Report: Nationals agree to minor-league deal with K-Rod
The Washington Nationals are desperate to fix the team's most glaring issue: its bullpen.
The Nationals have reportedly signed relief pitcher Francisco Rodriguez to a minor-league contract, according to FanRag Sports' John Heyman. K-Rod was released by the Detroit Tigers last week after a mostly disastrous and tension-filled start to the season.
He will start his tenure with the organization in Triple-A before making the jump to the big league squad. Financial details of the deal are not yet available.
Despite K-Rod's horrible stat line - a 7.82 ERA and nine home runs allowed in only 25 1/3 innings - the Nationals haven't fared much better as a whole. The Nationals' bullpen ERA entering Monday is 4.88, or fifth worst in the major leagues. Incidentally, the Tigers have the worst, in part because of K-Rod's uncharacteristically poor start.
K-Rod's historical effectiveness as a reliever is the draw. Even if saves aren't the most reliable metric for success, he had a 2.73 ERA in 15 MLB seasons entering 2017. Even in 2016, K-Rod was one of Detroit's best bullpen arms.
The best case scenario is he returns to something close to his previous form and helps stabilize the Nationals' underwhelming reliever corps. Worst case scenario is he doesn't rebound and the team cuts him loose, likely at minimal cost.
At 35, expectations will be tempered, but the Nationals have nothing to lose and everything to gain with this acquisition.