Detroit Tigers Trade for Francisco Rodriguez
By Bill Pivetz
The trades just keep coming this offseason. The Detroit Tigers made a trade to solidify their bullpen struggles for 2016. The team announced that it traded for Milwaukee Brewers All-Star closer Francisco Rodriguez in exchange for a minor-league infielder and a player to be named later. With the move to the AL Central, Rodriguez finds new life and could be a renaissance man in 2016.
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Francisco Rodriguez took center stage when he was with the Los Angeles Angels, when he recorded 194 saves and a 2.35 ERA in 276 innings between 2005 and 2008. He then spent a few seasons with the New York Mets before being traded to the Brewers. He went spent half of a season with the Baltimore Orioles before going back to Milwaukee.
In the last two seasons with the Brewers, Francisco Rodriguez recorded 82 saves with a 2.66 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 135 strikeouts in 125 innings. He had a 2.21 ERA and 38 saves in 2015, and finished 12th among closers on the Player Rater.
The Tigers were shopping for a closer as soon as the season ended. They were inquiring about top-tier guys like Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller, but the prices were too high. The team then shifted focus and was able to acquire Rodriguez.
Regardless of who the Tigers traded for, it would have been an upgrade to who they had this season. The Tigers bullpen struggled all season. The team began the season with Joe Nathan as the closer. While he recorded 35 saves in 2014, it came at the price of a 4.81 ERA and 1.53 WHIP. He had one save this season before landing on the DL. His season ended when he underwent Tommy John surgery.
The Tigers used Neftali Feliz and others as the closer before trading for Joakim Soria at the end of July. He had a 2.85 ERA and 1.05 WHIP with 23 saves. However, Soria is now a free agent and the Tigers bought out Nathan’s contract, leaving them without a true closer for next season.
The Tigers did not give up a lot to acquire a top-10 closer. Despite turning 34 years old in January, Francisco Rodriguez can still pitch at an elite level. The AL Central is not the best-hitting division in the league. Two of the four teams rank in the bottom half in average, on-base percentage and slugging. If he can take advantage of those matchups and the other favorable ones throughout the season, Francisco Rodriguez has a great chance to be a top-10 closer in 2016.
Projections: 3-4, 2.40 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 36 saves, 68 strikeouts
Draft: Round 16