The first of many “deadline deals” in baseball went down way before the July 31st trade deadline, with the New York Mets trading closer Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez to the Milwaukee Brewers.
Rodriguez is having a solid season, but certainly not for the money the Mets are paying him, as our friends at Rumors and Rants explain:
K-Rod going to the Brewers is just the first in what should be many moves the Mets will make over the next few weeks to get rid of excess payroll. The 29-year old Rodriguez is making about $12.2 million this year and if he somehow finishes 55 games (he has finished 34 so far) his $17. 5 million option for 2012 will vest and he’ll become a ridiculously expensive bullpen arm.
The Brewers already have a closer in John Axford, so Rodriguez will ostensibly become the setup man. You never can have enough good bullpen arms, especially during the second half of the season, and especially in a season when you are essentially “all in” as the Brewers are.
Oh, as for what the Mets get: cash and players to be named later. If you’ve been following the Mets tenuous ownership situation this year, you know just important that cash was to getting the deal done.
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