The most inevitable signing of the off-season finally happened today. Francisco Rodriguez finally agreed to a 3-year/$37 million deal to come to the New York Mets.
It’s a great move by Omar Minaya on his second day in Las Vegas. And this signing doesn’t seem to be much of a gamble. The Mets were the biggest market team in need of a closer, and K-Rod was the biggest closer on the market.
Initially, K-Rod was looking for five years but that quickly fell apart when a “glut” of closers hit the market via free agency and trade possibilities. The Mets gave Scott Schoenweiss a three year deal, so getting K-Rod for three years is a stroke of genius if not luck for the Mets.
K-Rod will be 27 years old next season and, although his delivery is pretty violent, he’s been remarkably durable during his seven year career. He brings 208 career saves and a 2.35 career ERA to New York. And don’t forget he set the single season record for saves last season with 62.
All we need now is for K-Rod to pass his physical, and the Mets can move on to solving other problems in the bullpen, second base, the rotation, and left field.
The Mets Report 