While some current stars of Major League Baseball, like Blake Snell and Bryce Harper, are complaining about potential pay cuts and even threatening to sit out the season in some cases, there are some players at the end of their careers who are desperately trying to eke out at least one more season.
Manny Ramirez may have ditched his MLB dreams, but he's looking to make a comeback in Taiwan at age 48. Yesterday, we heard from "Big Sexy" Bartolo Colon, who wants to keep his dream alive with the Mets for his age-47 season. And now, we're hearing that another dominant 2000s star wants to retake the hill in 2020.
Francisco Rodriguez, Major League Baseball's single-season saves leader, is attempting a comeback at age 38, though he hasn't pitched for an MLB team since his 2017 season with the Detroit Tigers. It was a quick fall from grace for K-Rod, as he had just come off three consecutive seasons of 38 or more saves before a dismal 2017 campaign (7 saves, 6 blown saves, 7.82 ERA).
Evan Woodbery of MLive helped to translate the interview between Rodriguez and Guillermo Arcay after the two spoke live on Instagram. Rodriguez told Arcay that he has the "conviction" and "hunger" required to achieve this comeback despite injuries and his relatively old age. He also acknowledged that his name recognition may help his case, but it's his ability to help a team win that will seal the deal.
Rodriguez broke Bobby Thigpen's single-season mark of 57 saves on September 13, 2008, furthering his total that year to 62. No other pitcher in MLB history has broken the 60-save barrier, while Edwin Diaz came close in 2018 with 57. Despite the name K-Rod, his strikeout rate of 26.7% in that record-breaking season ranks 10th out of the 17 pitchers with 50-save seasons. However, he does rank fourth all-time among closers with 300 saves with a 28.5% strikeout rate, trailing only Craig Kimbrel, Kenley Jansen and Billy Wagner.
K-Rod doesn't necessarily need to play more in order to present a strong case for Cooperstown. He's fourth on the list of all-time saves with 437, trailing only Mariano Rivera, Trevor Hoffman and Lee Smith. All three of those guys are Hall of Famers, and Rivera was the first unanimous entrant in the Hall's history. However, a strong case doesn't mean you'll get in. John Franco presented a strong case when he was on the ballot, as he was fourth all-time in saves when he was on the ballot in 2011. He received just 4.6% of the votes.
Looking at Billy Wagner's Hall of Fame case may help raise K-Rod's confidence. Wagner has been on the ballot for five years and saw his voting percentage increase substantially in 2020, as he garnered a 31.7% share of positive votes. 75% is required for induction.
What may help bolster Rodriguez's case is that single-season record, but what would really push him over the edge is adding some more saves onto his resume. In the interview with Arcay, K-Rod acknowledged that in order to be a real contender for Cooperstown, he'll need to surpass Lee Smith's total of 478.
There are some competitive teams out there that could use a veteran closer. The Phillies have Hector Neris, who has been solid for the most part, but the rest of the bullpen doesn't inspire too much confidence and a few key pieces are plagued with injuries. Craig Kimbrel, attempting to make a Hall of Fame case of his own with the Cubs, was a mess in 2019, meaning they could keep their eyes on a veteran addition. K-Rod's former team, the Mets, has some work to do in their bullpen as well, though things could be looking up for this talented (on paper) group.
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