The Milwaukee Brewers may have given up on their talks with the Philadelphia Phillies about closer Jonathan Papelbon, as Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal is reporting that general manager Mark Attanasio is engaging in talks with agent Scott Boras about reliever Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez.
Last season Rodriguez stepped up into Milwaukee’s closer role for Jim Henderson, who struggled in sprint training. He rewarded the Brewers with 44 saves, the fifth-best total in MLB. He posted a 3.04 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and struck out 74 batters in 68 innings. The Brewers aren’t the only team that may have interest in K-Rod, however. According to reports, the Miami Marlins could also be in the mix to sign him and bolster their bullpen.
The Marlins have Steve Cishek firmly entrenched in the role, but behind him their best option is A.J. Ramos, a reliever with great stuff who posted excellent strikeout rates, but walked 6.05 per nine.
Finally the Toronto Blue Jays could inject themselves into the situation. They had also been linked to talks with the Phillies about Papelbon, since their projected closer for Opening Day is left-hander Brett Cecil, whose performance as a full-time reliever over the past two seasons has been promising.
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