I just got confused.

[Ceetar]

If you wait around for the team to be the 'best on paper' and 'look like a winner' you might never get there.

How long do you wait around until this team feels like a winner?

Bottom line is they're playing roughly .500 baseball, and slightly better after a slow start, and will be adding David Freaking Wright mid-season. Why would the Mets decide to look in the mirror and decide to just play out the string, whatever, lets put the Bisons in?

Why would the front office, with August being the make or break month in attendance, decide that it'd be better to roll the dice on next year instead of tweaking the team to be a good one? They have to think that the difference in attendance, interest and revenue for an August team sans a closer and RF slugger, etc and one where they maybe add a reliever or a bench guy and win some big games is huge.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Well, they have plenty of time and games to make that call.

[TransMonk]

I'd rather be better in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 than risk any of those seasons and come up short in 2011.

Eggs in baskets got us into this payroll mess.