Buzz: Most Reports say No to K-Rod
According to John Perrotto in a weekend report for Baseball Prospectus, the Mets will not pursue Francisco Rodriguez, instead they will target Brian Fuentes, as well as Derek Lowe.
Joel Sherman reported the same information in the New York Post on Thursday of last week, adding, “The Mets are promising to be creative and explore many avenues.”
Later in the day, Ken Davidoff wrote the following in Newsday, “The Mets have convinced themselves that Rodriguez just isn’t worth the money.”
…the early sense i get is that the Mets know they’ll need to make trades this off-season, to rotate talent and create a new mix…so, they will not have time to wait out K-Rod and Scott Boras, who will likely seek a four– or five-year contract…instead, i suspect the Mets will explore a trade for a closer, like a J.J. Putz, or B.J. Ryan, trusting Brian Fuentes will not sign a contract until after rodriguez’s sets the bar…
In 34 starts with the Dodgers this season, Lowe, who has 85 career saves, was 14-11 with a 3.24 ERA.
In 67 appearances for the Rockies in 2008, Fuentes had 30 saves in 34 opportunities with a 2.71 ERA in 62 innings pitched.
Fuentes will likely seek a three-year, $38 million deal, similar to what Brad Lidge received from the Phillies, according to a report by Ken Rosenthal FoxSports.com.
