Brian Cashman Screws Up Again, Brewers Steal K-Rod from New York Yankees
July 13, 2011 · Larry Barnes · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
Here’s a few things you need to know about the deal that sent New York Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez to the Milwaukee Brewers.
1) The Mets made this deal for one reason and one reason only: To avoid the vesting of K-Rod’s $17.5 million option for 2012.
2) According to at least one report, the Mets did not receive much of anything in the way of talent coming back from the Brewers.
3) According to multiple reports, the Mets kicked in “about $5 million” in cash to the Brewers, covering the remainder of K-Rod’s salary for the 2011 season. All the Brewers, who will almost certainly use K-Rod as a setup man, will have to pay is the $3.5 million buyout of the 2012 option.
4) The New York Yankees were offered the same deal for Rodriguez at least two weeks ago and Brian Cashman REJECTED IT! WHAT?!
And for those who believe Francisco Rodriguez will be a problem if he’s not used as a closer, we say, “B*** S***!” There are two very obvious reasons Rodriguez (and his new agent) would happily accept a role as setup man for the rest of this year.
1) He SAID he would! K-Rod was quoted in a story a few weeks ago saying while he considers himself a closer, he would happily go to a contender—he specifically named the Yankees as one example—and “help them out” for the rest of this season as a setup man.
2) And this one is FAR more important. K-Rod just switched agents to Scott Boras.
Do you think Scott Boras, for ONE SECOND, wants that 2012 option to vest??? NOT A CHANCE! Boras didn’t negotiate that deal. Boras doesn’t get ANY money from that deal. The only way Scott Boras makes money off Francisco Rodriguez is by negotiating a NEW deal for the closer.
In other words, Boras wants and needs Rodriguez to be a free agent after this season. In fact, I can guarantee you that Boras, from the moment he signed K-Rod, has been PLANNING on his becoming a free agent at the end of this season.
So why did Brian Cashman pass on an opportunity to have Francisco Rodriguez setting up Mariano Rivera for the remainder of this season when all it was going to cost was a suspect minor leaguer or two and $3.5 million???
I wish I could tell you. I am at a complete loss for words. This makes NO sense. But then, a lot of what Cashman does (or chooses not to do) makes no sense.
Remember, we are talking about the guy who thought another Mets reliever, Pedro Feliciano, was worthy of a two-year guarantee that pays him a lot more per yer than the Yankees would have spent on K-Rod. As you no doubt already know, the next pitch Feliciano throws for the Yankees will be the first.
The guy everybody in baseball knew was a ticking time bomb, because of the abusive way the Mets used him for years, blew up in the face of the Yankees. His arm is shot and it’s a near certainty he will never throw a pitch for the New York Yankees.
Perhaps Cashman would have been more interested if there were medical records showing that K-Rod’s pitching wing was on the verge of falling off his shoulder.
There is absolutely no down side to that K-Rod deal for Milwaukee, and there would not have been one for the Yankees. NONE. Sadly, as is always the case every time Cashman craps his pants, it is the Yankees and their fans that pay the price for his ridiculous mistakes.
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