Francisco Rodriguez, New York Mets (Image: Zuma Press)

When he originally got hurt, it appeared as if Rodriguez’s injury could be serious. The closer says that he couldn’t walk after his legs locked up. Mets medical personnel decided to take Rodriguez to the hospital via an ambulance.

Said Rodriguez: “That was scary. I’ve never felt anything like that.”

The Mets also had to be a bit scared, especially considering they signed him to a $37 million contract during the offseason. Rodriguez earned the big bucks after breaking Bobby Thigpen’s record for most saves in a season.

So far, New York has to be happy with how he has performed on the mound. He’s converted all 12 of his save opportunities and has a tiny 0.87 ERA over a span of 20 games.

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Jonathan Broxton, Los Angeles Dodgers (Image: Zuma Press)

1) Jonathan Broxton, Los Angeles Dodgers
Some Dodgers fans thought the closer spot in the bullpen could be shaky in 2009. Guess again. Broxton has eight saves, an era of 0.56, a WHIP of 0.38 and 27 strikeouts in 16 innings.

2) Frank Francisco, Texas Rangers
The Rangers gave Francisco the closers job. So far, so great. He hasn’t given up a run yet and has nine saves and a win.

3) Heath Bell, San Diego Padres
Another closer who has yet to give up a run, Heath Bell has been a huge hit for the Padres and big reason why they are doing better than most experts predicted.

4) Francisco Rodriguez, New York Mets
The Mets went into the offseason trying to strengthen their bullpen. To do that, they signed Rodriguez away from the Angels. His nine saves and 1.08 ERA point to a very good signing.

5) Ryan Franklin, St. Louis Cardinals
Franklin is doing a fine work as the Cardinals closer. He has nine saves, an ERA of 1.23 and a WHIP of 0.68.

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The total value of the contract is believed to be approximately $17.5 million. There’s also a potential third year of the deal that will be enacted based on performance.

Fuentes will definitely have big shoes to fill. Last season, Rodriguez set a Major League Baseball record with 62 saves. He broke the record previously held by Bobby Thigpen of the Chicago White Sox.

The good news for the Angels is that Fuentes should be up for the challenge. Last season with Colorado, Fuentes had a 2.73 ERA to go along with 30 saves and 82 strikeouts in 62.2 innings. It was his fourth straight season with at least 20 saves.

Fuentes will join a solid group of relievers in Los Angeles that includes players such as Scot Shields, Jose Arredondo and Darren Oliver.

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According to multiple reports, the Mets have offered Lowe a contract that is worth $36 million over three years. However, Lowe’s agent reportedly wants a five-year contract for the 35-year-old hurler.

While that might be what the agent wants, it’s unlikely that a team is going to give Lowe a contract that will pay him until the age of 40. This three-year deal from New York could very well be the best deal that Lowe gets offered during the offseason.

If the Mets are able to land Lowe, they will have completed a drastic overhaul to their pitching staff. They’ve already added Francisco Rodriguez and JJ Putz to their bullpen. Adding Lowe to the starting rotation could end being equally as important.

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The initial offer by the Mets was believed to be for two years. However, the Mets decided to up the deal to three years. The deal with Rodriguez is believed to be worth approximately $37 million.

Rodriguez will step right into the closer role for the Mets. He’ll replace Billy Wagner, who was lost to a long-term injury last season.

Although Rodriguez was obviously a wanted man following his record breaking season, some teams were scared off by the fact that his velocity was lower last year than in previous seasons. His strikeouts per inning were down and his walks remained about the same. In fact, in each of his previous five seasons, Rodriguez had struck out more batters.

But the Mets are willing to roll the dice with Rodriguez and hope that he can make up for any lost velocity. Time will tell whether or not this was $37 million well spent.

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Francisco Rodriguez had a completely opposite season. With the Los Angeles Angels, Rodriguez had a Major League Baseball record of 62 saves — breaking the record formerly held by Bobby Thigpen of the Chicago White Sox.

It’s no wonder that one of the first things the Mets did in the winter meetings was to offer Rodriguez a contract. The contract, which is believed to be worth around $25 million over two years, would make Rodriguez one of the highest paid closers in the game and would give the Mets a closer to build their bullpen around.

Although it was a pricey offer, the rumblings in the winter meetings indicate that Rodriguez wants a three-year contract at the very least. Expect him to get at least $40 million from the team that eventually wins his services. Will it be the Mets? They’d need to offer more but with their glaring need, they just might.

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This would be a disappointing way for the Angels to finish the season, especially considering that they had the best record in baseball during the regular season. However, the Red Sox just appear to be more poised and the Angels seem to be a bit rusty after not having a pressure packed game in a few months.

The hero in Game 2 was JD Drew. In the ninth inning, he hit a two-run homer to untie the game and give the Red Sox their final 7-5 margin. It is also noteworthy that the home run came off of Mr. 62 record-breaking saves himself — Francisco Rodriguez.

Game 3 will be on Sunday in Boston. To save their season, the Angels will have to pull out a road win against Josh Beckett.

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4) Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays
Another year, another Roy Halladay great season. Perhaps the most underrated pitcher in the entire major leagues, Halladay currently has a 2.81 ERA and a 19-11 record. It took the Blue Jays a while it kick it into gear this season but Halladay has been behind their late season resurgence.

3) Daisuke Matsuzaka, Boston Red Sox
After signing that enormous contract last season, Daisuke Matsuzaka got off to a relatively slow start to his big league career in the United States. However this season, Matsuzaka has been everything the Red Sox wished he’d become. He has an amazing 18-2 record to go with a sparkling 2.80 ERA. If this were any other year, he’d be a great candidate to take home the Cy Young Award.

2) Cliff Lee, Cleveland Indians
Seemingly out of nowhere Cliff Lee has put up ridiculous stats this season. He leads the American League in wins and ERA at 22 and 2.41, respectively. He only has two losses and has been a consistent force for the Indians all season long. Considering that the Indians underperformed for much of the year, Lee’s strong season is even that much more spectacular.

1) Francisco Rodriguez, Los Angeles Angels
The only thing standing between Cliff Lee and the Cy Young Award is Francisco Rodriguez. The Angels closer has had one of the best seasons of all-time for a reliever as he’s amassed a major league record number of saves. To date, Rodriguez has 61 saves and an ERA of 2.31. It’s difficult for relievers to win the Cy Young, but Rodriguez’s season is noteworthy enough that he has a very good shot at taking home the trophy.

Francisco Rodriguez has pitched his name into the record books and Cy Young consideration.

Photo: Newscom

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You can watch the video of Francisco Rodriguez getting his save in style with a strikeout against the Seattle Mariners. After the strikeout, Rodriguez celebrated by pointing to the heavens.

On the season, Rodriguez AKA K-Rod has been very good. To go along with his 58 saves, Rodriguez has a 2.38 ERA to go along with 58 strikeouts in less than 65 innings. On the season, he has only blown six saves.

The Angels were the first team to clinch a spot in the 2008 baseball postseason. The Torii Hunter video shoes just exactly how the Angels like to celebrate.

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Quoth Rodriguez:

If they wanted me here, they would have done something a long time ago. But, in the meantime, I have to put that out of my head. I can’t be thinking they don’t want me here or anything like that. Just do my job.

Here’s the thing. If he’s thinking that he has to “put that out of my head,” then presumably it’s already in his head. Why are the Angels, who don’t exactly lack resources, messing around with this? In general, I believe that relievers are fairly interchangeable, but Rodriguez has demonstrated a consistent ability to dominate hitters and he’s only 26 years old. In my book, locking up a guy like that makes sense.

Quoth Angels GM Tony Reagins:

I’ve said it before, it’s his right (to become a free agent). He’s earned it. We’ve presented a position to them. At that point it was declined… We made what we thought was a fair offer. It wasn’t accepted. They said they were probably going to go year-to-year, which to me, means they’re going to explore their opportunities (in free agency).

Maybe this isn’t what Reagins intended, but how many fans are going to read his quotes and perceive that he’s placing the blame on Rodriguez: “We made an offer, they declined, it’s out of our hands.”

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