SAN FRANCISCO — Francisco Rodriguez is waiting for the Mets to send him a smoke signal concerning his future.
The star closer reaffirmed to The Post yesterday his love for wearing a Mets uniform, but said he also is well aware general manager Sandy Alderson is trying to make him — or more precisely his $17.5 million vesting option for next season — disappear.
“I’m waiting for any decision they come up with, and hopefully the decision is they let me stay here and finish my year here, because I want to go nowhere else,” Rodriguez said before the Mets’ 4-2 loss to the Giants last night in the final game before the All-Star break.
Rodriguez has finished 34 games, putting him on pace for 61 in a full season. He needs only to finish 55 games this season to trigger his 2012 option.
Rodriguez’s numbers this season — hs is 2-2 with a 3.16 ERA and 23 saves in 26 chances — make him a commodity for any team needing setup or closing help, but Alderson yesterday said it’s too early to say what level of interest other teams might have in trading with the Mets.
“I think that’s starting to develop now,” Alderson said.
The GM was asked if carrying Rodriguez at $17.5 million for 2012 would cripple the Mets, who are expected to have a payroll in the $120 million range next year. This year’s payroll is about $140 million.
“I wouldn’t say anything is ever crippling,” Alderson said. “We take things as they occur, and evaluate the situation and come up with another course of action if we have to. We’ll just see how it plays out.”
Does that mean Rodriguez could be a Met next season?
“Sure, there’s a way it could happen, and other various ways it could play out,” Alderson said.
Though Alderson has not officially been told that Rodriguez is switching agents, from Paul Kinzer to Scott Boras, he expects to have clarity on the matter in the coming days. Alderson said he has been in contact with Kinzer over the last three to four weeks — presumably to discuss Rodriguez’s limited no-trade clause, which consists of 10 teams to which the pitcher can’t be dealt without his consent.
Rodriguez said the Mets have not approached him about waiving that limited no-trade clause. The righty previously indicated he would be willing to waive his vesting option if a team were willing to negotiate a new contract with him.
“There are a lot of ideas out there, a lot of things, so I will see,” Rodriguez said.
For now, he will spend the All-Star break resting, not the least bit upset he wasn’t selected to participate in the game for the NL team.
“I’m aware that there a lot of guys out there having way better numbers than I have, and have pitched way better than I did, so definitely I’m not disappointed,” Rodriguez said. “In June I really had a poor month, it was really bad. I had five or six outings where I didn’t pitch well, so I’m looking forward for a strong second half, that’s for sure. I’m capable to do better.”