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Reliever Francisco Rodriguez
Update, 9:50 a.m. Saturday: It wasn't easy releasing Francisco Rodriguez (aka K-Rod), says Al Avila, the Tigers' general manager.
“It had to be done, in our opinion,” Avila adds, according to The Detroit News. “We're still trying to win games and obviously, he wasn't getting the job done. It was difficult because he's a long-tenured guy and he's had a long, good career.
“We tried everything. I know there was a lot of criticism toward Brad for putting him in there. Quite frankly, what we were trying to do is get him better. It's either you release him or, you can't just keep him on the bench not doing anything in the bullpen. You've got to try and work through it. We tried everything. It just didn't work out."
The Tigers said that they will pay off the remainder of his $6 million contract.
“He took it hard,” Avila said. “He was apologetic. He said he was sorry he couldn't get it done. He wants to win as much as anybody and he wants to do it as much as anybody. He just couldn't get it done. He felt really bad about it.
“But he was very professional.”
Meanwhile, the Tigers called up reliever Bruce Rondon from Toledo.
Original post, Friday night
Francisco Rodriguez, aka K-Rod, who was released from the Tigers on Friday, had developed a toxic case of chutzpah (nerve).
He lost his role as closer after he lost game after game this year. He had blown four save opportunities in the first month of the season. Top closers don't blow that many in a whole season.
The once-fantastic reliever simply didn't have it anymore.
But what was most galling is that, after the Tigers let him continue to pitch, he complained publicly about being a "mop-up guy" in games.
“That’s a question that really irritates me,” he told The Detroit News on June 13 before a game. “Am I being judged on 10 outings? What about the other 400-plus saves? What about the almost 1,000 appearances?
“I made my living in tough, pressure situations. I have not made my living being a mop-up guy.”
Clearly, he had some nerve saying that considering how badly he was pitching and how he cared only about himself, not the team, which was losing many games, thanks to him.
Cutting him on Friday seemed like the right thing to do, particularly after he gave up a grand slam on Thursday night in Seattle.
