For me, a closer is not worth that money. I say,if you want to keep the bats ,get rid of him and go with Shields or Arrendondo or sign a closer/trade..Free that money for a run at Tex or Manny ???..
Would Mannys antics survive in LAA ??

Nah nah nah nah…

hey hey hey…

goodbye.

Jose, Jose Jose Jose…Jose….Jose.

While I appreciate what he’s done and that he’s stuck with the organization for so long it’s too much money for his role that would be much better spent on another solid bat in our lineup.

Let Shields and Arredondo take turns closing. Jespen and Loux, our long relievers. If we have more guys that can get the extra base hits and hit more long balls, then we should’nt have to rely on the closers so much. Yeah, that sounds good.

I believe he is going to be painfully shocked that an offer for $15 Million does NOT come and he may come back to the Angels for $12 mill for 4 plus incentives.

1) What about the other options (Vlad, Lackey, Oliver, Teixiera, GA, Figgins, Rivera, Garland)?
2) What about overall payroll? Is the money better spent elsewhere?
3) Is Arredondo really ready to take over a pressure closer role? He seems to have the physical skills. Does he have the mental skills?
4) If not Arredondo, Shields? I don’t think so…too inconsistent, and he does not want the role. I can’t think of anyone else filling the role short of a trade or FA signing.
5) Frankie has shown he has great closer skills…but has had problems in the playoffs where success/failure is magnified (excluding 2002 when he was an unknown quantity).
6) Frankie is young and has held up well for 6 years. Do we commit 12-15 million a year for 4-5 years to a pitcher that is very young, but that has a violent delivery?
7) Does Frankie want to stay here, or is he selling himself to the highest bidder (i.e. any home town discount)?

This decision would be easier if I had a crystal ball. Good thing Reagins/Moreno are paid the big bucks. I would not go more than 4 years 11-13 million a year…too much risk otherwise. If Frankie received a higher offer, I would immediately start praying to any and all gods that Arredondo is ready to be a closer.

Hope your new fans have stock in Rolaids.

Biggest ego on the team. Not worth the money.

it’s not worth it… heck, he wasn’t worth what he got THIS YEAR.

I’d take a shot at Fuentes for 2 years, but if no go, then go with Shields or Arredondo.

He was tremendously lucky this year to get all of those saves. If we keep him, we do it for no more than 10 mil.

But it’s time to move on. Make Dondo, Escobar or even Weaver the closer.

If we sign C.C. Sabathia as the rumor mill implies we will try and Escobar is healthy, it might be worth trying Escobar as closer. If we don’t sign Sabathia, we should still let K-Rod go and give it to Shields or Arredondo or both. Maybe we can be like the Rays and make the ALCS without having the same closer all season.

Please ohhhhh please say he is gone!!!

Will take too much money away from attempting to keep Teixeira…

He probably won’t get 15 million a year, but someone will probably give him a 4 or 5 year contract for 40 million or more. That’s just too big a risk. If he would accept a 2 year contract with a bunch of incentives and an option that would be fine, but I know he won’t accept that so it’s best to let him go.

I would rather see Justin Speier closing next year than F-Rod. He will be nowhere near worth the money that he wants and he has lost so much velocity on his fastball since 2002 (which is what made him so effective). We could probably just bring up Jenks, Turnbow, or Wise from the minors and they would be good to go…oh wait….Lets just go with Escobar if he is healthy (remember how nails he was out of the pen in 2005).

if you want more heartbreaking postseason homeruns to crush the soul and spirit of the team (not to mention you).

I would tend to think that we have other relievers capable of doing that.

Goodbye you prancing, showboating, regular-season Rivera wannabe.

But Al Campanis’ apparently do.

I hope you don’t end up in a domed stadium, otherwise you’re going to look really funny pointing at the roof.

Happy traaaaaails, to you…….

And should not command $15 million. That’s ridiculous. I thought $10 milion was high for a guy who never pitched in the eighth inning and blew something like what, 7 saves? Brad Lidge would be worth what he wants, even Rivera would be worth it, but Rodriguez, barring some kind of reinvention, is on the downhill slope. Let Shields close for a year with Dondo as his understudy, then let Jose loose in 2010 as the new closer.

That money should be lining Tex’ pockets.

and try to make every other deal in the meantime. Make a play for Tex, deal with GA’s option, extend Lackey and Vlad, make a play for C.C. or Burnett.

Basically leave him on the sideline until you shore up every other spot. If he’s there at the end great, if not oh well. I have a feeling nobody is going to jump at $15 million per/yr. action and there may be a decent deal at the end of free agency to keep him in house after he has exhausted all options.

He’s going to get a lot of money regardless (4 yrs at 12 – 15 million per, probably), and he’s not worth that. Not when we have decent backup options and we have much bigger holes elsewhere (ahem firstbase ahem). Thanks for the good times K-Rod, but we leave you to ply your trade elsewhere.

I am confused at all the people saying he is “barely above average” or otherwise disparaging his pitching (disparaing his ego is alright). Yeah, he’s going to be overpaid, but this guy is one of the top 5 closers in baseball. I happen to think he’s declining and probably won’t sustain this success for another 5 years, but he’s still darn good. His K-rate last year was 10.2 per 9 innings, by far the lowest of his career. I mean, even in his decline, he’s still good. And there’s at least some chance he bounces back next year.

Anyway, don’t sign him, let someone else take that risk and we get picks and the money to throw at a bat.

No one who pitches 1-3 innings/ week is worth $12-15 million. His ability to break Thigpin’s record this year was obviously due to the Angels’ lack of offense and inability to break games open. That money should be used to sign Tex and maybe, just maybe, we can expand our margins of victories in ’09 thus giving us some cushion for a Jose/Shields combo (which they may not even need).

Thank you for your services. You’ll be missed.

Dondo is ready. Use the money you save on Franky towards making sure we get Tex back in the fold.

   Unless he’d take a three year 40 million contract.

wants to give us a hometown discount because he loves his “familia” in Anaheim, so that his “Familia” can use the money to sign more players to get us to the WS, I say Hasta La Bye Bye Francisco !

I say “sign him.” It’s a no-brainer IMHO. Give him what he wants. Hell, it’s just money and millions of fans are flocking to Anaheim to watch the team every season.

You have to spend money to make money, Arte. Keep the local “faithful” faithful. Otherwise, they’ll turn on you and stop attending.

he won’t get what he wants, but he’ll take a good offer that the angels give him. i think he’ll be an angel in 2009.

…unless the guy is automatic! And Frankie AIN’T AUTOMATIC!

2002 was fun..the novelty of the fastball and slider was Fernando-esque. Unfortunately, w/out that fastball / slider combo he is not what he used to be.

Now the development of that change-up throws a bit of a wrench into things…if he can perfect that pitch it may relieve some of the stress of that motion! Again a crapshoot! If they can sign him in that range posted above @ 4 years or so, I say go for it…otherwise, time to move on! Let’s get the draft pick.

Watching the Rays right now is fun with all of their young players. I enjoyed seeing the growth of Jose ET-adondo. I really want to see Wood and maybe Naps or a pitcher just go crazy next season!

I am weary of the Frankie act/routine! Same thing I always say to the obnoxious Boston fans when they pop off, “Learn how to win and act like you’ve been there before…til then STFU!”