The wild reliever is heading west to join the Mariners on a two-year deal.
With spring training just hours away for some teams, Fernando Rodney has finally found a home for the upcoming season after agreeing to a two-year deal with the Seattle Mariners on Thursday, according to Jonah Keri of Grantland.
The deal is worth $14 million with an extra $1 million in incentives. Rodney spent the last two season with the Rays and had a career year in 2012 when he posted a 0.60 ERA in 74 ⅔ innings of work in the closer's role. Last year, Rodney came back to Earth as his walk rate returned to a more typical 4.86 BB/9 compared to the 1.81 BB/9 he posted in 2012.
Prior to his stint with the Rays, the soon-to-be 37-year-old Rodney spend two rough seasons with the Angels and seven inconsistent ones with the Tigers. All told, he's thrown close to 600 innings since 2002 with an ERA of 3.70 and a FIP of 3.75.
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Rodney will likely close for the Mariners, but Danny Farquhar had a good deal of success in that role during the 2013 season, saving 16 of 18 opportunities from August on. Farquhar's ERA was elevated due to some poor luck early on, but his peripheral numbers all pointed to his having had a very strong season for the Mariners. However, it's unlikely the Mariners are paying Rodney $7 million a season to setup, even if he might not be the best reliever on the team.
Mariners pitchers and catchers are due to report to camp on February 12 with the full squad arriving five days later. They also added Robinson Cano, Logan Morrison, and Corey Hart this winter and enter 2014 with high expectations in a very difficult division.
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