Fernando Rodney leaves the game after giving up two home runs during the eighth inning of one of his last appearances before being released by Oakland last month. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)
The Washington Nationals signed Fernando Rodney to a minor league deal, according to a person familiar with the situation, and the 42-year-old reliever is due to report to the Class AAA Fresno Grizzlies.
Rodney was baseball’s oldest pitcher before he was designated for assignment by the Oakland Athletics on May 25. That came after he struggled for the first two months of the season out of the Athletics’ bullpen, giving up 15 runs in 14⅓ innings for a 9.42 ERA. He has 325 career saves, including 39 in 2017 with the Arizona Diamondbacks, and is 18th on baseball’s all-time list.
The Nationals signed him using the same logic that seems to have guided their decision-making process since the beginning of this year: If there is an available veteran reliever and he may have something left, they will give him a try. That mind-set is what led the Nationals to Dan Jennings in mid-April and journeyman Javy Guerra a month later. Jennings made eight appearances before he was designated for assignment. Guerra remains in the bullpen. Now Rodney could join if he pitches well in Fresno. The Nationals still have the league’s worst bullpen with a 7.06 ERA. The next closest is the Baltimore Orioles at 5.87.
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It appears unlikely Rodney is the answer to the Nationals’ bullpen woes. But if he is the answer to anything — say a couple of a low-leverage outs or the occasional matchup situation — a low-cost, low-risk deal could be worth it. Trevor Rosenthal was supposed to be the Nationals’ setup man, but he remains on a hunt for control during a prolonged rehab assignment that has to end this week. Manager Dave Martinez’s other options include the inconsistent Kyle Barraclough and Wander Suero (effective Saturday with two scoreless innings), rookie Tanner Rainey (solid in limited opportunities), and left-hander Matt Grace, who has recorded 13 outs since last giving up a run. Sean Doolittle continues to be one of the league’s best closers.
Washington is only using Tony Sipp in low-leverage situations at the moment despite giving him a one-year major league deal to be the team’s matchup left-hander. Guerra is expendable. And Kyle McGowin is in the bullpen as a long reliever but could be optioned back to Fresno soon.
Rodney comes with concerns weighing down any potential upside. He still throws his fastball in the low-to-mid 90s, but his walk rate is nearly as high as it has been at any point of his 17-year career. His results with Oakland were far less than encouraging. It would be unfair to ask much of a pitcher in the twilight of a long career. But if the Nationals have limited expectations and Rodney proves capable of meeting them, he could yet get another chance.
