Relief pitcher Fernando Rodney, 42, is signing with the Washington Nationals and reporting to the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies, multiple reports said Saturday night.
Source : RP Fernando Rodney is signing with the Washington Nationals. Will report to AAA Fresno.
— Craig Mish (@CraigMish) June 2, 2019
Source: The Nationals have signed Fernando Rodney to a minor league deal. He will report to the AAA Fresno Grizzlies.
— Jesse Dougherty (@dougherty_jesse) June 2, 2019
The Oakland Athletics designated Rodney for assignment last week and released him Tuesday. If the Nationals call him up to appear in the big leagues, they will become Rodney’s 11th MLB team in 17 seasons.
The Athletics acquired Rodney last year in a midseason trade, but his 2019 was off to a horrible start. In 17 games, he amassed a 9.42 ERA and an 0-2 record with no saves. But he is not far removed from earning 39 saves for the Diamondbacks in 2017 and 25 with the Twins in 2018 before being traded.
A three-time All-Star, Rodney is best known as a closer — he has collected 325 saves in his MLB career — but he has also played the setup role before. Given the Nationals still have a reliable closer in Sean Doolittle, they might be interested in Rodney for the eighth inning job, albeit on a stopgap basis.
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
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