BY ADAM RUBIN AND BILL MADDEN
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITERS
Updated Tuesday, December 9th 2008, 5:55 PM
LAS VEGAS - Talk about an Amazin' deal.
The Mets agreed to financial terms with free-agent closer Francisco Rodriguez at the winter meetings on Tuesday, signing the record-setting former Angel to a three-year, $37 million deal with a fourth-year option based on performance, sources told the Daily News.
GM Omar Minaya, speaking at the Bellagio, declined to confirm an agreement had been reached with the 26-year-old closer.
Rodriguez went 2-3 with a 2.24 ERA and an MLB single-season-record 62 saves for the Angels in 2008.
Agent Paul Kinzer had suggested a deal was close about 12 hours earlier, when he told a handful of New York reporters about K-Rod and the Mets: "I think we're at a point where there could be something happening before we leave."
"He'll be relieved when it's over," Kinzer continued. "This isn't a good thing for anybody when you go through it. Everybody looks forward to it, but when they get there it's a lot more stressful than people realized."
The need for the Mets to obtain a closer this offseason arose when Billy Wagner required Tommy John elbow surgery on Sept. 10.
Wagner is owed $10.5 million next season. As a result, at the time of Wagner's injury, high-ranking Mets officials all but ruled out pursuing K-Rod this winter, claiming they wouldn't allot $25 million to the closer position. However, a lack of big-market bidders for Rodriguez and a weak economy drove his asking price down to a palatable range for the Mets, who also met with Brian Fuentes and Trevor Hoffman at the meetings.
Incidentally, a friend of Wagner said Tuesday that Wagner is recovering so well from the elbow procedure, he may return to the Mets in September '09.
Posted by: min0 lee
Scouting K-Rod Francisco Rodriguez scouting report
The Numbers: 23-17 record, 208 saves in 408 career appearances. Four straight years of 40 or more saves, including 62 last season, the all-time single-season record. Three AL save crowns, three scoreless All-Star game appearances.
The Stuff: Rodriguez has a fastball around 92 miles-per-hour and likes to throw it out of the strike zone to tempt hitters. He also often uses his two different breaking balls as his primary pitches, rather than the fastball. One of the breaking balls is a diving curveball, the other slower and more looping. He also throws a changeup.
The Positives: One of the game’s dominant closers, he may make things nerve-wracking, but he usually slams the door in the ninth inning. Emotional personality could help Mets with confidence after bullpen disaster crushed last season’s playoff hopes.
The Negatives: There are workload concerns, especially for a guy who has such a violent motion and is only 6-foot, 175-pounds. K-Rod led the AL in appearances last season and he was pushed into the bullpen early in his career because of injury. Still, he’ll only be 27 on opening day. Has averaged nearly four walks per nine innings in career.
Danger Zone? His velocity has dropped from the mid-90s, though his agent has said it’s because his client has more command of the pitch at a lower speed - K-Rod has always gotten great movement on his fastball - and not any lurking problems. The Mets will find out. Since his stunning October debut in 2002, has been surprisingly human in postseason, including walk-off trouble against Boston the last two years.
For Kicks: Yankees nearly signed him out of Venezuela before the Angels did. Imagine him setting up for Mariano Rivera? Instead, they’re the two closers in town.
- Anthony McCarron
Posted by: IronAddict
Wow!...Good acquisition.
So long...K Rod...it's been nice knowing you!
Posted by: tucker01
and so the story of the demise of K-Rod begins.
Posted by: I Are Baboon
Awesome signing by the Mets.
And I'm happy because the Angels just got weaker.
Posted by: min0 lee
Quote:
Originally Posted by IainDaniel
and so the story of the demise of K-Rod begins.
Sad but true.....
Posted by: min0 lee
I think the new stadium will change things for the Mets. Really.
