Reports: Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez , Tigers have a deal

[mouse7]

"Reports: Pudge, Tigers have a deal
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

DETROIT -- The Tigers and Ivan Rodriguez have finally reached a verbal agreement on a four-year contract, two Detroit radio stations reported Saturday morning.

Both WXYT-AM 1270 and WDFN-AM 1130 have reported that the two sides have agreed on a four-year, $40 million deal that includes clauses that would allow the Tigers to shorten the deal in case of injury. An announcement is expected to come on Monday...."

"...The pursuit of Pudge has now well outlasted the Tigers' chase for free-agent Miguel Tejada earlier this offseason. In Rodriguez, the Tigers would have the biggest free-agent signing in franchise history, not to mention their richest contract in terms of average annual salary.

It also would complete an unprecedented offseason for a team that lost an American League record 119 games last season. Rodriguez would be the sixth free agent the Tigers have signed to a guaranteed contract and the fourth addition to a lineup that ranked last in the American League in offense. Three of them have shored up the Tigers up the middle with Rodriguez behind the plate, Carlos Guillen at shortstop and Fernando Viña at second base...."

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/news/mlb_news.jsp?ymd=20040131&content_id=632649&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp

[Bertha Venation]

1. I hope he'll be happy.

I don't have much hope for the Tigers' pulling it out before Pudge retires. But they do need a good field general, and now they've got one of the best.

[mouse7]

6. GM Dombrowski put the pieces together for 2 Marlins titles

The Marlins were fools for allowing Dombrowski to escape and move to Detroit. He built the first Marlin championship team from nothing, was forced to trade it all away when the old owner went broke, and got ahold of all those great young arms the Marlins have now. Dombroski knows pitching. Comerica Canyon is a dream park for pitchers. He's now gotten a future hall of famer to handle his pitchers for 4 years (team option for 5th year).

Jeremy Bonderman is going to be a stud in the years to come. Dombrowski flat out stole Eric Shelton (Tigers next catcher - Pirates minor league player of the year) in the rule 5 draft. Carlos Guillen, an above average major league shortshop, was gotten for nothing. Same for Carlos Pena.

I haven't seen pieces start falling into place for the Tigers like this since Trammell and Whitaker got called up together.

[UrbScotty]

2. Like I said before: YIP...

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yippee!

[trogdor]

3. He already has a World Series ring...

...now he wants a shitload of money. Fark him for doing that bullshiat pointing to heaven shiat. He's just like all the rest.

[Tripper11]

4. Here here!!!

Seattle was in the running for him too. I'm glad they didn't get him. I would have lost a lot of respect for the Mariners if they had.

[mouse7]

8. You always grab future hall of famers when you can get them

Pudge is already a first ballot hall of famer. He's proved he'll work hard to help less talented teams by working hard in every game on some really awful Ranger teams for a decade. The Tigers have already negotiated the insurance policies for the team to cover them if Pudge gets hurt in the first two years of the deal, and have outs in the deal for serious back injuries after that. The Tigers only can only get hurt if Pudge injures something new.

Pudge Rodriguez is arguably the best all-around catcher to ever play baseball. You get a chance to sign a player with his resume, you jump all over it without thinking.

[Bertha Venation]

5. Oh, so what?

Perhaps your problem isn't w/ Pudge but w/ money-grubbing, self-aggrandizing professional athletes in general. Christ, if you want to blast some asshole athlete for these things, blast someone who deserves it. Barry Bonds for example.

[mouse7]

7. Pudge PLAYS for his money.

Pudge played on a lot of wretched, horrible, terrible Ranger teams and he never dogged it. Pudge showed up to the stadium and tried to win no matter how bad the Rangers record was.

To say that Pudge isn't worth $10 mil a year in a sport where A-Rod makes 25 mil a year is wrong.

[ProudGerman]

9. Huh?

Would you rather all that money went to the owners? Players, who do all the work, try to get their fair share of the pie. The pie is ridiculously large, so each share is likewise just as ridiculous. Their are excesses, yes, there isn't a player alive or formerly alive that's worth 25 million a year. Hell, the Pirates fielded an entire team in recent years that was payed less than that.