Detroit Tigers: Former closer Francisco Rodriguez signs with Washington Nationals
By Matt Snyder
Francisco Rodriguez, the former closer of the Detroit Tigers, has signed a minor league deal with the Washington Nationals.
It didn’t take long for former Detroit Tigers closer Francisco Rodriguez to get another opportunity to prove himself. The Tigers released the struggling reliever on Friday afternoon and it only took until Monday for him to sign elsewhere.
The Washington Post reports that Rodriguez agreed to sign a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals.
"The expectation is that Rodriguez would begin in Class AAA Syracuse, and the fact that he signed a minor league deal indicates some skepticism on the Nationals’ behalf. But as the calendar flips to July, the Nationals almost certainly will be taking chances and making calls to improve their bullpen in the coming weeks. In Rodriguez, they are buying low on a veteran with a good reputation for helping young pitchers, while not siphoning many resources away from their pursuit of higher profile relievers with more recent success."
Rodriguez amassed a 7.82 ERA in 25 innings of work this season before being released last week. For the Nationals, Rodriguez represents risk-free opportunity to catch lightning in a bottle. It’s possible that the change in scenery or trip to AAA will help him find some of his old magic but they’re out very little if he never pans out. The Tigers are on the hook for his 2017 salary either way.
UPDATE: According to Jon Heyman, Rodriguez can opt out of the deal if the Nationals don’t call him up by July 12. At that point Rodriguez could choose to stick it out with the Nationals or become a free agent.
K-Rod has an out July 12 if he's not called up to the nats by then. Team will be looking closely.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) June 27, 2017
The Tigers look like probable sellers at the trade deadline this season and could look to partner with these same Nationals to provide additional bullpen help. Current Tigers closer Justin Wilson could be on the trade block and would be a more reliable option for Washington in the late innings should they choose to pursue him.
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The Nationals don’t appear to be in a big hurry to make a significant move to bolster their bullpen — it’s been clear that they’ve needed help since Spring Training — but the July 31 trade deadline will be their last opportunity to secure a significant piece of the puzzle.