K-Rod Sucks

He's the king of the meaningless stat! Way to go

catbox_9 wrote:

He's the king of the meaningless stat! Way to go

Oh yeah... he just sucks...

Whatever. He still sucks.

gdennis59 wrote:

Whatever. He still sucks.

I hope K-Rod blows every save in the postseason

Because he Sucks!

You guys are nuts....

SoulRat wrote:

You guys are nuts....

I resemble that remark!

:haha: gs.

So what, we're still probably the two greatest Todd Jones fans in the world. And that makes us the two coolest people in the world. Simply awesome.

And K-Rod Still Sucks

Fa Show!

What just because he beat the record we forget about him?

He still sucks.

gdennis59 wrote:

What just because he beat the record we forget about him?

He still sucks.

I hope someone else breaks that record


Until then; I refuse to recongnize K-Rod as the holder of it!

Wow, thats a nice idea, I may need to borrow it.

gdennis59 wrote:

Wow, thats a nice idea, I may need to borrow it.

No Problem

Feel Free to use it

gs

You are Welcome

METS, K-ROD AGREE TO TERMS
3 YEARS, $37 MILLION

LAS VEGAS – The Mets New York Mets and Francisco Rodriguez today agreed on a three-year, $37 million contract that will make K-Rod their closer.

Rodriguez, who saved a single-season record 62 games last season, was looking for a longer, more lucrative deal but market forces helped the Mets complete this contract.

He will be in New York for a physical tomorrow that would complete the deal that includes a fourth year vesting option for $14 million.

By having Rodriguez fall into a level of financial comfort, the Mets possibly could spend more now on a starting pitcher.

Former Mates Praise Rodriguez

Get More METS Coverage

HARDBALL at the Winter Meetings

Their top choice is Derek Lowe. But the Yankees New York Yankees and Red Sox also are involved with the veteran righty, and the Mets are convinced the bidding will be too costly for them.

So the Mets might have to lower their sites to the level of retaining Oliver Perez Oliver Perez or going for a pitcher more renowned for eating innings than dominance. Free agent Jon Garland no longer fits because signing him will cost the Mets a draft pick in compensation.

Instead the Mets are looking at someone like free agent left-hander Randy Wolf.

If they end up spending less there on a Wolf type, they could look to bolster their offense by signing Raul Ibanez to play left field.

If the Mets were ever able to move Luis Castillo's remaining money (three years at $18 million), they could dive into the second base market for Orlando Hudson.

The Mets also are focused on getting rid of the setup men who failed so badly last year (think Aaron Heilman, Duaner Sanchez and Scott Schoeneweis), and importing replacements.

For now, though, the Mets are thrilled that the handoff for the ninth inning will be made to K-Rod. He was the closer they put atop their list and the saturation of the closer market allowed his price to fall to a level of comfort.

The deal is well south of the five-year, $75 million mark that agent Paul Kinzer was shooting for initially in this offseason. That would have been a record for a closer. But those dreams came before the nation's economy tanked and began to seriously impact baseball, as well.

The Mets have concentrated their full energies on securing a closer as the leadoff to their offseason strategy. And in Rodriguez, they are obtaining a reliever who does not turn 27 until next month and generated 62 saves last season for the Angels.

The Mets played this offseason brilliantly. They recognized quickly that the closer market was over-saturated and that they were the lone big-market team looking for a ninth-inning man. So they decided to employ patience rather than strike quickly. That led to the prices continuing to drop and drop. Then in recent days they put an offer out to Rodriguez and said they would follow with offers to others such as Brian Fuentes, Kerry Wood and perhaps Trevor Hoffman.

They wanted the closers and their representatives to worry about what would happen if the Mets' offer was not taken. Kinzer came to slowly recognize that he was not going to get a record deal for his client. He conceded he was disappointed that his client's 62 saves would not be fully rewarded financially.

"Obviously it is a different [economic] world we are all living in," Kinzer said. "Just turn on the TV. It's a different world than six months ago. The markets have changed for teams. We just don't know what degree to yet. This is what we have to figure out. That is where creativity comes in."

The Mets still have worries about Rodriguez. He is not very big. He throws with maximum effort. His velocity dropped off a few mph last year. But the Mets also worried that Fuentes might not be temperamentally built for New York and that Wood is a pitching medical ward. Despite all the duress, Rodriguez has stayed healthy and effective for a perennial contender.

Now he is the man the Mets hope can replace Billy Wagner.

12/09/08 8:16 PM EST
Mets finalizing K-Rod's three-year deal
Contract worth $37 million with vesting option for fourth season

By Anthony DiComo / MLB.com

LAS VEGAS -- When the Mets were searching for a starting pitcher at the conclusion of last season, they immediately set their sights to one of the best in baseball, Johan Santana. Acquiring a lesser player would have been a marked disappointment.

And so with that precedent in place, it became increasingly difficult at this year's Winter Meetings to imagine the Mets signing anyone other than Francisco Rodriguez. Their need for a closer necessitated that they sign the best available. And despite the credentials of Brian Fuentes or Trevor Hoffman or Kerry Wood, K-Rod, statistically, was the best.

Now he is close to becoming a Met. The Mets are working on finalizing a three-year, $37 million contract with a vesting option for a fourth year to bring Rodriguez to New York. Multiple news outlets reported on Tuesday that the deal was already complete, though a team official said nothing will be finalized until Wednesday.

"The reason we've been looking at him is obvious," Mets general manager Omar Minaya said. "He's a competitor."

Rodriguez, who will turn 27 next month, is coming off a season in which he set a Major League record with 62 saves. He has produced a 2.35 ERA over six full seasons and one short stint as a rookie, and has struck out significantly more than a batter per inning.

He was the class of a strong closer's market that included Fuentes, Hoffman and Wood through free agency, and J.J. Putz and Bobby Jenks via trades.

"We've said all along that we had to address a closer," Minaya said. "We felt that this winter, there were a number of closers out there to address that."

The Mets have needed a closer since Billy Wagner, who filled the role from 2006 through last August, underwent late-season surgery to replace a ligament in his left elbow. Fellow relievers Aaron Heilman, Luis Ayala and others all attempted to replace him with little success, undermining the Mets and forcing them to make the acquisition of a closer their top offseason priority.

Now, with a deal for Rodriguez imminent, those worries have diminished.

"It's almost the same as saying Johan is pitching," manager Jerry Manuel said of being able to lean on Rodriguez. "You see a different spirit with the team. To have a guy of that sort at the end of a ballgame is very important, very critical for us."

In Rodriguez, the Mets have seemingly found one of the best possible solutions to their problem. Since bursting into the Majors as a rookie in 2002 and leading the Angels to a World Series title, K-Rod has been regarded as one of the league's top closers. Featuring a mid-90s fastball and a sharp-breaking slider, he has led the Majors in saves in two of the past three seasons, and already ranks 36th on the all-time list.

Rodriguez lost his arbitration case with the Angels last winter and made $10 million in 2008. His agent, Paul Kinzer, originally called for a record five-year, $75 million contract through free agency, though he backed off his demands once the closer's market soured. Of the teams searching for a closer, only the Mets have indicated that they would be willing to spend significant money to acquire one.

Part of that was due to simple economics -- the country is in a recession -- and part was due to the fact that this year's market included a glut of closers. Fuentes, Hoffman and Wood were all available via free agency, and several other established closers could be had in a trade.

So instead of spending extra money to ensure that they would acquire the closer of their choice, the Mets did not budge from their monetary stance. How legitimate their interest was in other closers -- particularly Fuentes -- mattered little. His presence alone was enough to drive market prices lower.

Rodriguez's new deal, even without the vesting option, would be worth $3 million more than the Angels offered him in Spring Training, and $6 million less than the Mets gave Wagner before the 2006 season.

The Mets will now turn their sights to other needs, most notably a starting pitcher. Yet consider their bullpen makeover incomplete. The Mets do not plan on breaking off talks with other free-agent relievers, and could yet make a trade to acquire a setup man.

"We have to find ways to change it up a little bit, find ways to have a different look to what we do back there this year," Minaya said. "We're going to look at that through some free agents, and we're going to look at that through some trades. I don't feel that we should just tell ourselves that the only thing we need is just one guy."

Anthony DiComo is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

12/10/08 5:37 PM EST
K-Rod 'thrilled' to officially join Mets
Closer signs three-year contract after passing physical

By Anthony DiComo / MLB.com

LAS VEGAS -- The formalities are now complete, and Francisco Rodriguez is officially a Met. The team made its announcement late on Wednesday afternoon, bringing a swift and expected conclusion to the Mets' search for a new closer.

Rodriguez passed a physical on Wednesday in New York, the last hurdle before he could finalize a three-year deal worth a reported $37 million. The contract includes a vesting option for the 2012 season that could increase the total value to $51 million.

Rodriguez, who will turn 27 next month, is coming off a season in which he set a Major League record with 62 saves. He has produced a 2.35 ERA over six full seasons and one short stint as a rookie, and has struck out significantly more than a batter per inning.

"I'm thrilled to join the Mets," Rodriguez said in a statement. "Mets fans are very passionate, and playing in a new ballpark is going to be great. I'm going to do everything I can to help bring a championship to Citi Field."

Mets general manager Omar Minaya, team COO Jeff Wilpon and their aides met with Rodriguez shortly after landing in Las Vegas for the Winter Meetings on Sunday night, extending him a contract worth $3 million more than his old team, the Angels, offered him last Spring Training. After roughly a day of deliberation, Rodriguez agreed in principle to the deal on Tuesday, then flew to New York to finalize it.

Rodriguez will become the closer for a bullpen that lacked one late last season, after Billy Wagner underwent season-ending elbow surgery.

The Mets expect to hold a news conference in New York next week.

"One of our primary goals this offseason was to secure a top-of-the-line closer to anchor our bullpen," Minaya said in a statement, "and by acquiring Frankie Rodriguez, we feel confident that we have one of the best closers in the Majors.

"The stats speak for themselves on him, not only breaking the record in saves this year, but the consistency that he's done that, his drive, his youth, so we're excited to be able to have Francisco Rodriguez, known as K-Rod, to join the New York Mets."

Manager Jerry Manuel appeared in a jovial mood Tuesday, then again at a formal lunch Wednesday, and for good reason. His bullpen troubles, which plagued the team and forced Manuel to micromanage late in games down the stretch, are now significantly less of a concern. Rodriguez has led the Major Leagues in saves in two of the past three seasons, and has been one of the game's top closers since bursting onto the scene as a rookie during the 2002 postseason.

"Frankie's stats speak for themselves," Manuel said in the same statement. "What I like most about him is his emotion, his love for the game, which is evident in the way he pitches, and the fact that he wanted to come and play for the Mets."

Rodriguez lost his arbitration case with the Angels last winter and made $10 million in 2008. His agent, Paul Kinzer, originally called for a record five-year, $75 million contract through free agency, though he backed off his demands once the closer's market soured. Of the teams searching for a closer, only the Mets have indicated that they would be willing to spend significant money to acquire one.

Part of that was due to simple economics -- the country is in a recession -- and part was due to the fact that this year's market included a glut of closers. Brian Fuentes, Trevor Hoffman and Kerry Wood were all available via free agency, and several other established closers could be had in a trade.

Such issues allowed Minaya to sign Rodriguez to his $37 million deal, and allowed the Mets to move forward with other issues. They have said that pitching remains a priority, and the Mets will now search for a starter to slot in the rotation behind Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey and John Maine.

Anthony DiComo is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

He still sucks

This is true.