A short time prior to the 2011 Trade Deadline, the New York Mets traded away closer Francisco Rodriguez to the Milwaukee Brewers. The return was not anything that I was particular excited about, but the move was still good for the New York Mets because it saved them a lot of money and removed someone from the team who is a slight liability – emotionally if not physically as well. The physical part of that equation may be a bit unfair because he has pitched well the past two seasons. Either way, its still a bit concerning to see his fastball velocity continue to fall to new lows each year. By trading Francisco Rodriguez, the New York Mets were willing to leave a hole at the back of the bullpen – a hole that was filled insufficiently for the remainder of the season. New York Mets’ GM Sandy Alderson has made it a point to address that vacancy and strengthen the bullpen as a whole. According to Andrew Marchand, the New York Mets are “not ruling out” bringing Francisco Rodriguez back to the Big Apple to fill that hole.
I don’t want to see Rodriguez back in Queens. Those feelings aren’t driven by any performance or off-the-field concerns that I have, but simply because he’s going to be too expensive. I’ve talked about it before and I’ll probably talk about it again, but there is absolutely no reason for the Mets to go out and sign a big name closer if its going to cost them a significant amount of money. Or years for that matter. While the Mets are not ruling anything out, Marchand’s piece does not seem to indicate that a reunion is the most likely thing to happen.
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