Fernando Rodney – A Strange Departure

With the recent news of Fernando Rodney agreeing to a two year deal with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Tigers fans can now close the book, officially, on the Rodney era in Detroit. His departure was anything but surprising, particularly in the midst of the mass exodus of regulars this off-season. Many of us expected a new uniform for Fernando in 2010, although it’s safe to say the circumstances surrounding his new adventure are less than what was anticipated. working the eighth inning for two years at 11 million dollars is a far cry from the 30 million over three years to be a closer he and his agents were expecting, at least according to many reports.

I am surprised, and I’m not.

The fact that he will toil elsewhere henceforth falls in line with expectations. The face of this Tigers team is clearly changing, be it for reasons of financial means, the desire to remove the roadblocks between promising youngsters and their duly appointed destiny, or both. With the primary cogs of the latter innings from last season now on board with other organizations there will be much discussion as to the appropriate personnel to assume these duties. That conversation will take place another day. Today let’s examine the how and the why of Fernando Rodney ending up where he did.

When a pitcher notches 37 saves in a season just ahead of entering free agency, as Rodney did in 2009, the market would seem to open wide. Recent history tells us that such a pitcher would seem to be in line for a hefty raise, the security of a long term deal and the invitation to ply the same trade in his new destination.

In 2005 B.J. Ryan saved 36 games, then became a free agent. That winter he signed a five year, 47 million dollar pact with the Toronto Blue Jays, and became their closer.  In 2007 Francisco Cordero recorded 44 saves for the Milwaukee Brewers, then signed a four year, 46 million dollar deal in the off-season with the Cincinnati Reds to become their closer.

So then why did Fernando struggle in his attempt to parlay a similar season into a similar arrangement?

The market is a funny place. Closers are a funny commodity.

For Ryan and Cordero represent the yin and the yang of recent closer contracts on the heels of seasons such as that of Rodney. One (Ryan) was proven a miserable failure, culminating with his being cut by the Jays in 2009 with more than 15 Million dollars left on the deal. Cordero on the other hand has been successful, notching 73 saves in his first two seasons with the Reds.

In more recent memory Kerry Wood became a free agent after saving 34 games with the Cubs in 2008. He landed a two year deal, like Rodney, but Wood walked into the closers job with the Indians and garnered 20 million dollars over the length of the agreement.

Rodney’s teammate last season, Brandon Lyon, secured a three year deal with the Astros for 15 million dollars, only half a million less per year than Fernando. And Lyon was a closer for but a couple of weeks in 2009. With Jose Valverde available in free agency Lyon will fight with Matt Lindstrom for the right to work the ninth inning next year. Fernando on the other hand will set the table for Brian Fuentes and wait for failure to give him an opportunity at closing.

There is something fishy about the whole thing, even with the caveat of instability in free agent closers. Yes, Rodney has only one full year of closer experience. And yes, his 4.40 ERA last season is in line with his 4.28 career mark, poor by closers standards. But the fact remains he throws a fastball in the high 90’s and lays claim to a change-up among the best in the world. He demonstrated this past campaign that he was able to slam the door 37 out of 38 times called upon.

So why was he unable to make the leap to a lucrative, long-term pact to be the closer of the future for another team? More importantly, at least to Tigers fans, if his price was 5.5 million per season over two years, why did the Tigers let him walk?

Logic would suggest he would have remained the closer here in Detroit. That job carries a more high profile tag than set-up man for the Angels. His 2009 salary was 2.7 million dollars, so a 100% raise would have been in order to keep him in the old English D.  Even at that number Rodney would have been priced comparably to veteran options the Tigers would need to pursue if the idea is to replace him with a veteran closer.

Which leads this scribe to believe one of two things to be true – the Tigers were determined to get cheaper and younger in the ninth inning, or the team lacked confidence that Fernando could sustain his 2009 performance going forward and didn’t want to pay him to prove them wrong.

Validation of either theory will come as we learn who will handle the end game for this club next season. If Joel Zumaya, Ryan Perry or another such youngster inherits the role then we are left to assume Dave Dombrowski and crew wanted such a young, cheap answer. If someone the likes of Jose Valverde, Octavio Dotel or George Sherrill is brought in – we must assume the Tigers were (are) willing to spend comparable cash, but not on Mr. Rodney.

My gut tells me option A is the favorite, and that Joel Zumaya will get first crack at the ninth inning, but again that’s a topic for another day.

Today I’m looking at Fernando Rodney leaving town for a fraction of what I thought it would take to sign him. The fact that he settled for thirty cents on the dollar, and took a demotion tells me the Detroit Tigers made no real effort to retain him. For surely the only big league team he’s ever known could have offered him a better job, a job he would have taken.

But it is what it is. Despite what club officials call this off-season re-shuffling this organization has been shedding payroll like a malamute in the summer sun. While we find it more palatable when those who depart sign enormous contracts that seemingly justify the Tigers for not overpaying – we’re left feeling strange when a player fresh off a career year takes a demotion and a third rate offer from another squad. At least I am. I’m left to believe one of two things is very much true.

Either Fernando really didn’t want to be here, or the Tigers really didn’t want him back. My guess is the latter option, although it’s just that. Rodney doesn’t say much to the press, and his representatives would never spill the straight dope. The organization likewise would never tell the baseball world they doubted his abilities, and are unlikely in plain English to state the true nature of their balance sheet. Suffice it to say the standard message about going in a new direction and trusting in-house talent will be the most likely explanation.

If I had to wager I would do so that Fernando Rodney wanted to come back, wanted to close for the Tigers, and was willing to do so for about the same money the Angels offered him, and the Tigers wouldn’t come up with the coin to make even that happen.

However you slice it, it comes up a bit short.

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Tags: B.J. Ryan, Dave Dombrowski, Detroit Tigers, Fernando Rodney, Francisco Cordero, Kerry Wood, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim