July 13, 2011

Unloading a "crippling financial obligation," the Mets deal Francisco Rodriguez to the Brewers.

The NYT reports:
“That’s awesome,” the Milwaukee slugger Prince Fielder said in Phoenix after the All-Star Game when he heard about the trade. “That’s a big trade; he can really help us. He’s a great player. It definitely gives us a spark.

“We’re in first place now, and getting him gives us a little more help. He’s definitely gonna bring the success he’s had in his career and that confidence to the team. He’s gonna keep doing what he’s doing. You can’t go wrong getting that kind of talent.”
A year ago, Rodriguez ran into problems with the Mets’ coaching staff over his usage. He complained when he did not finish certain games, and at one point got into a physical altercation in the bullpen with the mild-mannered bullpen coach Randy Niemann over how he was being used.

Then, in August, he was arrested for attacking the grandfather of his children at Citi Field. He agreed to undergo court-monitored anger management therapy, which seemed to have a positive effect, and he had no reported incidents this year.
Welcome to Wisconsin!

(And congratulations to Fielder, the All-Star Game MVP.)

41 comments:

Shouting Thomas said...

The Brewers have money!

Zounds! I thought they were a small market feedlot for the big market teams.

The Cubs have their eye on Prince Fielder as a free agent.

Hope this doesn't mean that the Brewers can actually afford to keep Fielder.

With a name like Prince Fielder, the guy belongs on the Cubs. He's fat, too, which is a Cubbie kinda thing. He could join our equally wonderfully named Starlin Castro and Darwin Barney to form an all-star great name infield!

Castro to Barney to Fielder! Double play!

Fielder would hit 70 homers a year at Wrigley.

Dose of Sanity said...

He's got a very strange contract kicker. If he plays in 55 games this year, he gets another 20+ million.

I'd be curious who would pick up the tab on that now. If its the brewers, they have a very limited (i think he's played in 38 games so far) use for him.

Dose of Sanity said...

ST: The Brewers are considered a "mid-market" team, and have the 2nd highest "market penetration" - almost 70% of the people in Milwaukee either watch or go a game at least once every two weeks.

The number 1 team for that is my team, the Cardinals. It's been a fun year so far.

p.s. For the longest time, I support Prince changing his last name to hitter.

traditionalguy said...

The Ransom of Red Chief deal. Rodriguez is so valuable that the Mets paid the Brewers to take him.

Now let's see if Rodriquez will earn the part of his salary that the Brewers are going to pay him.

Shouting Thomas said...

The number 1 team for that is my team, the Cardinals. It's been a fun year so far.

God, we Cub fans hate the Cardinals.

We've got our eye on Albert Pujols, too!

You guys better be prepared to write one hell of a fat check.

The Crack Emcee said...

I like how, on the previous post, you diss "bland, conventional etiquette" but, on this post, you seem to diss a guy for having fire in the belly.

Make up your mind!

Irene said...

Wisconsin ... anger management therapy.

Dose of Sanity said...

We'd hate cubs fans back, but we like the free wins each year.

Keep dreamin' about Pujols.

ndspinelli said...

General Managers in all sports often are blinded by stats and forget about chemistry. And, since baseball is such a long season, clubhouse dynamics are key. Hopefully, the Brewers have considered chemistry in this move. Time will tell.

Kudos to Prince. Enjoy the next few months, because he's gone next season. The only thing that could possibly change that is if the Brewers win the Series.

Known Unknown said...

The Cubs and Mets.

Lovely mismanagement you both have there.

Shouting Thomas said...

The Mets are an interesting story.

They are in desperate financial straits because their owner was taken in by the Bernie Madoff scam, right?

Couldn't happen to a nicer team. We Cub fans hate the Mets even more than we hate the Cardinals, if that is possible.

Little remarked upon fact by non-Cub fans. The 1969 Mets were the Amazin's. First expansion team to win a world series.

Cubs were in first and up by 8 games going into September. They folded and finished 8 games behind the Mets. Worst Cub heartbreak until 2003. Bartman!

Tim said...

No matter. It'll be the Giants v. the Red Sox in the World Series, with the Giants enjoying home field advantage at the Big Phone thanks to Prince Fielder's game winning home run in the ASG.

Ann Althouse said...

"I like how, on the previous post, you diss "bland, conventional etiquette" but, on this post, you seem to diss a guy for having fire in the belly."

Oh, the many things I "seem" to do!

Henry said...

Then, in August, he was arrested for attacking the grandfather of his children at Citi Field. He agreed to undergo court-monitored anger management therapy, which seemed to have a positive effect, and he had no reported incidents this year.

He's union! He'll fit right in.

Meanwhile, back in New York, Bobby Parnell has a day to seize.

Fred4Pres said...

Head Case! Perfect for Wisconsin.

TosaGuy said...

" If he plays in 55 games this year, he gets another 20+ million."

Not quite right. He has to FINISH 55 games to get the big bucks. He needs to finish 21 more games. This guy will see alot of 8th inning work.

BJK said...

@Dose

The option year on K-Rod's contract kicks in if he finishes 55 games in the current season. He's sitting at 34 right now, having been the closer for the Mets.

With the Brewers having a solid closer in John Axford (who has converted his last 20 save opportunities), and a few other former MLB closers in the bullpen with him (LaTroy Hawkins, Takashi Saito)....the Brewers aren't going to give him that opportunity.

The Mets are even picking up most of Rodriguez's salary for the remainder of the season. They couldn't take K-Rod out of the closer spot without catching hell from the MLB Players Union, so they had to trade him ASAP. It all comes back to unions in this state.

Drew Cloutier said...

I love that he got into an altercation with the "grandfather of his children" as opposed to his "father-in-law". Makes him seem even worse.

Trooper York said...

Ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha!

Suckers.

kjbe said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mark S said...

@BJK has it right. K-Rod has to finish 55 games this year and he gets a $17 million contract next year. Otherwise he gets $3 million bonus (which is reportedly more than covered by the cash the Mets sent over) at the end of this year and the contract is over.

The Brewers know this and have a closer, so it is very unlikely that K-Rod's contract will vest.

edutcher said...

You may want the Brewskis to talk to the management of the Indians.

They'll get all sorts of helpful advice from people who spent years dealing with Albert Belle.

Trooper York said...

K-Rod is a loser. All Mets are losers. You just got yourself a whiny
loser who likes to beat up old people.

Ha.Ha.Ha.

Trooper York said...

You get more out of Tug McGraw.

And he's dead.

Curious George said...

Dose of Sanity said...

We'd hate cubs fans back, but we like the free wins each year.

Really? Sadly, you have to take the "free losses" too.

Here's a "dose of reality"

This year the Brewers are 3-4 versus the Cubs

2010 6-9
2009 7-10
2008 7-9
2007 6-9
2006 8-8
2005 9-7 FINALLY!
2004 7-10
2003 6-10

Lifetime 98-111

Brewers are the Cubs' red-headed stepchild

wv: "promidol" Official LPGA cure for the "yips"

DannyNoonan said...

Curious George,
Dose of Sanity said his team is the Cardinals, not the Brewers.

Curious George said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Trooper York said...

At least the Brewers will lead the league in "Hits on Grandpa."

Curious George said...

DannyNoonan said...
Curious George,
Dose of Sanity said his team is the Cardinals, not the Brewers.

Ooops, didn't read his previous post!

ricpic said...

Love is the answer. Someone will come along, someone with deep pockets who really and truly loves the Mets and he'll snatch the team away from those dastardly Wilpons and shower the team with magnificent money and then, then the spirit of Ed Kranepool (most hits by a Met, 1418 in less time than it took programmed machine Jeter to reach 3000) will dance on the Citifield grass and the HUMAN Mets will go on to destroy the horrible machinelike Yankees in a subway series and once more joy will reign in Mudville because the horrible interchangeable parts that are manufactured on Yankee farms have succumbed to the unquenchable human spirit that the Mets exemplify.

Trooper York said...

ricipi....it's too early to start drinking buddy.

The Met's will never win anything. I mean they might win a World Series once every twenty years or so. But they are fated to be losers. They were once were loveable losers. But now they are just losers.

They will trade Beltran and Reyes and Wright and go with no name crap from the minors because that's the kind of thing a douchenozzle like Alderson will do. He is more worried about the owners money than winnng.

Jose_K said...

His father in law said something about Rodriguez mother, You NEVER, NEVER do that to a venezuelan. Especially when she raised the man alone. He was doing the right thing. His life companion is whith him for the benjamins

He's got a very strange contract kicker. Ths games already played are added to those with the Brewers. The Mets will take two second rate prospect and will pay 5 millions to the Brewers to avoid paying in full. So Brewers will pay 12.5 millions and the Mets 5, the clause is 17.5. They cant sit him. his agent is Scott Boras and they will file a grievance claim and win if he is sitted unless his arm fell down.Magglio Ordoñez was batting 120 under his carrer avg when sitteda nd Boras force Tigers to play him again.
and he will be the closer

Jose_K said...

And the incident with the coach was also caused by the Mets. Their then GM and manager have an issue with afroamericans and venezuelans. The manager misued both Rodriguez and Santana. There were no afroamericans in the team.And only one english speaking player

Jose_K said...

Worst Cub heartbreak until 2003.
1984? 7 outs away of going ,again ,to play the Tigers.Like in 1945 and 1908.
With Sutcliffe in the mound, 16.1 with the Cubs.
A Tiger´s fan

AmPowerBlog said...

Frankie Rodriguez was the Angels' closer for years. I almost went on heart medication because of that mofo. Glad when the Angels tossed him. Maybe he's better now, but I doubt it.

AllenS said...

What's the final analysis, Francisco Rodriguez has issues?

Phil 314 said...

Professor;
suddenly you're a baseball fan/

Don't go all George Will on us.

DannyNoonan said...

"He's got a very strange contract kicker. Ths games already played are added to those with the Brewers. The Mets will take two second rate prospect and will pay 5 millions to the Brewers to avoid paying in full. So Brewers will pay 12.5 millions and the Mets 5, the clause is 17.5. They cant sit him. his agent is Scott Boras and they will file a grievance claim and win if he is sitted unless his arm fell down."

They won't file and they wouldn't win. The Brewers' current closer has 20 saves in a row. He's doing fine. The union can't say the Brewers have to use K-Rod as a closer. The Brewers would be insane to use him as a closer with that option in place and Boras knows it. They'll agree to remove that option to give him a shot at closing. Boras knows he's worth more if he closes and is on a playoff team. He won't sabotage his guy.

DannyNoonan said...

I should be clear that they don't have to "sit him" to avoid being on the hook for $17 million. They just can't let him finish games--meaning they won't make him the 9th inning guy, they'll make him the 8th inning guy.

From Inwood said...

The Mets are faced with a "crippling financial obligation," because their owners were apparently enablers to Bernie Madoff in his ponzi scheme.

The mills of God….

Trooper York said...

The Wilponzies are greedy fools who think that they are gonna be free and clear of this mess they made because of their greed. They don't care about their fans. They don't care about their team. They are among the worst owners in baseball. Their team is among the worst in baseball. The freakin Brewers are like the Green Bay Packers in comparision. Don't take a pig in a poke guys. Anybody who plays for the Mets is fatally tainted.

K-Rod will drag you down to his level. He is a cancer. And you caught this cancer from the Mets.

I pity you fools.