Francisco Rodriguez had a limited no-trade clause in his contract, but it didn’t do him any good because the closer’s former agent didn’t submit the list of teams he wouldn’t go to to the Mets.
“There was no list,” Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said yesterday at Citi Field.
That explains why Rodriguez switched agents, from Paul Kinzer to Scott Boras last week, just prior to being traded to the Brewers after Tuesday’s All-Star Game.
“His contract provided for a 10-team, limited no-trade, if the list was provided by a certain date, roughly 2½ years ago,” Alderson said. “To our knowledge, that list was never submitted, and we proceeded on the trade market on that basis. I had discussions with his former agents within last the two or three weeks and made them aware that as far as we knew, there was no list.”
Rodriguez, in Denver with the Brewers, said, “I’m still trying to find out what happened.
“I was told by my ex-agent about the 10-team list and Milwaukee was one of them,” he said. “When I got the phone call from the GM and told I was traded I was a little confused. I just found out my agent never sent the letter to the players association or MLB. The Mets had an opportunity to trade me to any place.”
Rodriguez didn’t want to go to Milwaukee because when he signed with the Mets in 2008, Trevor Hoffman, now retired, was the closer.
“That was my No. 1 reason. At that time Hoffman was here,” he said. “That’s not an issue at all. I’m a Brewer now. I just want to win.”
Kinzer couldn’t be reached for comment, but Alderson said neither he nor Boras contested the fact there was no list.
Alderson said, “The trade is done. None of that had any bearing on the transaction.”
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Jose Reyes (hamstring) took batting practice and got treatment yesterday, but Alderson said it wasn’t clear when the shortstop would be ready to play. He is eligible to come off the disabled list Monday.
“This is a two-to-three week injury,” Alderson said. “Probably closer to three than two with his style of play.”
David Wright (back) is scheduled to play five innings in a rehab game with Single-A St. Lucie tonight and could be back with the Mets next Friday.
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Alderson said Johan Santana remains active in Port St. Lucie and his spring training has begun. But the Mets aren’t expecting him to make any major contributions this season.
“He’s feeling good,” said Alderson, adding the performance of the team would not have a bearing on how they treat the lefty this season. “I don’t think so. Right now, we look at the importance of Johan pitching this season as it relates to next year. I don’t think we could expect him to play any sort of meaningful role in a pennant race.
“We’re more concerned about him pitching this season so we get past that question going into spring training next year.”
With AP