July 13, 2011 Latest Mets News Joe Janish

K-Rod Traded to Brewers

The fire sale has officially begun: Francisco Rodriguez has been traded to the Brewers for two players to be named later.

Obviously, a team looking to contend for the postseason does not trade their closer. So, expect to see more trades coming as the Mets sell off their most valuable assets and build for 2012 and beyond.

I would guess that Jason Isringhausen becomes the Mets’ closer for the short-term, though they might choose to do a “closer by committee” and include Bobby Parnell and possibly Pedro Beato or Tim Byrdak. Yes, Tim Byrak, because he gets lots of swings and misses, and it could make sense to showcase him in a closer role for a week or two to develop more interest in him as trade bait.

So, what is your immediate reaction to this news? Share in the comments.

Tags: francisco rodriguez, k-rod

Joe Janish

Joe Janish began MetsToday in 2005 to provide the unique perspective of a high-level player and coach -- he earned NCAA D-1 All-American honors as a catcher and coached several players who went on to play pro ball. As a result his posts often include mechanical evaluations, scout-like analysis, and opinions that go beyond the numbers. Follow Joe's baseball tips on Twitter at @onbaseball and at the On Baseball Google Plus page.

Tom July 13, 2011 at 12:38 am

I wouldn’t call this a firesale. Honestly it would be embarrassing to have had his contract vest and have to pay 17 million and change to a closer on a team that is unlikely to contend next season. And ever since his run in with the law, just haven’t really liked having him on the team.

Frees up some cash, hopefully to try to resign reyes.
- Joe Janish July 13, 2011 at 1:01 am
  
  It may not look like a fire sale YET, but this is the beginning. How about “white flag”?
  
  Look at it this way: the Brewers know they are pennant contenders and they are going to find a way to deal with the vesting option. Teams that are focused on the postseason do irrational things like this. The Mets, by trading K-Rod and his embarrassing contract, have made clear that pushing for a postseason appearance is NOT a priority.
  - John July 13, 2011 at 8:30 am
    
    I don’t see this trade as having any meaning as far as this season goes. The Mets are about 7 games out of the wild card with a half dozen teams ahead of them. This season is about changing the culture and building for the future and it has always been. A winning competitive season is a bonus.
    It really doesn’t matter who the players turn out to be. They dumped an onerous contract and will have an opportunity to see if Parnell can handle the closer role. Personally I am not convinced, but I would rather know now.
    As to the rest of the players, if they continue to hang around they will keep Beltran past the deadline until when and if they fall out of the wild card race. They will be able to trade him until the end of August because no one will claim that contract. And if they fall out, I don’t think it is a bad thing to see if Duda or Martinez for that matter can handle right field.
    This team is a .500 team and always has been. The hope doesn’t lie in K-Rod or Beltran or Capauano. It lies in finding young guys who can come in and play important roles: either for a future contending Mets team or as a trade piece to land a veteran such as the 86 team did with Hernadez
dave July 13, 2011 at 12:43 am

I am very impressed that this trade was completed so swiftly. Especially when all the experts are claiming he is untradeable. Good job Sandy. Next we find out if The Beard was able to convince his GM to bring Beltran (one of the most underappreciated Mets ever) to the Giants.
NormE July 13, 2011 at 1:22 am

KRod=$17million
Castillo, Perez=$19million
Beltran probably gone for 2012
Does this mean that the Mets will really, truly be players in the Reyes sweepstakes?
dave July 13, 2011 at 2:41 am

i dont think that you can call this a fire sale just yet and i dont think you can even call this waiving a white flag. even if the mets were in 1st place and a viable WS contender it would be borderline insanity to not trade krod. if alderson didnt trade krod (even if they were in 1st) i’d say it’d be a fireable offense. thats just how awful krod’s contract situation is. although i’m not thrilled that all they received in return was 2 PTBNL’s i think this trade would be considered a win for the mets even if all they received back was a bag of balls. i do not see this trade as any indication that beltran or reyes will be dealt
- isuzudude July 13, 2011 at 6:40 am
  
  Don’t forget, the Mets could have kept KRod and not been on the hook for his bloated 2012 contract simply by making him their setup man like the Brewers are going to do. I’m no real fan of his, but trading away someone of the caliber of KRod is definitely an indication of a white flag waving and a sign of further trades to come. And rightfully so.
  - John July 13, 2011 at 8:16 am
    
    If the Mets removed K-Rod as the closer without him having had a significant drop off in performance would have led to union grievance and probably a law suite by Boras which the Mets would probably lose.
    Since the Brewers already have an effective closer they have much more latitude in their use of K-Rod
    - dave July 13, 2011 at 10:01 am
      
      as john said, the mets couldnt have simply made him a setup guy w/o the full blown wrath of the players union coming down on their heads. they couldnt have released him either for the same reason. the only ways they couldve gone about it were either hope for an injury, legitimately limit the amount of gms he finished, or trade him. had they waited much longer it may have made him harder to deal as his overall gms finished number wouldve increased and come closer to the final vest number
  - CatchDog July 13, 2011 at 9:17 am
    
    Yo I-dude !! Great to see you back in the mix ! Hope all is well. Your input, opinion, banter and insight to the Mets and baseball have been missed around here.
    
    Look forward to reading your comments going forward and always have an extra pair of “rose colored” glasses available when needed…
    - isuzudude July 13, 2011 at 9:57 am
      
      haha, thanks C-Dog. good to be back!
    - Joe Janish July 13, 2011 at 2:26 pm
      
      holy moley, is it really you, isuzudude???? welcome back!
Jack July 13, 2011 at 2:56 am

The trade is difficult to evaluate because we don’t know who the Mets will receive from the Brewers. Even assuming two B-type prospects, this deal makes sense for the Mets long-term.

I hate the Yankees, but Rivera is unbelievable. And he even he doesn’t get paid $17 million per year. There is no way that K-Rod is worth that type of money.
- JerrysKids July 13, 2011 at 6:36 am
  
  I think the trade is pretty easy to evaluate. The Mets won the second they made it.
  - Walnutz15 July 13, 2011 at 8:03 am
    
    Have to agree, 100%.
    
    Unlike the Billy Wagner trade, where the Mets were trading away a Type A Free Agent to recoup $3MM – the return on Rodriguez is the least of my concerns at this point.
    
    You simply couldn’t justify paying a closer $17.5MM in 2012 – while having a ton of things to sort out this winter.
    
    From what I’ve heard, the Mets are sending $5MM to the Brewers….which basically covers the cost of the $3.5MM buyout, plus an additional $1.5MM or so. The savings on Rodriguez were too big to ignore, and I can’t blame Alderson for biting on it as soon as an agreement was reached.
    
    The fact that the Mets will be receiving 2 living, breathing players while saving this kind of money – to me, anyway – is a minor miracle in of itself.
    
    ……all the while, you’ll have an entire 2nd half to get a better look at some arms you currently have; and who do need to develop and take the next step in their playing careers.
    
    Again, great job.
JerrysKids July 13, 2011 at 6:35 am

“Obviously, a team looking to contend for the postseason does not trade their closer.”

Obviously, you overrate closers and relievers in general. The difference between Parnell and K-Rod over the course of two and a half months is small. It’s probably closer to zero than anything else.

BUT OH NOES! WE TRAIDED TEH CLOSER!
- Professor Longnose July 13, 2011 at 12:05 pm
  
  The difference between an excellent closer (90% save conversion) and a mediocre closer (80% save conversion) is about 1 blown save every 10 save opportunities. Over 75 games, that may be about 20-25 save opportunities for a contender. So the difference is probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 2 games. If you’re in a dogfight for a playoff spot, you probably don’t toss those two games away.
  - Joe Janish July 13, 2011 at 2:30 pm
    
    First, thank you longnose.
    
    Second, only a team run by Billy Beane thinks by that logic. It may seem logical on paper but it is never done in practice.
    
    When was the last time a contending team traded their closer?
Mic July 13, 2011 at 6:42 am

This post is premature. I just read a post that postulates on the two ptbnl.
Manny parra and mat gamel are in the mix. Personally i might add zach braddock. The parra aspect makes sense as he is on the dl. tHEN the axe might twist to pelfrey (giants).
- isuzudude July 13, 2011 at 9:24 am
  
  No offense, Mic, but I don’t see any possibility of the Mets getting prospects the caliber of braddock/gamel/parra for a 2-1/2 month setup man. I think come September we’re more likely to be hearing the names of prospects like Michael Fiers and Erik Komatsu.
  
  Fiers: http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=fiers-001mic
  Komatsu: http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=komats001eri
Walnutz15 July 13, 2011 at 7:24 am

What a glorious day!!

Was hoping that Bora$ coming on was a sign that this would be fast-tracked – but we can never be too sure with this franchise.

Glad things are starting to change around here. Was never a fan of Rodriguez, and he won’t be missed in my circles. Time to get a look at some other arms in the 2nd half – and if they don’t pan out in the role, then you look for a cost effective closer.

Good job.
SiddFinch July 13, 2011 at 8:02 am

Hopefully this isn’t the only pitcher they trade. I’d like to see them unload Pelfrey as well. Though he’s not a pitcher, moving Murphy wouldn’t be a bad idea either. He’s not a .300 hitter and I doubt his stock will ever be higher. Murph’s a decent player and other than super-sub he really doesn’t have a home on the Mets. At the very least he could be worth a decent low minors pitching prospect.
Joe July 13, 2011 at 8:23 am

Time will tell if this is the beginning of a “fire sale,” but yes, it is a white flag of sorts regarding making the postseason. That is, facing reality. We can find out as well if Parnell has what it takes to be a closer.

This salary dump (done nicely enough, especially with Boras coming in) was an easy call. Beltran is probably the next obvious move; we shall see the details. He too is on the way out, so this is not really a “fire sale” either.

The moves after that might be. Look! It’s a Dalmatian.
gary s. July 13, 2011 at 8:25 am

Now if he can unload Jason K, Alderson is EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR !!!!!
izzy July 13, 2011 at 8:25 am

More amazing than some not even caring that the player’s to be named later never are better than Chris Carter was, and the soon to be raves that will written falsely about them, is the number of writers who only care about poor corrupt freddy wilpon saving some dough. The Met fan base is truly brainwashed and is ready to accept its place as the small market team in the biggest city in America. How embarrassing the NEW YORK Mets are small market and the big bad MILWAUKEE BREWERS are a big market team. SAD and pathetic, ot that its so but that so many care about the rotten owner.
- dave July 13, 2011 at 10:05 am
  
  uhhhh, this has nothing to do with the mets suddenly acting like a small market club. if you think its smart to have a closer (particularly a not great one like krod) make anywhere within the ballpark of $17.5 mil a yr than……
Walnutz15 July 13, 2011 at 9:15 am

Anyone writing that way is just pushing buttons. Either that, or they simply don’t get it.

Unlike the Billy Wagner trade, where the Mets were trading away a very obvious Type A Free Agent (who wouldn’t be accepting Arbitration to set-up for a terrible Met team) to recoup a measley $3MM – the return on Rodriguez is the least of my concerns at this point.

You simply couldn’t justify paying a closer $17.5MM in 2012 – while having a ton of things to sort out this winter….aside from the very good probability of not catching the Braves this year, anyway.

From what I’ve heard, the Mets are sending $5MM to the Brewers….which basically covers the cost of the $3.5MM buyout, plus an additional $1.5MM or so. The savings on Rodriguez were too big to ignore, and I can’t blame Alderson for biting on it as soon as an agreement was reached.

The fact that the Mets will be receiving 2 living, breathing players while saving this kind of money – to me, anyway – is a minor miracle in of itself.

……all the while, you’ll have an entire 2nd half to get a better look at some arms you currently have; and who do need to develop and take the next step in their playing careers.

Again, great job.
Walnutz15 July 13, 2011 at 9:16 am

sorry for double-post, by the way. I always have trouble posting from my work pc.
- gary s. July 13, 2011 at 9:42 am
  
  nutz, spot on.Krod had to go.Anybody who disagrees has a loose screw in their head
Walnutz15 July 13, 2011 at 9:51 am

Another interesting wrinkle (starting directly in the face of those criticizing the deal as “jumping the gun” before 7/31) — Isringhausen can close for a couple of weeks to potentially increase HIS value.

Then you have the entire month of August and September to get better looks at guys like Parnell and Beato.

NO problem with this deal, or the timing of it – whatsoever. And I haven’t said that about anything the Mets have done in quite some time.
Lee July 13, 2011 at 10:38 am

It’s sad. It’s basically management saying “not this year.” All things considered, it was nice having a pretty sure thing as a closer. Even though FR kept things interesting. He had a lot of personality, too. And the BS detector was going off reading the NY Times article about the trade – which tried to emphasize his issues in court last year. As off-putting as they were, he was lights out this year, and I don’t think anyone cared about the problems last year. Fans at least.
Lee July 13, 2011 at 10:39 am

Also – the Wilpons saving money? Please….
Walnutz15 July 13, 2011 at 10:51 am

Good riddance.
gary s. July 13, 2011 at 11:09 am

he would be making more money than the greatest closer of all time next year (m rivera) for a team that won’t contend. Plus he barely breaks 90 on the gun anymore.I say good riddance also.
Joe July 13, 2011 at 1:37 pm

Who will fill his roster spot? Is Taylor Buchholz still out for the indefinite future? If so, who would they call up?
- isuzudude July 14, 2011 at 11:45 am
  
  Looks like it’ll be Igarashi. happy happy joy joy
  - Joe July 14, 2011 at 2:02 pm
    
    Anyone else down there better?
    
    He seems to be doing good in AAA. Probably his true level.
    
    “In 31.0 IP, Igarashi has a 0.87 ERA and a .774 WHIP. He has finished 13 games and saved 5 games. He has posted a 9.9 K/9 rate and has only allowed 2 HRs. He’s held opposing hitters to a .139 AVG against so one can only hope Igarashi has finally found himself and will have similar success with the Mets.”
Mic July 13, 2011 at 6:43 pm

Braden looper is available..

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